Big Screen Dreams: Coco Martin, Matti, and Monteverde Team Up

When I got invited to this event, we weren't told about who's coming on stage but pretty much got clues with the shirts of the people filming it, they all had CCM printed which makes us believe it's a Coco Martin event. There were 3 chairs in front though so just seeing that made me realize it was something big, and true enough they came out with guns blazing.

One is an iconic director, of OTJ fame, Erik Matti, the other is a big producer from the Monteverde clan, Mr. Dondon Monteverde and of course, the biggest action star of this generation, producer and director Coco Martin. They plan to do 2 huge film projects for Coco particularly "MayPagasa The Battles of Andres Bonifacio" and "OTJ: Maghari" which will be under Reality Studios and CCM Productions.

Sir Dondon told us that this was sealed on the sidelines after some talks happened at the death anniversary of Mother Lily Monteverde a few months ago. He says "The death anniversary of my Mom started all of this. Losing my Mom was a huge blow to the industry. We always wanted to work with Coco and we've met in events with it behind our minds. It was just an opportune time to start talking, showing him other projects. He didn't like what we presented him at first, but when he knew about these two films (not included in the discussion, he just wanted it to happen!"

Direk Erik Matti had huge success with the OTJ franchise and Coco always wanted to be part of it. Direk Erik shares "Maghari is the story of Joel, the Tatang of OTJ. It's a 90's themed movie of him protecting his family. MayPagasa The Battles of Andres Bonifacio is a historical bio, and it is scary to do because it is based on that. Ours is different, we're bringing it to the future and shooting it in a modern way. It's all about what is happening now in the country." 

Coco was smitten with the thought of doing an OTJ installment and told us "When I watched OTJ, I honestly was waiting, waiting to be cast in a film like it. I required my staff to watch it (before doing Batang Quiapo) and I hoped they notice me. I asked myself and said maybe I wasn't enough, because they weren't calling me. I was silent, and thinking they were not considering me because I didn't have potential, so I tried to do one myself (his shows) but got so busy with my series. One day, they informed me that they wanted to talk about it, I told them I was waiting for this to happen. I know how folks have been appreciating Filipino films that they made, they pitched a few projects with me but I told them I was a fan of OTJ and Buybust. After that, I talked about a historical film, then they talked to me about a project they wanted to do about Bonifacio. They thought I was a fit in these two projects they didn't talk about initially."

He added "Now that we're together, we just needed to make it bigger for a global audience. This will make a mark in the Filipino film industry. I'm also working with the best, and this IS an answered prayer! We can't wait to release this in 2027!"

Here's the whole press conference on video:

Giants Coco Martin, Direk Erik Matti and Dondon Monteverde actually has plans to do more, so this is just for starters. When I asked about challenges, Coco was severely optimistic that all these projects are possible, he's always had that positivity in all his projects since he's successfully done it. He attributes most of it because of this optimism, and since they plan to release this internationally, they need your support once it comes out locally. With an internationally acclaimed actor (tons of indie films on his belt), Director (familiar with Filipino film projects released worldwide) and the best production outfits this country, these projects are pretty much a done deal. 

I just can't wait to see it! 

This Movie Called "A Girl and A Guy"

 

Just got off the mediacon of the movie "A Girl and A Guy". Honestly, I somehow find the title of this movie really weird, but I do get it. With a generation wherein being upfront and different is a norm, I'm not that surprised. It's about young adults finding their way in relationships, connection, and just doing it. It's also designed for a mature audience, the generation NOW and how their lives would be mirrored on this film. The cast includes a mix of stage actors, some newbies, and a few who have been in the industry for quite some time now. The film stars Alexa Miro, Rob Gomez, Pau Benitez, Candice Ramos, Rosh Barman, Sarah Holmes, Carlo Tarobal Emilio Francisco, Chloe Reyes, Roeder Camanag, Donna Cariaga, Marina Benipayo and Shaun Salvador. They have their individual stories, but most of them have paired up for chance, for romance, for relationships and just plain love. Though in between, it's going to tell the story as it is. You'll see tough, fiery and sexy scenes which hasn't been done in Philippine cinema, but that's just the tip of the iceberg because when they show up telling their tales, they're not going to hold back.

Candice Ramos plays Mela, a hardworking woman who focuses on her career and life. "It's always a challenge to do a role like this. The pageant industry in the country is very conservative, it's going to be a shock with what is going to be seen on June 24, but I trust the film making process. I couldn't join  BB. Pilipinas because I posed for FHM a few years back and doing this, I might not be able to do pageants anymore as I understand, we are a pee-dominantly Catholic and conservative country. Rob was easy to work with, even behind the scenes and we're so comfortable with one another and it's also nice to know we don't have malice, we just did the role and it was easy to do it because of Rob."

Chloe Reyes plays Cat and says "With theater, they are very bold to make the art form make sense, you do everything to make it meaningful and this really challenged me as a theater actress."

Shaun Salvador plays JP, representing the guy who wants to find love online. He's a boy next door, charming, but his story has a twist. in this film, he realizes one thing and says "I find that women are also a tease, and it can be reciprocated by men as well."

Carlo Tarobal plays Carlo, a self made guy who's into business. He's got material things, and found out there's something missing from his good life, it's love! He says "I look up to women and girls, I respect them and this movie made me realize what this generation is going through, the story tells people are fearless, women can do things that men are doing."

