CES AQUINO (foreground) and partner Dodie Arizo in “Traslacion”
Love is in the air in the “City That Never Sleeps.”
Filmmaker Will Fredo is both thrilled and daunted by the prospect of unveiling his latest film, the documentary “Traslacion: Ang Paglalakad sa Altar ng Alanganin (The March to the Altar of Uncertainty)” at the Soho International Film Festival, to be held in New York from June 9 to 16.
“It is both exciting and scary,” he says of the international premiere. “I wanted to make sure that the film speaks honestly about the people involved in the film. In a way, it reflects…Philippine society as well. And I don’t want to misrepresent the subjects, and us, Filipinos.”
Still, he waxes optimistic about the New York screening. “What better place to fall in love than in the Big Apple,” he quips.
The docu tells the stories of different LGBTQ couples—their struggles, their lives and loves, their stand on equality and the right to civil unions, along with their romantic quests.
The filmmaker describes the docu as “a journey of pure love and real dreams.”
“The Philippines is one of the most conservative societies in Asia. I wanted to learn how the changing values and mores in the West, especially with regard to LGBTQ issues, affect the people living here,” he explains.
The first-time documentarian concedes that making this film was a “selfish act, in a way.” “I’ve learned so much about my own biases and notions. I’ve learned to respect and love what these families are going through.”
After the film’s premiere at the QCinema International Film Festival last year, viewers gave him insightful feedback. People approached him, to tell him that the film had “enlightened” them about LGBTQ concerns.
“Even members of the LGBTQ community themselves said they were able to discover things about their own lives, through the stories shared by the couples in the film,” he relates.
He feels that the docu’s message is “universal” and can cross borders.
“The message of love and respect…
will resonate among everyone. My wish is that people would fall in love after watching the film,” he notes.
His film is competing in the documentary section of the Soho fest and will be shown at the Village East Cinemas in downtown Manhattan.
“Soho is in the heart of the fashionable and forward-thinking part of New York City,” he says. “I’m happy to screen the film there.”
He hopes that the film will move beyond the festival circuit and reach a wider audience, too.
Among the couples featured in the docu are Markus Danao-Schmidt and Richard Danao-Schmidt, Aiza Seguerra and Liza Diño, Theresa de la Rosa and Sahn Arcilla, and Ces Aquino and Dodie Arizo.
“Traslacion” was one of the grant recipients of the DocQC Documentary Film program of the QCinema fest.
Aside from “Traslacion,” two more Filipino movies will be screened at the Soho film fest. Making its international premiere is Elwood Perez’s “Esoterika Maynila,” which topbills singer-actor Ronnie Liang. Also in the lineup is Louie Ignacio’s “Laut,” which features GMA 7 teen star Barbie Forteza in the lead role.