Genre: | Drama Soap opera |
Runtime: | 25–30 minutes |
Creator: | Zenaida O. Soriano |
Starring: | Margarita Fuentes Ricky Belmonte Melissa Mendez |
Country: | Philippines |
Language: | Filipino |
Network: | ABS-CBN (1989–1994) RPN (1994–1995) |
Related: | Anna Liza |
Anna Luna is a Philippine television drama broadcast by ABS-CBN and RPN. Starring Margarita Fuentes, Ricky Belmonte and Melissa Mendez, it aired from November 27, 1989 to September 29, 1995. Anna Luna made a comeback during the glory days of Philippine drama and became a contemporary for some other series like Mara Clara, Agila and Valiente.
Separated from her mother after an accident at sea, Anna Luna is forced to live in the city with her estranged grandmother, Doña Martina Dominguez.
Anna Luna is unwanted in the Dominguez mansion. To the old woman, she is a constant reminder of her daughter's disobedience by marrying a poor man. To a greedy aunt and an irksome cousin, she is a threat to the inheritance.[1]
Judy Ann Santos was the first offered to play the titular role but she was chosen to portray the main role of soap opera Ula, Ang Batang Gubat. The production later conducted an audition and chose Margarita Fuentes to portray Anna Luna.
Anna Luna aired on ABS-CBN from November 27, 1989 to September 30, 1994, from 2:00 pm until 2:30 pm. Then it aired on RPN from October 3, 1994 to September 29, 1995
In 1994, Jose Mari Gonzales, the president of RPN at that time, was accused by ABS-CBN of copyright infringement on this soap opera. He believed that Anna Luna was the intellectual property of Zenaida O. Soriano, the wife of Anna Liza director Gil Soriano. Gonzales also believed that ABS-CBN only acquired Soriano to line-produce the series and that the network attempted to buy its airing rights but the production company behind Anna Luna refused which led to its removal. However, RPN continued to air Anna Luna, with a new title Hanggang Kailan, Anna Luna?: Ikalawang Aklat (English title: Anna Luna, Until when?: Second Book) to become part of the network's relaunch on October 3, 1994. The series ended on September 29, 1995, after a year of broadcast on RPN, and almost 6 years on the air.