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Ten on Ten

The ten filmmakers of this year's Cinema One Originals film festival talk more about their entries and the things that inspired them.

Alec Figuracion on Bitukang Manok

“I’ve always been a fan of non-realistic fiction. I love stories about the uncommon, but at the same time I am curious about people. This story came to life because I've always wanted to make films about flawed characters in unbelievable situations. I hope the audience acknowledges the characters in this film, whether they find them relatable or unsympathetic. I want them to see how unstable the human psyche can be when pushed to the breaking point.”

Kanakan-Balintagos (Auraeus Solito) on Esprit De Corps

“I wrote this play when I was 17. More than two decades later, I realized it was time to adapt the play to film, especially since the younger generation doesn't have an idea of how it was to grow up during the Marcos dictatorship. It’s been disturbing that there’s been a revival of the “Marcos as hero” myth. This generation has no idea of what it was like in a time of no freedom and when the President had absolute power that corrupted him absolutely. But the disillusionment to the new government is the result of this. Yet we must never ever forget those dark times. This is my contribution for the healing of our culture of forgetting.”

Malay Javier on Hindi Sila Tatanda

“It’s really not about an alien waiting for love, but an Indigo child looking for someone to spread his seed with. And during this process, he learns the human emotions entangled along the mating practice. I don’t want to sound too crazy, but honestly, I’ve been caught up these past few years with the arguments of ancient astronaut theorists… Alien astronauts maybe living in other parts of the world, not only in monumental cities or countries. It may be far more logical to think that if aliens already live among us, they would choose to settle in smaller populations or countries with less international attention.”

Sigrid Andrea Bernardo on Lorna

“It’s not only about a love story. It’s about getting old and being alone. Everyone grows old not unless you die young. Age is something that we neglect because we are afraid of losing our youth or afraid of dying alone. As you age, it’s not only the physical issues but also the emotional challenge that you have to deal with it. When you reach that age, you will always go back to your past but now, you learn how to accept and learn from it. You learn how to move on. I wanted Lorna to portray the woman who never gave up. I wanted to tell the story through Lorna’s eyes, how she feels about love in the most complex way, and how she deals the pain of aging and being alone.”

Jay Abello on Red

“Red is a love story. What makes it unique is that it’s a crime-solving film. What I find interesting in all the other crime stories I’ve come to know is that nobody really knows the truth—except those who were really there—and the most interesting part is that the version that stays as truth is usually the best story told by the best storyteller. We love good stories and we look for it every day. Storytellers exist because we want them to tell us stories. It doesn’t matter if they’re really completely true or not just as long as they’re good stories or they’re told really well.”

Remton Siega Zuasola on Soap Opera

“In Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria there’s a foreigner character, although we never saw that person, he was a huge factor in the progression of the story. In Soap Opera, the foreigner is present in the film and plays a big role in the lives of the main characters. This is an attempt in humanizing these lonely people who come to our country hoping to find happiness. This is the flipside of the story of Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria where we mainly see the Filipina being on the losing end, while in Soap Opera it’s the foreigner who is clueless and vulnerable. I have a third story of this trio where a Filipino and a foreigner are truly falling in love. This completes the exploration of the different facets of these relationships.”

Nash Ang on Seoul Mates

“Yung pinaka premise ng film ay galing sa kaibigan kong transsexual na ilang beses nang nakapag-boyfriend ng Korean without revealing her real identity. For Alice’s part, the beauty pageant is based on a real one organized by Filipinos in Korea. I was inspired to write that into the script because I was the crowned male winner of Ginoo at Binibining Kalinangan Korea in 2012. As for Joon, the back story is real. [It came] from one of my interviews before we wrote the script. Yung dalawang real stories na ‘yun, pinag-clash namin, then the film was born.”

Antoinette Jadaone on That Thing Called Tadhana

“Tadhana is my sort of dream project, kaya iba ‘yung kaba and excitement. It's not really a romantic comedy per se. It's a love story that just happens to be a little funny sometimes. What makes it different, I guess, is that—‘di ba sabi nila, sa pelikula, dapat show, don't tell?—Tadhana does the opposite. Tell, don't show ito. Mace and Anthony are two people talking throughout the film—from John Lloyd to One More Chance to their lost dreams to their heartbreaks. At first, I was afraid na baka walang chemistry [sina JM at Angelica], kasi we didn't have the luxury of time and money to have them undergo workshops. But the moment the camera rolled, wala, sila na talaga si Mace at Anthony. Ang swerte ko sa kanila.”

Paolo O’Hara on The Babysitters

“Starting with short films is an advantage for me in terms of storytelling. Sa short film, dapat precise ka, dapat maikwento lahat in a short period of time. Tatanggalin mo lahat ng palamuti; direct to the point dapat; so I tried applying that sa full length ko. I love the mixture [comedy and realism], ganun kasi sa totoong buhay. Kahit gaano kadrama ang buhay natin, makakakita ka pa din ng mga funny moments. In terms of structure, tragic-comedy pa rin siya. Pero ang directorial approach ko ay iba. Kinuwento ko siya sa point of view ng isang character, a la Brechtian style sa theatre.”

Dodo Dayao on Violator

“Someone from the staff made a remark about the sheer number of conversations we were shooting. I made a joke about how we were really making a mumblecore horror film, and it sort of stuck, and it also sort of made sense. Dialogue really is something of a void in domestic cinema. Some get it right, sure. But most of it’s awful, either over-written or under-written or just plain written. I do sweat over the dialogue on paper. Then I sweat about it even more retro-fitting the lines to the actors. I am almost intolerably anal about dialogue. It’s my grievance and my crusade both.”