Richard Yap: Changes in MMFF cause for worry

Richard Yap

Richard Yap said the changes implemented by the organizers of the annual Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) became a cause for worry for actors like him who are more identified with mainstream films.

Richard is the lead star of the Regal Films-produced “Mano Po 7: Chinoy,” which failed to make the cut in the festival’s official lineup this year.

The Magic 8, which was officially announced on Nov. 18, did not have the usual blockbuster fare that featured big-name actors. This year, the organizers required producers to submit not only scripts and sequence treatments, but finished films.

“Of course, this will affect … actors on the mainstream scene. There’s fear that we will no longer get projects because of the notion that the MMFF now favors mostly indie movies,” Richard told the Inquirer at the media gathering for “Mano Po 7,” which will hit theaters on Dec. 14.

“Let’s wait and see if this would work. If not, they’ll have to make more changes next year,” the actor said.

The members of the MMFF selection committee said quality was their No. 1 consideration for choosing the Magic 8. Asked about the quality of his latest film, Richard said: “It isn’t fair to say that the ones not chosen weren’t quality films. It’s just that what the MMFF wants has changed. We did everything we could to make the latest ‘Mano Po’ a good film.”

Is he now more inclined to do indie films? “It depends on the story that will be offered to me. If it’s worth doing, whether it’s an indie or a mainstream film, I wouldn’t say no.”

Excerpts from our chat with Richard:

There’s fear that we will no longer get projects because of the notion that the MMFF now favors mostly indie movies. RICHARD YAP, actor

Are you worried that the exclusion from the MMFF will affect the movie’s performance in the box office? Yes. When you do a movie, you want it to earn for the sake of its producers. You want them to continue producing movies. Hopefully, it will still do well, even if it isn’t part of the MMFF.

Can you recall your experience shooting in Taiwan during a supertyphoon? We were on a bus in another town on our way back to Taipei when we heard about the typhoon. The gale warning was No. 12, with No. 14 being the highest. So, we had to take a pit stop at a gas station with a convenience store for five hours before the rain and wind finally let up. The glass panels of the convenience store were shaking so hard! We were safe, so we didn’t tell our families what happened to us until we arrived home.

Why did you say director Ian Loreños gave you a hard time on your first shooting day? That day, he made me do a highly emotional scene with Enchong (Dee). He didn’t give us time to warm up. I guess it helped, because we were able to get the difficult scenes over and done with. He did it probably because he wanted to measure his actors’ capabilities early on. That made him different from the other directors I’ve worked with.

How similar are you from your character? Wilson Wong and I are very different. His struggle involves his closeness to his family.
I’m a workaholic like him, but I give my family as much time and attention as I can. What’s also sad is that Wilson does not know how to express himself emotionally to his wife and kids.

The movie teaches viewers that the love that family members have for one another should transcend everything else.