Rob Gomez plays Raf, a simple guy, introverted, he questions his existence and tries to figure out who he is in other peoples lives. He tries to learn and wants to become the man he wants to be. My family was initially shocked, but I think they understood later on why I'm doing this. I'm really nervous, but I'm excited doing this."

Alexa Miro plays Fiona and she says "I am Fiona here, a go getter, aspiring director, she wants to acheive everything and does 200 percent not just in her career, but her love. She wants to learn about love. Honestly I don't know why I went all out here, but I've been in the industry for a few years and it was just a dream working with this director, plus it's a perfect story and I wanted to take risks, I believe what I'm doing this for. There's a reason why we're telling this story, why it needs to be told, and it's really good to see this happen in the movie."

Rosh Barman plays Gio, "In a way I really relate to my character as he's very tough. I realize that there are women that become really toxic in relationships."

Pau Benitez plays Bea, vegan, conservative, a traditional woman who wants IT to come after marriage. "Well I don't have any regrets joining this film as I think telling the story is essential. It's a challenging role, as an actress you have to be daring."

Sarah Holmes plays Trixie, she says "We have common traits, we're both headstrong girls and go for what we want. I'm still trying to figure out who I am, but she's the type that does everything spontaneously. She's bold and straightforward like me, so in a way it was easy to play this role. Trixie gave me a chance to be myself and made me realize a lot about myself."

The director of the film Erik Matti says "I felt there were no rules in making this movie, it doesn't matter if its about skin, or how hard it is to tell the story. You will be surprised how important it is to be as care free as possible in this new generation. It shows, I'm sure you've seen so many pinoy movies that don't even kiss on screen, you'll see it as it is. You'll feel that they know each other, they bonded, they're comfy and I'm really pleased with that. When we did this, I wrote down all my thoughts and gave it to the writer. I was finishing OTJ during this time, we went back to work last June/July last year and Upstream tappped us to show an original work, and this was perfect for that. It's perfect for the Gen Z, the millennial, the pandemic put them in that state and we're telling that story. I'm happy that we have finished this really responsibly doing this as a film maker, without thinking it's going to be judged or censored. It's going to be told as it is. With this movie, I just hope they know where I'm coming from. I didn't want to do romcom because there are a lot of people doing that already, and I wanted to explore the side of the younger set of people. It's a way to know what can be done than just the normal story of boy meets girl, this will be discussed in A Girl and a Guy. It's no longer about us, we need to unwind the backward thinking. There's another side we can present and gravitate towards that. You're gonna see how they deal with experiments, with the same s3x or gender, or the opposite, or becoming fluid. Globe Studios and Regal decided we will produce this, I just finished one on HBO and eventually we got permits to shoot them as there are some crowd scenes, we had to test people and do this. I was relying on my cast to tell about the generation. On set I had to do that so they would do a real depiction to the situation and apply this to their characters. I worked with a lot of young actors and they've been conscious about how they would look in the movie. I think the trust I got from these bunch is heartwarming, it's so good that they put their trust on me. To use this well, when they saw the final product, they knew the characters too well, if it's written by me, Anj Pessumal made it reveal that the kind of inner mind of this generation is shown. It's their own world, their own way of doing things. There are several scenes that I had to ask them, to edit it was so hard because it was a fight, it had so much material that it was so hard to shorten things. I had to tell a story of a private moment, while they were undressed they had to fight, they were GF and BF, and we didn't have to calculate things because it's like real life."

You can view this on UPSTREAM.ph starting June 24, 2021. You can purchase tickets ahead of time and this is intended for an R-18 audience. You'll find out why it had to be told in a medium that can accommodate it. This is an UPSTREAM Originals project, there will be more. This one will push buttons, be out of the box, because it is an Erik Matti masterpiece.

HBO Asia Showcases PH in FOOD LORE: Island of Dreams

8 directors from Asia, 8 different stories, shot in 8 countries India, Indonesia, Japan, Malaysia, the Philippines, Thailand, Vietnam and told in HBO through a show called FOOD LORE. Ours is done by Erik Matti who also directed Buybust and Honor Thy Father. This was the brainchild of Singapore based filmmaker Eric Khoo.

Bless the people who did this, as this might be the first time any show of this magnitude is being made and shown on HBO GO and HBO Asia. It is an HBO Originals series. We saw a preview of our episode Island of Dreams. It talks about home, our families, how we celebrate and how it is part of our lives and culture. The first two episodes is by Vietnam, Second is ours, it will be also shown on Tokyo International Film Festival.

Karen Lai the President for Communications of HBO Asia says "We based it around food, but a drama series in food conditions talking about love, tragedy and everything in between. We also have a lot of other shows on HBO GO, more material and more seasons of previous shows and blockbusters on our platform. Hope you enjoy this! The show creator and anthology series last year Folk Lore and we left it to him to choose the directors."

Here's our panel interview with them:

The setting is at Sipalay in Negros. Out of 7,641 islands in the country, why is this special? That's for you to find out. It will be shown starting November 3 9pm (but premiere in Tokyo for the festival October 30). There is really so much to look forward to in FOOD LORE. You should also be proud to see the Philippines included here. People need to discover our cuisine, and our stories.