Colleagues remember film critic Tioseco

Alexis Tioseco’s voice, described as “soft and gentle" by a friend, could be easily drowned out in a room full of raucous individuals blabbering about the trivialities of life. But whenever he would open his mouth - more appropriately his mind - to talk about the intricacies of the art of film making, everyone would stop and pay attention, as if listening not to a 28-year-old lad but to an elderly film genius perfected by time. Such was the reverence accorded to the young Filipino-Canadian film critic who made a name for himself in the field of film criticism, focusing on Asian independent cinema and its relationship to the region’s society and culture. Last week, Tioseco’s life came to an abrupt halt after he and his girlfriend Nika Bohinc were shot dead inside their Quezon City residence along Times Street, the same street where the late President Corazon Aquino lived. [See: Film critic Alexis Tioseco, girlfriend killed in QC home] Chief Superintendent Elmo San Diego, Quezon City Police District director, told GMANews.TV that investigation has so far pointed to robbery as the motive behind the killings. Initial investigation showed that one of Tioseco’s two maids – the newly hired "Criselda" – could have connived with a group of robbers who stole an undetermined amount of cash, jewelry, and four laptops from the victims. Tioseco’s other maid, Magdalena Patpat, told police investigators that Criselda went out of the house Tuesday and was already accompanied by a group of men when she came back. Patpat was hogtied before the suspects killed the couple, carted away items from the house, and fled. Tioseco’s remains were cremated Sunday at the St. Peter’s Life Plan Building along Quezon Avenue at 11:30 a.m. after a necrological Mass at the Sanctuario de Antonio in Taguig City. His ashes will be interred in Angeles City in Pampanga province beside his father’s remains. Bohinc’s remains, meanwhile, will be flown to her family in Slovenia on Tuesday. [See: Remains of indie film critic Tioseco, partner cremated in QC] Jose Mari Ugarte, editor in chief of Rogue magazine, said Tioseco’s firm grasp and critical appraisal of film as an art form had long been recognized among the inner circles of the film criticism industry. What equally enamored colleagues about Tioseco was his personality. “I remember being impressed not only by his deep knowledge and understanding of cinema, particularly Asian cinema, but also by his manner: soft-spoken, gentle, kind, humorous, and extremely passionate about film," Ugarte said in a tribute on Rogue. Tioseco used to contribute articles for the magazine, including one of his most beloved pieces, a letter he wrote for his girlfriend that was published in the July 2008 issue of the magazine. Saddened by the news of the killings, critically-acclaimed independent film director Auraeus Solito urged the public to read Tioseco’s letter to Nika. "Filipinos should read this (referring to Rogue article)," said Solito, who directed the multi-awarded Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros and Pisay. [See: ‘The first impulse of any good critic is love’] Tioseco’s knowledge of his craft would later land him regular guest appearances on Cheche Lazaro’s Media in Focus television program, where he would share his opinion sabout “indie" films and directors. It was Tioseco and Bohinc’s shared fascination about film that brought them together in the first place, having first met at the International Film Festival in Rotterdam in 2007. Two years earlier, Tioseco had launched the website Criticine, where he published his reviews of Asian independent films, including the ones made in the Philippines. Noel Vera, another Filipino critic, was all praises for the Filipino-Canadian’s website. “[It is] the finest web magazine on Southeast Asian cinema, even if it hasn't been updated for years. I like to think so… because it is a wonderful treasure trove of articles on Southeast Asian films," Vera said on his blog. And with Tioseco gone, Vera said he no longer knew what fate lies ahead of a very “personal" article he earlier wrote for Criticine. "I'd submitted to him an article for a special Love Letters issue - a love letter to be written to a filmmaker or film personality you profess a passion for. At least that's how I understood it, and how I wrote it, as a confession," he said. “May never be published, alas," he concluded. But more than Vera with his unpublished piece of writing, it is Philippine cinema – which could have benefited from Tioseco’s useful insights - that suffered the biggest setback with his demise. “He loved the Philippines deeply and genuinely believed in the talents of our filmmakers, aggressively promoting them in any venue he could find. When it came to cinema, it was his voice everyone listened to," said Ugarte. Solito could not have agreed more, saying: "The public should know the great loss to Philippine cinema because of this senseless killing." - GMANews.TV