Kumalat ang litrato ni Nico Locco na kunwari’y nakabuyangyang ang erect penis nito sa harap ng isang nakaluhod sa harap niya.
Sabi-sabi, scandal iyon, at ang nakaluhod ay ang direktor na si Shandii Bacolod.
“Well, hindi na ako natataranta,” lahad ni Direk Shandii nitong Setyembe 17, Biyernes, via Messenger.
“Cliché na kase ang mga scandals ngayon. Haha! But that particular photo—that’s from his film Sabado in 2019 where he won Best Actor sa Gawad Sining Film Festival.
“Prosthetics penis yun. Actually, we saw the comments, matalino naman mga tao, alam nila na Fake. Haha!
“With the rumors, na akala nila ako yung babae or kamukha ko, grabe ang tawa ko. Sabi ko, 'Totoo ba?' Napa-zoom ako. Haha! Pero wala pa akong any scandal. Baka next year pa. Haha!”
Streaming ang indie movie na Sabado sa iAmRAD app, kung saan CEO si Carlo Alvarez na direktor ng nasabing suspense-thriller.
Nagkamit ang Sabado ng anim na award sa Gawad Sining Film Festival 2019—best picture, best director, best actor (Nico Locco), best supporting actress (Rachel Jacob), best music, at best sound.
NUDITY AND FRONTALS IN LOVE AT THE END OF THE WORLD
Napabalitang may frontal nudity si Nico sa episode nila ni Gold Azeron sa anthology na Love At The End Of The World (LATEOTW), na nilikha at idinirek ni Shandii.
Tunay ba iyong frontal dito ni Nico o prosthetics na naman? Si Nico lang ba ang mapangahas na nag-frontal?
“To be honest, maraming nudity and frontals. Haha! Nico Locco, Elijah Filamor, and may pasilip si Markki Stroem,” tugon ni Direk Shandii.
“But because we are labelling our genre as Erotic Suspense BL Romance Drama, the graphic sex scenes were integral part of my vision.”
Siyam na episodes ang Love At The End Of The World, na mag-i-streaming sa Disyembre sa GagaOOLala.
Kabilang din sa cast ng anthology sina Kristof Garcia, Rex Lantano, Mike Liwag, Elijah Filamor, Yam Mercado, Khalid Ruiz Gold Azeron, at Arrian Labios.
Pahayag ni Direk Shandii, “Love At The End Of The World follows a handful of disparate people’s lives as they collide in interweaving stories of love, romance, loss, loneliness, forgiveness and redemption in the last seven days of existence.”
Ang titles ng siyam na episodes ay "Melancholia," "The Loneliest Man On Earth," "We Need To Talk About Tony," "Happy Together," "It’s Raining Fish, Hallelujah!," Tell Me That You Love Me," "B-824," "Dear White Boy, "Bang! Bang! Who Shot My Baby Down?," at "Nostalgia."
Nico Locco
AN ODE TO SADNESS
Ani Direk Shandii, ang serye ay isang oda sa kalungkutan.
“Three years ago, I wrote the screenplay’s first draft. It was intended to be a film. Tapos, na-shelve,” kuwento ni Direk Shandii.
“Year 2020, sa gitna ng pandemya, nagsimula ako ulit magsulat. Tapos, ginawa ko na siyang series.
“The original plan is to make a pilot episode and then scout for producers. Then eventually, five of my friends decided na gawin namin ang first three episodes.
“Tapos, I’m so happy and overwhelmed na we are down to our last two days of shoot and we were recently picked up by Portico Media (Taiwan) for Sales and Distribution, making my series as a GagaOOLala Original.
“Feeling ko, it’s the loneliness that made me pursue the project.”
DIREK SHANDII'S VISION
Napaka-cooperative ng mga artista ni Direk Shandii sa Love At The End Of The World. Nasakyan agad ng mga ito ang vision niya sa serye.
“I am a huge fan of Markki Stroem sa theater. Parang lahat ng ginawa niya, napanood ko na,” saad ni Direk Shandii.
“I have always wanted to work with him. I gave him a role that resonates all the goodness that is left in this crazy world.
"He lost weight, he studied dialects, mahusay siya na artista at napakabait."
Markki Stroem
Patuloy niya, “Nico Locco lost 10 pounds for his role too.
"Nico and Gold had to do a lot of underwater scenes, physically draining. Muntik pa ngang tumaob yung rescue boat namin one time dahil inabutan kami ng bagyo.
"Gold is a boy wonder. Napakahusay. Malinis ang nuances.
“Kristof Garcia is a found gem. Hindi niya alam na mahusay siya. Introvert, very humble, and sobrang joker siya.
“What made me decide to cast Kristof is his eyes, malalim, malungkot. He surprised me.
“Elijah Filamor is a Brillante Mendoza baby kaya sure na magaling.
"Rex Lantano has matured as an actor. Nag-iba na yung nuances niya. Mas may depth na ngayon.
“Si Yam Mercado naman as a cocaine addict na sobrang daming galit sa puso—very raw and unfiltered.
“Mike Liwag—proven naman ang galing sa acting.”
Pinakamapangahas pa rin ba ang Sponsor movie niya na nagpasabog noon sa Midnight Screening ng Cinemalaya sa CCP? Totohanan ang BJ scene doon.
“Grabee! Ten years ago na yung Sponsor. Oo nga pala, real-life blowjob scene doon at may cum shot pa ako. HAHA.
“Actually, itong Love At The End Of The World, mapangahas din in its own way. Pero I will let the audience decide na lang. Haha!”
Mapapanood ang teasers at behind-the-scenes ng serye sa YouTube channel ng Temporary Insanity Pictures.
Iyong teaser 8 ay tila inspired ng posters ng pelikulang Nymphomaniac (2014) na isinulat at idinirek ni Lars von Trier.