Upcoming MMFF 2025 Entry "I'M PERFECT" Set To Bring Strong Message of Love and Inclusion

When news came out of this movie being accepted as an entry for the Metro Manila Film Festival, I was excited about it. The concept is quite interesting, more so, it has not been done in Philippine cinema yet. Casting differently abled actors for the lead role, But what made this special, is the calling of proving what THEY CAN DO, rather than WHAT THEY CAN'T DO.

This film called "I'm Perfect" is something special. It's about unconditional love, the support actors describe this as reality, a spectrum of emotions, and when they were in the set, instead of them teaching the lead actors, they learned more instead. They taught them the currency of love and hugs, and watch them enjoy the process as actors for MMFF. They were overwhelmed!

Direk Ingrid says "I need to make a story, a film about 11 years ago. We won in FDCP and this was teased. This was to show that they can. I'm very lucky that this was noticed by Ms. Sylvia and Nathan Studios and made it happen. Kita Kita was 2017, but this was 2009. They forged my characters, they choose what to show and we only had to trust them. I know it is a risk for producers but I was given the right ones with passion. I didn't want to use them, because this is a passion project and we didn't want them to be used, but loved and be independent. I felt hope because it doesn't end there."

Ms. Sylvia says "I saw two of her scripts and didn't like it but this third one was an afterthought. She didn't believe I would do this, because it was 10 years ago, they wanted it but didn't trust that this will be made, but I knew that the kids with down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy can. I want to thank Janice, LT, Tonton, Zaijan, because at the beginning they knew they would support them, and they did. When I found the cast in Direk's laptop, I knew I had to do it. We met with the officials because we want their guidance and do it right. These kids will make history, so please make sure to watch it!"

Seeing them all talk on stage already made us all cry. I saw what they saw in them, and I think that's exactly what you'll see in theaters this Christmas. I overheard Down Syndrome Association of the Philippines Chairman Elmer Lapeña while he was talking to a blogger friend where he says "They have one special ability, and that is to LOVE without inhibitions, magmahal ng wagas!"

Lead stars Earl Jonathan Amanda and Anne Krystel Daphne Go will make you feel love like you've never seen or felt before. They will be together with Ms. Sylvia Sanchez, Janice De Belen, Ms. Lorna Tolentino, Tonton Gutierrez, Joey Marquez and Zaijian Jaranilla. 

Here's what happened at the Mediacon!

During the talk, it made me wonder that we might be wasting time treating them differently... but they probably need to be treated plain and the same. It's an eye opener, looking at family dynamics on how to love, and how to do it purely, without judgement, hesitation, or anger. That's what they want you to feel in this film, and if you're up to it, you can support them on the 25th!

Meet the New Generation of Stars at "Sugat Sa Dugo" Film

It was a little over 3pm when we got to the Bambbi Fuentes Hair and Make Up Salon in Timog Avenue, Quezon City. We got there to get to know a few people behind the film "Sugat sa Dugo" (with international title Wounded Blood) that won the Best Actress Award for Ms. Janice De Belen at the International Film Festival Manhattan 2021. 

These new breed of lads and lasses are under famed Make Up Artist Bambbi Fuentes and Businesswoman Tine Areola's very own Dragon Artists Management Group. They've scoured the nation and auditioned a lot of talents to choose who to take in, and from what I've seen, they all look promising.

The Dragon Ladies

Meet Christa Jocson, Emcel K Abuso, Shira Tweg, Mira Aquino and Mosh Gerodias also known as Filipino Pop group Gandaras

Albeit new to movies, these ladies have been doing shows, pageants, showcasing their talent in different Emcel K Abuso is more of a jack of all trades and often join beauty pageants in different provinces around the country. Mira Aquino on the other hand is a very spirited singer and composer. She got us a bit stunned when she suddenly sang the soundtrack for the movie. I've observed Shira Tweg to be a little shy, but perky. She also sings and dances, I guess the requirement for them is being a triple threat. Christa Jocson has done several shows on TV, but takes this experience of doing the movie a bit educating. After all, they are learning the ropes of the business by playing different roles. Mosh Gerodias was a ball of energy, saying her role in the movie is pretty close to home.. as she likes being the life of the party. Here's our interview with them a few days ago.

The Dragon Boys

Meet good lookin guys Leonne Adriano, Khai Flores and RJ Ariar.

There's no shortage of talent with the boys from Dragon Artists Management. Leonne Adriano might be young but he's done several indie films already following the footsteps of his Grandmother, the legendary Rosanna Roces. Khai Flores on the other hand comes fresh from his stint in Kadenang Ginto and a few movies in the pipeline. The guy has good looks, very confident, and quite smart. He also plays Janice De Belen's son in "Sugat Sa Dugo". RJ Ariar on the other hand has found a new home with Dragon Artists Management. He used to be in a boy group but felt he needed to spread his wings elsewhere. He ultimately wanted growth and with the several projects he's gotten under Ms. Bambbi and Ms. Tine, he's learning more especially with the movie they made. These guys are barely scratching the surface of what they are capable of and their management knows that. Here's our conversation with them about the movie.

