TV5’S Akihiro Blanco plays a lovestruck teen in “Mga Alaala ng Tag-Ulan.”
Ato Bautista’s entry in the ongoing CineFilipino Film Festival, “Mga Alaala ng Tag-Ulan,” is a clear departure from his past works.
From his searing debut, the incendiary drama “Sa Aking Pagkakagising Mula sa Kamulatan” in 2005, and the psychological thriller “Blackout” in 2007 to last year’s erotic flick “Palitan,” he has consistently explored dark, gritty terrain.
In “Mga Alaala ng Tag-Ulan,” Bautista takes a sentimental, almost lyrical look at a May-December affair between an inexperienced teenage boy and a worldly older woman. Think “Summer of ’42” in the monsoon season.
Personal
“Personal experiences inspired my screenwriter Shugo (Praico) and I to create the story, [along with] films like ‘Millennium Mambo,’ which had such an effect on me when I was starting out as a filmmaker,” Bautista said.
Turned out, “Alaala” was based on an eight-year-old script written at the same time as “Blackout,” “Palitan” and another early work, “Carnivore.”
Bautista explained, “I am an individual, filmmaker and storyteller. I can come up with anything.”
Popular
Asked about his take on the popularity of Filipino films abroad, Bautista remarked: “It is both good and bad. Good, because the world takes notice of Filipino films. Bad, because many of the works that go around the international festival circuit are about poverty and corruption.”
He had nothing against social realism, he pointed out. “I admire filmmakers who expose social issues sincerely and forcefully. But can a movie really push the government and the people to change?”
Social realist films are no longer forbidden, like they were under martial rule, he noted. In an environment where there is freedom of speech, “filmmakers no longer get jailed for making films about poverty and corruption. That is no longer a risk. [That’s why] I think some filmmakers do it for the sake of drama and festival favor.”
He asserted, “In my opinion, these films become popular abroad because foreigners are drawn by the drama and exoticism.”
ATO BAUTISTA, right, shows rushes to actors (from left): Blanco, Mon Confiado and Issa Litton.
He hopes things will change. “Filipino filmmakers have so much talent and can offer more than what we currently export,” he said.
“We can offer films with depth and relevance, in different genres—action, thriller, suspense, romance,” Bautista stressed. “Philippine cinema can be more diverse than it is right now. And for it to flourish, it should be a source of revenues, which it could be.”
Where to start
For alternative/emerging cinema to grow, it should be regarded as a profitable venture, he said. “We can sustain it by making it a business. Our films should earn money.”
Where to start? “A hundred more things” could be done to improve the situation, said Bautista—from tax reform to legislation that would give filmmakers standard right of ownership to audiovisual material.
For “Alaala,” he keeps his expectations simple and attainable. “I just want to tell a story that I like. If something in it resonates with a mass audience, fine. I should be happy. If not, the least I can hope for is that viewers are moved, entertained and satisfied that I gave them their money’s worth.”
Though production proved to be a mighty challenge, considering his meager resources, the shoot went smoothly. “I had a young and dedicated team behind me,” Bautista related. He turned to the same post-production firm, Outpost, that worked on his three most recent movies.
A supportive cast made the shoot a breeze as well. TV5 discovery Akihiro Blanco won the lead role, with sexy singer Mocha Uson as his character’s object of affection. Newcomers Ria Garcia and Pio Balbuena round up the youthful lead cast. Indie regulars Mon Confiado, Issa Litton and Lance Raymundo support the newbies.
The CineFilipino Film Festival runs until Sept. 24 at the Newport Cinemas of Resorts World Manila, Lucky Chinatown Mall and Gateway Cineplex. It will have weekend screenings at the Shangri-La Plaza mall on Sept. 21 and 22. Apart from eight feature films, 10 shorts will be screened during the fest.