Rosanna Roces portrays Mama Saleng, a 60-year-old religious fanatic. The mysterious landlady kills tenants in her boarding house and uses the body parts for her eatery. Osang (Rosanna's nickname) studied Hiligaynon for this film, which was shot in Iloilo.

"Kung dati, nag-aapakan lang tayo ng paa, ngayon tayo-tayo na nagkakatayan at nakakainan. Tulungan natin ang mga sarili natin na wakasan ang cycle of violence... sa ating sarili, sa ating pamilya, sa ating komunidad," says Ray.

SEXUALITY MATTERS. Maximus & Minimus stands out for being a comedy of contrasts—literally. The film shows how a plus-sized woman named Max (Cai Cortez) deals with the prospect of pregnancy while her ex-lover Papu (Mikel Campos) has to deal with his small penis. Baron Geisler is also cast as Elmo, the current boyfriend of Max who has a secret fetish.

The lead actress, Cai, pointed out that she did not have any problem shooting her love scene with Baron. "Ever since I was a kid naman, friends na kami ni Baron. Our families are close so very comfortable ako sa kanya. And I know the truth naman na he's a gentlemen talaga. Sa personal experience ko, he's a gentleman and talagang inaalagaan niya yung kasama niya palagi... so hindi po ako nag-alala."

She also has a love scene with her ex-boyfriend Papu in this film.

Cai was shocked when asked about her own sex life during the presscon of Cinema One Originals but she did manage to answer, "I'm not gonna answer if I'm sexually active but my family is open about sexuality."

She was previously part of the Star Cinema film And I Love You So as one of the co-teachers of Bea Alonzo. The daughter of character actor Rez Cortez was supposed to star in the ABS-CBN teleserye Pat is Tin but until now, the show has not yet been aired on the Kapamilya Network. (CLICK HERE to read related article.)

Maximus & Minimus also stars Mhalou Crisologo as the yaya of Max and Ms. Liza Lorena as the grandmother of Max.

LEARNING DURING PLAYTIME. In Baning, director Rommel 'Milo' Tolentino cast Rio Locsin as Aling Mema, the mother of Baning. Her mother doesn't give Baning's education priority but she allows her eldest child Paeng (Jan Harvey Hicana) to go to school because of his gender.

The film follows the misadventures of Baning as she tries to study the alphabet in an improvised classroom that is set outdoors. However, her education from her nine-year old friend Maymay (Joanna Jean Evangelista) gets disrupted by an alcoholic named Domeng (played by Simon Ibarra) and other distractions from neighbors. In line with its kid-friendly theme, the movie also stars animals such as a dog, a goat, fishes and even a duck.

MIRACLE WORKER? The agriculturist in Bala-Bala is portrayed by newcomer Micah Muñoz. Fredrick Aguila (Micah) visits a remote town to find out what disease is causing the death of animals, as well as kids, in the area. He is guided by a mute boy named Amiel (Rold Salamat).

When Fredrick and Amiel come together, they are able to heal children. "Mahiwaga yung bata [Amiel]," says writer-director Melvin Brito. "May isang scene nga na ipapakita namin yung mga alitaptap [through CGI] na lumalapit sa kanya. Noong nagsu-shooting kami, may isang puno talaga na puro alitaptap pero ayaw pakuhaan ng mga locals kasi raw baka ma-engkanto kami."

Shot in San Jose, Batangas, this film also features Jao Mapa as a taong kubol (similar to a taong-grasa) and Angel Jacob, who is barely recognizable as the mangkukulam in the film.

Direk Melvin was born in Manila but he spent his past summers in Batangas. Most of the incidents and characters in the film are inspired by his experiences there.

These five films are produced and owned by Cinema One and Creative Programs Inc (CPI) through its annual Cinema One Originals project.

With reports by Christina Corpuz