Nora Aunor’s star shone the brightest in her time

Nora’s performance in Lino Brocka’s ‘Bona’ received critical acclaim at Cannes and Vienna film festivals

Millions of Filipinos mourn the passing of the one and only Superstar Nora Aunor. It’s hard to believe that Ate Guy, as she was fondly called, is gone forever.

Aunor, Nora Cabaltera Villamayor in real life, is one of the greatest actresses, if not the greatest, the country has ever produced. Testament to this is her being conferred the ultimate National Artist Award in 2022 for Film and Broadcast Arts, the first bestowed upon a female actor in the local film industry, hailed for her extensive filmography that is exceeded only by the number of awards and citations she has received from local and international organizations.

Aunor’s rise to fame was nothing short of phenomenal — from the poor little girl who sold water to train passengers in Bicol station to her winning in the Tawag ng Tanghalan singing competition, and to her remarkable transformation into a high-caliber actor.

A tribute to the great Aunor will not be complete without giving some of her best works in film — or should we call Aunor’s Ten Best.

In National Artist Gerardo de Leon’s last completed film, Banaue (1975), where Aunor, playing an Ifugao mountain tribe female warrior, earned the veteran director’s respect.

In Mario O’Hara’s masterpiece Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos (1976), Aunor gave a bravura performance of a country girl caught in the horrors of the Second World War, a game-changer for Aunor, winning her first major acting award at the 1st Urian Awards.

In the 1976 film ’Minsa’y Isang Gamu-gamo,’ Nora’s iconic line, ‘My brother is not a pig,’ was introduced

In Lupita Kashiwahara’s classic Minsa’y Isang Gamu-gamo (1976), Aunor moved audiences in her heart-tugging ‘my brother is not pig’ dramatic scene — a gem of acting that should be kept in a time capsule.

In Eddie Garcia’s best film Atsay (1978), where Aunor turned in a muted, restrained performance, using only her eyes, gave her the lone category Best Performer award at the 4th Metro Manila Film Festival.

In National Artist Lino Brocka’s Ina Ka ng Anak Mo (1979), as a daughter betrayed by her own mother played by Lolita Rodriguez, Brocka, helming Aunor for the first time, commented that even her back was acting.

Nora Aunor in her iconic role Elsa in the film ‘Himala’

In National Artist Ishmael Bernal’s magnum opus, Experimental Cinema of the Philippines’ Himala (1982), Aunor, born to play the role of the fake faith healer Elsa, was unequalled in the film’s “Walang himala” climactic denouement scene.

In Elwood Perez’s quintessential Bilangin ang Bituin sa Langit (1989), Aunor gave a master class performance, riveting in a love-hate relationship story, co-starring with original screen partner Tirso Cruz III.

In Joel Lamangan’s controversial, real-life The Flor Contemplacion Story (1995), Aunor’s highly acclaimed performance won her the Princess Pataten Award for Best Actress at the 19th Cairo International Film Festival — the oldest and the biggest in the Arab world — making her the first Filipino actor to win in a major international film festival.

In Brocka’s classic Bona (1980), where Aunor played a young girl infatuated with a bit player, was screened at the Directors’ Fortnight of the Cannes Film Festival in 1981. Aunor was compared by a critic to acclaimed Italian actress Giulietta Masina, best known for her husband Federico Fellini’s movies, and was described as ‘awesome’ when shown at the 47th Vienna International Film Festival.

Digitally restored, Bona returned at the 77th Cannes in 2024 as part of the Cannes Classics section, where Sean Baker, Oscar-winning director of Cannes Palme d’Or winner Anora, praised Aunor as incredible in the lead role.

Her last film, ‘Pieta,’ won her the PMPC Star Award for Movie Actress of the Year

In Adolf Alix Jr.’s Pieta (2023), Aunor’s last completed film, where she essayed the role of an old, suffering mother haunted by her past, she won the PMPC Star Award for Movie Actress of the Year. This must-see Aunor movie has yet to have a wide commercial release.

Aunor still has a movie in the can — Adolf Alix Jr.’s Kontrabida (2021), winner of the NETPAC Award for Best Asian Feature at the 2022 Hanoi International Film Festival. Alix described Aunor in her role as an aging, reclusive actress, as in ‘her fighting form.’

Aunor’s star shone bright in her time. As the saying goes, ‘stars don’t die, they just fade away.’