A French-and-MJ state of mind

BRILLANTE Ma. Mendoza with French screen icon Isabelle Huppert instagram photo

Since I’ve always felt like a Frenchwoman trapped in a Filipino woman’s body, the “French” stories of director-par-excellence Brillante Ma. Mendoza (whom I fondly call mon ami or my friend) always fascinate me. Recently, Direk Brillante had a close  encounter with French cinema icon Catherine Deneuve. Both were guests of honor at the Memory Film Festival in Cambodia.

Also invited to the fest were French filmmakers Severine Wemaere and Gilles Duval  and Cambodian director Rithy Panh. Another legendary French actress, Isabelle Huppert, was also present. Direk Brillante worked with Isabelle in the 2012 film, “Captive.”

After bagging the prestigious Best Director plum at the Cannes Film Festival in 2009 (for “Kinatay”) and being knighted as  Chevalier dans L’Ordre des Arts et Lettres,  Brillante  is now considered an adopted son of France.

Here’s the renowned “Frenoy’s” (French-Pinoy) account of his Deneuve experience. See what happens when one French sensation meets another. C’est magnifique!

Direk Brillante recalls: “Catherine is down-to-earth. She went to the market to buy flowers and malunggay which she brought back to France. She likes working with new directors, and is quite busy doing films, even short films. She rides the tuktuk to explore the city.

“She’s amazed that I don’t provide my actors with a script. She’d like to visit the Philippines. In Asia, she has visited only Hong Kong, Vietnam and Cambodia.”

Love in the air

I loved the French film, “Amour et Turbulences (Love Is in the Air)” which I watched at the French Film Festival at Greenbelt 3.

LUDIVINE Sagnier (left) and Nicolas Bedos play ex-sweethearts in “Love Is in the Air.” unifrance.org

It’s top-billed by Nicolas Bedos and Ludivine Sagnier. The soundtrack  should be on the playlist of every romantic fool comme moi (like me). It transported me back to my student days in Paris. It’s the kind of movie that you wish would never end.

Love and turbulence are deadly twins. But if you are too wary because of the turbulence that comes with love, then you are settling for a half-lived life.

Life is too short to let true love pass you by. Just go where your heart takes you and let destiny do the rest.

World Cry

Being Michael Jackson’s imaginary widow, I am all agog preparing for the commemoration of the King of Pop’s fifth death anniversary on June 25. With fellow MJ diehards from The Michael Jackson Fans Club Philippines, I will join MJ World Cry (an annual gathering of MJ Fan Clubs around the world, in observance of our idol’s death anniversary).

This year, we will pay homage to Michael at Café ’80s  (near ABS-CBN in Quezon City)—rightfully so, since MJ’s music ruled the 1980s. We will display our MJ memorabilia and invite MJ impersonators, plus some of my celeb friends will hold a mini-MJ concert.

I plan to invite the cute little  boy Ezekiel, who won “It’s Showtime’s” Mini-Me grand finals as MJ’s junior version.

If you want to send a red rose (MJ’s fave flower) to Michael’s grave site with a personal message on June 25, you may purchase one through PayPal on or before June 18 ([email protected]). In my heart, I send MJ roses every day.

Kobe on MJ

And if you want to moonwalk à la-MJ, make sure to buy Kobe Bryant’s Michael Jackson-inspired shoes (MJ Kobe 9 Elite Low), which will be available globally on July 12 at Nike outlets.

Kobe and MJ were close friends.  On www.mjworld.net, Kobe discusses their friendship: “We would always talk about how he prepared, to make  music and for concerts. He would teach me what he did: How to make a ‘Thriller’ album, a ‘Bad’ album, all the details that went into it. It was all the validation that I needed—to know that I had to focus on my craft and never waver. Because what he did—and how he did it—was psychotic. He helped me get to a level where I was able to win three titles playing with Shaq (Shaquille O’Neal) because of my preparation, my study … That’s the mentality that I have—it’s not an athletic one. It’s not from [Michael] Jordan, not from other athletes. It’s from Michael Jackson.”

Aside from marking MJ’s death anniversary, we will celebrate the success of his second posthumous album, “Xscape.” The single  “Love Never Felt So Good” has allowed  Michael to achieve chart history  by being the only artist to have Top 10 hits in the 1970s, ’80s, ’90s, ’00s and ’10s!

Call me obsessed, but my love for MJ did not die with him. His music will continue to reverberate in our hearts. Thank you for the music and the magic, MJ. Even in death, we will never let you moonwalk alone.

Personal

Kudos to my good friend, Martin Macalintal, audio-visual attaché  of the Embassy of France in Manila, for the success of the French Film Festival. Tres bon!