The entertainment industry is mourning the untimely death of young director Francis Xavier Pasion over the weekend at the young age of 38.
His latest project was the primetime hit On the Wings of Love (OTWOL).
The acclaimed director was found by his parents lifeless in the bathroom of his condominium unit in Quezon City. The official report on the cause of his death has not yet been released, but many suspect that he died of heart attack.
“He has been having chest pains which is why he went to Cardinal (Santos Medical Center) to undergo a medical exam…” said Cinemalaya producer Joji Alonso in a text message to Inquirer.net.
His 2008 film Jay won Best Film, Best Editing, and the Balanghai Trophy in the Cinemalaya Film Festival. It also received international acclaim in the Venice, Busan, and Berlin film festivals.
In 2014, his film Bwaya won Best Film in the New Breed Category of the 10th Cinemalaya Film Festival.
Pasion was a communications graduate of Ateneo de Manila Universtiy. He was the founder of Loyola FIlm Circle, an organization for film enthusiasts.
Pasion’s death came just days after the death of fellow award-winning director, Wenn Deramas, who died of heart attack.
Quark Henares, another young director, made a comment on the reason for untimely deaths in the entertainment industry, particularly for directors.
In a Facebook post, Henares talks about the “horrible working hours and conditions in television.”
He appeals to the big networks to change the current working situation, not only for directors but for everyone involved in creating a show.
“This might not be a good time to say this but i’ll say it anyway. I think the reason a lot of TV directors like Wenn Deramas and Gilbert Perez, and now Francis Pasion are getting cardiac arrests is because of the horrible working hours and conditions in Television.
“And it’s not just directors: stuntmen, ADs, crew people and cameramen all go through similar situations.
“This should really change. And I don’t know how it will, considering that this entails losses for the networks. But it really is time,” his post read.
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