Seeing fresh new faces, possibly the artists that would eventually become the big stars of the future made us feel a little assured that there's a huge source of talent in the country that will continue to grow. I hope you were able to get to know these guys and gals during the small conversations we had about the movie. "Sugat Sa Dugo" will be shown in the Philippines soon. The acclaimed short film has been made into a full length one and they're raring to show this to the general public. The goal is, to let you know about the cause they discussed in the film as it's about HIV, family, and love. Here's hoping they get to follow through with making it as touching as the first so Filipinos could learn more about why they made this film. For those who don't know, this is written by Bambbi Fuentes (based on a friends account), Produced by her and Ms. Tine Areola under Dragon Entertainment Productions.

Chef Luigi Muhlach’s LUMU Beerhouse and Filipino Kitchen

Filipinos have always shyed away from actually eating their own dishes because they’ve always had it, grew tired of it, and perhaps the lack of imagination of people. I often walk in the Greenbelt 3 area to and from events and if you’re familiar with the place and go up the escalator, there’s a stretch of restaurants on the right side that’s not much frequented by people. Well I think that’s about to change now. You’ll see a pretty line of window panes with the letters LUMU. You see, showbiz royalty and Chef Luigi Mulach has just set up shop at this side of town and called it such because of his names sake, and what people used to put in their love letters when it was still done, it means “Love U and Miss U... cheesy I know but it fits the bill. We attended their grand launch together with his friends in the industry, showbusiness and his relatives. Not to mention his super proud parents Aga Mulach and Janice De Belen. Igi Boy has indeed made strides.

I heard about his story, and putting up this restaurant wasn’t that easy because if you’re like me who frequent food bazaars, you’ll see Luigi do the legwork. He prepares the food himself, serve it to customers and it has been like that for a couple of years. So just seeing this happen made him a little bit teary eyed, I could feel how hard he’s worked for it.

I guess it stems from what hits home, this new venture wasn’t much like a posh fine dining restaurant and he wanted it to be a bit more relaxed where friends and family could hang out after office hours. Just casual, not to dressed up, not a speakeasy pub, but more of a beerhouse. The difference though is that it’s not like the ones that your Titos would probably frequent to, no GRO’s, no noisy videoke machines, but nice sturdy tables and chairs, a tight spot in the middle for a band setup, so you could enjoy singing along every night paired with ice cold beer and good pulutan. The food is where the adventure begins too.

That evening, we had the privilege to see Ogie Alcasid sing on stage with the lovely 80’s hits. Staples in my books, I really enjoyed it!

The Chicken Sisig, served on a hot plate. Mix it up and see how the egg yolk envelopes the chopped chicken meat, simple yet delectable, perfect to pair with beer!

Inihaw Samplers, a good treat for those who want good streetfood. It’s got chicken intestines, pork intestines, pork skin, and sweet pork barbecue.

This is their Cuapao, done like a sloppy joe so it’s a little like east meets west. This is good for starters.

Their Seafood Sampler, they know how to cook. No tough pieces, eat it while it’s hot!

They also have goat on the menu aka Kambing Sampler. The Papaitan, and several soup dishes are hearty and comforting, if you want something during a cold night, ask about it there.

This one I’d highly recommend, if you’re a little adventurous that is. It’s native sausages done in different ways. Each piece described according to flavour(adoring Filipino play on words), ingenious.

For the piece de resistance, this is their Lechon Kawali. The perfect cut of pork, lightly salted in brine (probably) then deep fried. I love the crispy skin, soft meat, which you can dip in spiced vinegar or other sauces. I love this a lot. Perfect for Keto.

Aside from these lovely dishes, they’ve got an extensive array of local and international beers. Not to mention even the Mucho size of a popular local one, so you get to save a buck or two compared to dining spots within the area. They have a pretty mean sago and gulaman, Mango drink that they do with flare. They also have cocktails served in glasses or pitchers, I bet they expect you to crawl out happy after all that booze. Try their proteins, the happy conconctions, it’s not that expensive either.

Chef Luigi Mulach

The dedication, the inspiration to serve hearty meals and well done Filipino dishes in a simple setting, plus how he wants to go to the roots of how the barkada system works, making it still affordable, that in itself will spell the success of this new place. Visit LUMU Beerhouse and Filipino Kitchen today at the 3rd Floor of Greenbelt 3 in Makati City. If you would like to hold events or have reservations, call 504-5240.

KUMAGCOW

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