Paolo Ballesteros in “Die Beautiful”
(We are running this guide to help moviegoers plan their holiday cinema tour. The 42nd Metro Manila Film Festival runs from Dec. 25 to Jan. 3, 2017.)
Directed by Jun Robles Lana; starring Paolo Ballesteros, Joel Torre, Gladys Reyes, Luis Alandy, Inah de Belen, Christian Bables, IC Mendoza and Cedrick Juan, with the special participation of Iza Calzado and Eugene Domingo.
The film had its premiere in October at the 29th Tokyo International Film Festival, where it won two trophies—the audience award and best actor for Ballesteros. It is funded by the Hong Kong-Asia Financing Forum and produced by TheIdeaFirst Company and Octobertrain Films.
“Die Beautiful,” which carries the tagline, “a glamorous life deserves a fabulous death,” tells the story of Trisha (Ballesteros), a transgender woman who regularly competes in beauty contests. One of Trisha’s requests is to remain beautiful even when she is laid to rest. The film also features Ballesteros’ popular makeup transformations that was first seen on the noontime show, “Eat … Bulaga!” —MARINEL R. CRUZ