How ‘Zombadings’ became a hit

ZAMORA (LEFT) AND ESCUDERO. Topbill zany, gay-themed comedy.

Screenwriters Raymond Lee and Michiko Yamamoto are on cloud nine these days because of the commercial and critical success of “Zombadings 1: Patayin Sa Shokot Si Remington.” They produced the indie hit, “Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros” in 2005.

Was it a conscious decision to write a gay-themed film? Lee answers, “Starring Mart Escudero, Lauren Young and Kerbie Zamora, ‘Zombadings’ is based on an incident that happened to me when I was vacationing in Lucban, Quezon. A 6-year-old boy passed me by and taunted,  ‘Bakla!’ The incident got me thinking.”

Yamamoto adds, “When Raymond pitched the concept, we loved it. So, since he was busy at the time, we decided to write it with director Jade Castro.” She coined the term, “zombading,” after writing the zombie scenes in the script.

Confident

Lee shares, “We were confident that, once people watched the film, they would see it in a positive light. So, we organized several advance screenings that began at this year’s Cinemalaya. We toured the film in Mindanao, the Visayas and Luzon, then uploaded its trailer on social networking sites.”

Lee’s advice to aspiring producers and filmmakers: “Relax and be yourself! Don’t let anyone bully you. People will support you if you’re doing the right thing!”