Traipsing down the red carpet to the Palais, main theater of the Cannes Film Festival, never gets old for Filipino filmmaker Brillante Ma. Mendoza, who is competing in the world’s glitziest cinema event for the third time.
It’s thrilling, he admitted, but it can also be nerve-wracking. “It’s noisy on the red carpet,” he told the Inquirer on the eve of his departure for France on May 14.
Make that crazy and chaotic, too. “There are lots of people. And photographers keep screaming out your name. It can be exciting for the actors, though.”
He recalled that when he and actress Jaclyn Jose walked down the Cannes red carpet for “Serbis” in 2008, he was in a hurry. “I couldn’t wait to get to the top of the stairs and inside the theater. I told Jaclyn to rush, but she kept smiling for the paparazzi.”
Jaclyn admonished Brillante: “Enjoy the moment, Direk!”
The two will be reunited on the revered steps of the Palais this week, when their film, “Ma’ Rosa,” premieres on May 18 as an entry in the Main Competition of Cannes.
This time, however, Jaclyn got to travel to the French Riviera with her daughter, Andi Eigenmann, who costars in “Ma’ Rosa.”
Other actors who are part of the Philippine contingent in Cannes are Neil Ryan Sese, Jomari Angeles, John Paul Duray, Ruby Ruiz and Maria Isabel Lopez. (Ruby also topbills Raymund Gutierrez’s “Imago,” which is competing in the Short Film section.)
Brillante also brought along his crew: cinematographer Odyssey Flores, scriptwriter Troy Espiritu, editor Diego Dobles and producers Larry Castillo and Carlo Valenzona to the south of France. As was the common practice among A-list fests, organizers took care only of the director’s plane fare and accommodations.
“The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) promised to help us with the rest of the expenses,” he related. “We will also ask assistance from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).”
Asking for grants could be tricky, he owned up, because a new president had just been elected, and there might be a revamp in the concerned government agencies.
He expressed the hope that the next administration would continue to support the arts.
“My wish is for the new government to pay more attention to the arts—especially since Filipinos excel in this field,” said Brillante, who won best director in Cannes for “Kinatay” in 2009.
He remains hopeful about the new president. “I am optimistic,” he remarked. “I also want change. That is why I keep making this type of movies, because I want our country to improve. I am aware, though,that reforms cannot happen overnight.”
Coincidentally, “Ma’ Rosa” tackles crime and corruption—topics that were often raised during the heated presidential debates. “We’ve been in the international news recently because of the election. I hope we can bring a little good news to our country—this time, because of cinema.”
“Ma’ Rosa” is one of three Asian films in the main tilt—the two others are Park Chan Wook’s “The Handmaiden” from South Korea and Asghar Farhadi’s “The Salesman” from Iran.
Although “Ma’ Rosa” takes an unflinching look at poverty in the Philippines, Brillante said he hopes viewers, especially foreign critics, would also catch a glimpse of “the positive traits of Filipinos” in the film.
“It’s also about family,” he noted. “It reveals our true nature as a people. It shows how children will do anything to raise money for their parents, who are in trouble with the law.”
Will he have time to watch films? “I could watch only two or three films whenever I attend festivals,” he owned up. “But I advised the cast and crew to watch as many movies as possible. Don’t party too much. Cannes is the perfect chance to see films they wouldn’t normally get to watch here.”