Film and TV director Maryo J. delos Reyes passed away Saturday night. He was 65.
Based on initial reports, the acclaimed filmmaker was in Dipolog City and suffered a heart attack while attending a party there.
At the time of his untimely demise, Direk Maryo, as he is fondly referred to, was a resident director for GMA Network and a consultant for the station’s talent development and management department. He was also the festival director for the agriculture-themed ToFarm Film Festival.
One of his last public appearances came during the press conference for Jason Paul Laxamana’s “Instalado” last Tuesday, January 23, at the Cinematheque Manila of the Film Development Council of the Philippines. Direk Maryo appealed for support to the film that won six awards in last year’s ToFarm film festival and is currently showing in participating SM Cinemas as part of the FDCP and SM Cinema’s Cine Lokal initiative.
Born in Santa Cruz, Manila, Direk Maryo made his film debut in 1979 with the coming-of-age period film, “High School Circa ’65.” That same year, he directed “Annie Batungbakal,” the first of several comedy and musical collaborations with Superstar Nora Aunor and produced by the latter’s NV Productions. They also worked together in “Bongga Ka ‘Day,” Ibalik ang Swerti,” and “Rock and Roll.”
Throughout the 1980s, Delos Reyes continued to be a sought-after director and worked on many films together with screenwriter and longtime collaborator Jake Tordesillas who passed away in June of last year.
These include another acclaimed coming-of-age film “Bagets” which is now considered a classic. “Bagets” launched the career of Aga Muhlach and spawned a sequel, “Bagets 2,” and much later, an afternoon series for TV5, “Bagets: Just Got Lucky.”
Although initially identified with comedies and musicals, Direk Maryo has also proven his mettle in dramas like “Saan Darating ang Umaga?,” “Tagos ng Dugo,” “My Other Woman” and “Sinungaling Mong Puso.”
His best known work was “Magnifico” in 2003. The film was about the tragic story of a kind-hearted boy who built a casket for his ailing grandmother while also trying to raise money to buy a wheelchair for his sister. “Magnifico” was showered by local award-giving bodies and several international film festivals with numerous Best Film and Best Director awards.
Direk Maryo also won accolades for his succeeding works “Naglalayag” in 2004, “A Love Story” in 2007 and “Bamboo Flowers” in 2013.
He initially worked sporadically on television on such series like “Regal Drama Hour Presents: Aiko” starring Aiko Melendez, “Di Ba’t Ikaw” and “Bedtime Stories.” By the late 2000s, Direk Maryo became more in-demand as he worked on soaps like “Calla Lily” for ABS-CBN as well as “Gumapang Ka sa Lusak,” “Munting Heredera,” “Pahiram ng Sandali,” “Magkano ba ang Pag-Ibig?,” and “Someone to Watch over Me” for GMA Network. At the time of his death, Direk Maryo was attached to the upcoming teleserye, “Hindi Ko Kayang Iwan Ka.”
He was tapped by agriculture advocate Dr. Milagros How to be the festival director of the ToFarm Film Festival in 2016.
Now on its third year, the festival has produced acclaimed films like Zig Dulay’s “Paglipay,” Paolo Villaluna’s “Pauwi Na,” Laxamana’s “Instalado,” Tara Illenberger’s “High Tide” and Joseph Abello’s “What Home Feels Like.”
