He was 28 when he went into film directing, “Donsol”, an entry in the 2006 Cinemalaya Filmfest and also the first film of Sid Lucero. He then directed more indie films like “Kadin (The Goat)”, “Chassis”, “Tambolista”, “Manila”, “Daybreak” (Coco Martin’s most daring gay film), “Adela”, “Muli” (one of his best films and the most daring gay film of Sid Lucero and Cogie Domingo), and others.
For sometime, he’s been directing TV dramas for GMA-7, like “Karelasyon”, and we’re glad that he now has a movie that is getting wide release and being promoted well by Unitel, “Whistleblower”, with Nora Aunor playing the title role. “Actually, third movie ko na ito with Ate Guy,” he says. “We did the short film, ‘Kinabukasan’ with Alden Richards that was shown in filmfests abroad. Ginawa rin namin yung ‘Padre de Pamilya’ with Coco Martin that has yet to be released pero may pirated copies na sa DVD.”
What happened? “Coco himself produced it with ABS-CBN at hindi ko alam kung ano ang deal nila. I was just hired as a director. Pinalabas na nila ito sa ibang bansa sa Middle East and when we open up a movie like that sa isang audience outside our country, we do not have any control on what they’ll do with it. May nagbigay nga sa akin ng kopya ng DVD and it’s original, malinaw na malinaw siya. Siempre, nakakalungkot.”
He’s very happy that Unitel is releasing “Whistleblower” in theaters nationwide on Wednesday, April 6, and with full promotions. “It’s an honor to work with our three lead actresses na puro magagaling, Ate Guy who plays the whistleblower, Cherry Pie Picache as the scam queen and Angelica Panganiban as the idealistic journalist who writes about all the corruption in our government. It helps that I’ve worked with all of them before. Si Ate Guy nga, twice na. Si Pie sa ‘Isda’ ng Cinemalaya and si Angelica in ‘Alamat ni China Doll’ ng Cinema One Digitals. Mahusay sila lahat. Actually, ang laki ng casting ng pelikulang ito. Kasama rin dito sina Anita Linda as Ate Guy’s mom, Carlo Aquino as anak niya, Allan Paule as Pie’s husband, Lauren Young as anak nila, Liza Lorena as Ate Guy’s original boss na nagpakilala sa kanya kay Pie, sina Ina Feleo, Bernardo Bernardo and Flor Salanga as co-workers ni Ate Guy kay Pie, Cogie Domingo and Pancho Magno as the NBI agents who rescue Ate Guy nang ikulong na siya ni Pie, Ronnie Henares as Angelica’s boss, Rosanna Roces as another writer, Sharmaine Arnaiz as Pie’s sister and Laurice Guillen, Ricky Davao, Yul Servo, Benjamin Alves, Celeste Legaspi, Lloyd Samartino, Leo Rialp as various government officials. Hindi tinipid ng Unitel ang production values nito, ginastusan pati ang sound.”
After this, he’s directing Ate Guy into more movies: “Nympho” where Ate Guy will play a nymphomaniac and “Iskaparate” about prostitutes in show windows in Amsterdam which Ate Vi has done before in “Miss X”.
