Isabela provides backdrop to Vinarao’s thriller

MICHELLE Madrigal plays a woman who is desperate to get pregnant.

Director and editor Edgardo “Boy” Vinarao’s thriller “Bacao” is among the films that will premiere this month at the Sineng Pambansa Horror plus Film Festival.

In “Bacao,” Vinarao transports viewers to his home province of Isabela.

Vinarao explains that corn is the primary source of livelihood in the northern Luzon province. Corn shapes every aspect of society, even the family unit, the director says.

“Bacao means corn in the Isabela language,” he says. “Corn is easy to grow. Once you plant it, it thrives quickly.”

Like in all rural communities, children are considered a family’s treasures. “Men and women want a big family.”

“Bacao” focuses on a young wife, Mayet (Michelle Madrigal), who struggles to get pregnant. As their village celebrates a bountiful corn harvest, Mayet and her husband Abel (Arnold Reyes) must come to terms with their childless union.

How far will Mayet go to bear a child?

Marife Necesito and Alvin Anson are also in the cast.

Vinarao has won several awards as film editor (“Andrea, Paano Ba ang Maging Isang Ina”) and director (“Birador”) from various award-giving bodies like the Famas, the Film Academy of the Philippines and the Metro Manila Film Festival.

Other filmmakers that will be featured in the Horror plus Film Festival are Gil Portes (“Hukluban”), Romy Suzara (“Sigaw sa Hatinggabi”) and Peque Gallaga and Lore Reyes (“T’yanak”).

Presented by the Film Development Council of the Philippines, in partnership with SM Cinema, the fest will run from Oct. 29 to Nov. 4 in all SM cinemas nationwide at regular admission prices.

All four films are inspired by different stories from Filipino folklore and regional beliefs.