Stars of the seven competing entries graced the grand press conference of Cinema One Originals 2008, which was held at the Gusi restaurant in Quezon City last November 12. Most of them have already established themselves in the industry but they made it a point to share their time and talent to support the growing independent film industry.
Tetchie Agbayani, Joel Torre, and Ronnie Lazaro topbill the Ilonggo film Yanggaw; Yul Servo and Emilio Garcia star in Dose, which tackles homosexuality; while Mark Gil and Eula Valdes play a couple in Alon.
Jason Abalos leads the ensemble cast of the movie Motorcycle, which also stars Kat Alano, Jao Mapa, Lance Raymundo, and Jojit Lorenzo. Bembol Roco acts opposite his son Felix Roco for the youth-oriented film UPCAT.
The period melodrama titled Kolorete and Imburnal do not have big-name stars, but the latter has already distinguished itself by bagging the Lino Brocka Grand Prize award during the 10th Cinemanila International Film Festival held last October.
In fact, Imburnal director Sherad Anthony Sanchez was absent during the press conference since he was in Denmark to attend the screening of his Cinema One 2006 entry Huling Balyan ng Buhi.
"I have high hopes for Kolorete and Imburnal because they are both extremely experimental," says Ronald Arguelles, the head of strategic programming for Cinema One.
"The others, mainstream yung concept, like may aswang sa Yanggaw, yung Motorcycle, isang family drama, yung Dose, isang gay movie, UPCAT is a bagets movie that is very upbeat. Alon is a love story between Mark Gil and Charee Pineda and a sick woman played by Eula Valdez."
The executive also revealed that one of the entries received an X-rating from the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board. "I hope mapalabas namin ang Imburnal in its integral form. Ang pinalabas kasi namin sa Cinemanila, merong mga scenes na tinanggal kasi may nudity talaga pero kailangan yun talaga kasi coming-of-age ang concert ni Sherad. Kaya lang di makapasa sa standards ng MTRCB. Pero for me, mas shocking ang film language niya kasi pinu-push niya ang viewers to another kind of filmmaking style."
STAR-STUDDED FILM FEST. PEP (Philippine Entertainment Portal) was able to interview Mark Gil during the presscon and we took the opportunity to ask him why he accepted the role of a lonely man who goes into a May-December affair with a 17-year-old girl played by Charee Pineda. He is also cast in the movie UPCAT.
Mark explained: "Kami, like sina Bembol Roco, Joel Torre, Nonie Buencamino, we just love our work. We are here to support indie films and we firmly believe that one day, the Filipino film industry will once again grow to what it was like in the past.
"Bilang artista, maganda yung nag-e-evolve ka sa generation mo. Like in my family, three generations na kami since our children are following our path in show business. Gaya nga ng sinabi ni Direk Roman [Olivares, director of UPCAT] kanina, hindi raw niya alam kung paano i-instruct ang mga artista na ito kasi dati pinapanood lang niya kami. Nandun kami para tumulong, we learn from them and we teach them what we have learned."
Tetchie Agbayani took time off from teaching to appear in the film Yanggaw. "I play the matriarch of the family. The dialogue of the movie is in Ilonggo and that was difficult for me. It's a wonderful story of a family. It shows the dynamics of a family faced with dark secrets. I ask everyone to watch the movie because the art direction is excellent and it is visually stunning."
Her co-star Joel Torre is also proud of the film Yanggaw (the Ilonggo word for "infected"). He tells the press, "The horror occurs when tragedy settles in the family. But it's more of psychological horror. We're passing on our knowledge to the new generation so that the tradition of Ilonggo filmmaking and the arts will continue. It is a very rural story and it shows our culture of believing in aswangs."
The father-and-son tandem of Bembol and Felix Roco will be seen for the first time on the big screen in UPCAT. "Galing akong U.P. [University of the Philippines] and my son wants to take the entrance exam pero kontra ako dito kasi alam ko kung anong nangyayari sa eskuwelahan," narrates Bembol about the film's protagonists.
As for Felix, he says that it was exciting and nerve-racking for him to work with his father. "My knees started shaking and I was stuttering," he recalls about his first few scenes with Bembol. "Sobra akong kinakabahan kasi makikita mo, galit na galit siya sa eksena then you're trying to say your lines pero naii-intimidate ako. I love working with my Dad pero may pressure lang."
The fourth edition of Cinema One is unique because the organizers opted to screen the films first in selected universities and colleges around Metro Manila until November 27. (Click HERE to view the schedule of Cinema One Originals 2008.)
After the campus tour, only then will the seven
finalists have a one-week theatrical screening from December 3 to 10 at the
IndieSine of Robinsons Galleria.
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