Dahil naganap sa bansa ang unang automated elections nitong Mayo, napapanahon ang isang full length film entry sa 6th Cinemalaya Philippine Indendent Film festival ngayon taon: ang Vox Populi (Siya Ang Meyor Ko!), a Cinemalaya presentation produced by Theater Concepts, Inc.
Written, produced and directed by Dennis Marasigan, ang Vox Populi (Siya Ang Meyor Ko!) ay pinagbibidahan ng mahusay na film, television, and theater actress na si Irma Adlawan.
Tatakbo ang kuwento ng pelikula sa loob lamang ng isang buong araw: ang last day ng pagkampanya ng tumatakbong mayor ng isang siyudad sa Metro Manila, played by Irma Adlawan, ang asawa ni Direk Dennis sa totoong buhay.
Kasama ni Irma sa pelikula ang magaling na character actor na si Julio Diaz, si Bobby Andrews, Suzette Ranillo at LJ Moreno. Ito ang unang full-length indie film ni Bobby Andrews na nakilala sa mga patok na pelikula ng Viva Films noong 1990's at napapanood in recent years sa iba't ibang teleserye.
SYNOPSIS. Araw ng Sabado 'yon bago ang ikalawang Lunes ng buwan ng Mayo, ang huling araw ng pagkampanya ng mga tumatakbo sa national and local elections. Si Connie (Irma Adlawan), na anak ng dating mayor ng siyudad, ay tumatakbo sa isang three-cornered fight laban sa isang dating vice-mayor na sumunod sa kanyang ama, at isang dating youth leader.
Sa araw na ito, kailangan niyang masiguro ang lahat ng kanyang resources at mga boto upang magwagi. Kailangan niyang gawin ang lahat—market tour, house-to-house campaign, factory visit, at i-meeting ang kanyang financiers at supporters nang sa gayon ay masiguro ang victory ng kanyang candidacy.
Sa pag-usad ng araw, makakaharap ni Connie ang mga taong may iba't ibang pangangailangan at pipili ng kandidatong iboboto nila.
Sa panayam ng Philippine Entertainment Portal (PEP) kay Direk Dennis Marasigan, may karagdagang impormasyon siya sa main characters ng Vox Populi (Siya Ang Meyor Ko!):
"Irma plays Connie, the daughter of the former mayor who is now herself running for mayor against the former vice-mayor, who succeeded to the office when her father died in office, and a former student leader.
"She believes she can contribute more to the town and its residents if she wins as mayor. She is determined to win at all cost, and then to prove that she can be as good, if not better, than her father.
"Julio Diaz is Tony, the professional campaign strategist who manages the election campaign of Connie.
"Bobby Andrews is Ricky, Connie's younger brother. He runs the family business and serves as the primary fund-raiser and financier for the campaign. Suzette Ranillo plays Letty, Connie's chief campaign aide and personal assistant on the road.
"LJ Moreno is Sonia, another campaign aide whose responsibilities include taking down the names of people that Connie meets on the campaign trail, and who was hired to serve as a bridge also to her father, a barangay chairman whose support is vital to Connie's campaign," kuwento ni Direk Dennis.
Ang executive producer ng Vox Populi (Siya Ang Meyor Ko!) ay si Dr. Josefina Suarez. Line producer naman si Alemberg Ang, ang same producer ng Cinemalaya 2009 entry na Ang Panggagahasa Kay Fe—na pinagbidahan rin ni Irma Adlawan—at na-nominate rin sa major categories sa Gawad Urian 2010 kamakailan lang.
Si Mo Zee ang humawak ng cinematography, editing at sound, samantalang si Angel Diesta naman ang production designer.
DIRECTOR'S PROFILE. Si Dennis N. Marasigan ay isang theater, film and television artist. He is currently a faculty member of St. Scholastica College, Department of Mass Communications, and Vice-President of the International Institute for Film and Arts. His film directorial debut, Sa North Diversion Road, was a finalist in the first Cinema One Originals and won Best Adapted Screenplay in the 2006 Golden Screen Awards. His second film, Tukso, was a finalist in the 2007 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, winning Best Screenplay.
Paano nga ba nagsimula ang konsepto ni Direk Dennis sa materyal o script niya ng 2010 Cinemalaya entry niyang ito?
"Naging part ako ng maraming electoral campaigns, including serving as chief campaign aide for a congressional candidate running in a district in Metro Manila over twenty years ago na 'yun.
"Sa campaign na 'yun, kasama ko ang candidate from 12-16 hours for each of the 60-day campaign period (shortened to 40 days in succeeding elections) and I became privy to a lot of things that happen in a campaign, including those goings-on behind the scenes.
"I thought that, put together, these could be a good material for a film."
Dagdag pa ni Direk Dennis, matagal na niyang sinusulat ang script, at nare-revise niya lang, hanggang sa mapili na nga ito for Cinemalaya 2010.
"I had been working on the script for many years, and an earlier version actually was selected as a semi-finalist in the 2006 Cinemalaya Festival.
"'Yong present version, it compresses the timeline ng narrative, with the events happening all in one day—the last day of the campaign period, and includes other incidents I have observed, all of which have been fictionalized, of course."
Ano ang mensahe ng Vox Populi (Siya Ang Meyor Ko!) na nais niyang ihatid sa kanyang audience?
"Ang pelikula ay hindi intended na maging satire, but it examines the question kung bakit ang isang tao ay binoboto ang isang kandidato, and whether the choice of the people can be said to be reflective of God's will.
"Of course, voting for a candidate is always a matter of personal choice, but what factors affect that choice? Some may say that a bandwagon happens, as we are experiencing now in our presidential elections, because people may tend to vote for a candidate they perceive to be winnable or even a sure winner, but in reality, every individual has a different reason, which corresponds to his personal needs or wants.
"And in the end, when a candidate is elected as a result of the collective will of the people, can we say it is with the blessings of Divine Providence?" lahad ng writer-director-producer.
Nabanggit rin ni Direk Dennis na kakaibang experience para sa kanya ang paggawa ng pelikula.
"In a way, making this film is different for me as I am working with a number of actors for the first time—Julio Diaz, Bobby Andrews, Suzette Ranillo, and LJ Moreno.
"Masaya ako that they have committed to do this film, first time ni Bobby na mag-indie, at mas masaya ako dahil sa talents at enthusiasm na dala nila sa set.
"I am also glad that many veteran actors from film, television, and theater have agreed to do cameo appearances, including Jose Mari Avellana, Tony Mabesa, Dido de la Paz, Flor Salanga, Gabe Mercado, Cris Mojica, Simon Ibarra, Ces Aldaba, Jess Evardone, among others," pagtatapos ni Direk Dennis.
Gaganapin ang 6th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival mula July 9-18, 2010 sa Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) sa Roxas Blvd., Pasay City.
