It’s not for the money, says Direk Zig Dulay of helming ‘Sirkus,’ other TV projects

Zig Dulay

Although it may come across as “arrogant,” director Zig Dulay stressed that he doesn’t accept jobs for television for the money and had, in fact, turned down not a few offers in the past because he didn’t believe enough in them.

“I have learned from my more experienced colleagues that you have to love what you do in order to create something good. I will do a project because I want it; because I believe in what it has to say. It should be something worthwhile and of value to viewers,” Zig said at a recent press conference.

Aside from GMA’s new Sunday series “Sirkus,” Zig is also one of the directors of the drama anthology “Wagas,” and occasionally does work for the public service program “Wish Ko Lang.” Still, he keeps going back to his first love—doing socially relevant films.

“That’s where I was able to find my soul, which I now take with me wherever I go and whatever I do. So, I hope to fulfill my personal pledge to continue doing movies,” he said.

For Zig, doing a fantasy show for television couldn’t be more different from his past movies rooted in social realism.

That’s why when GMA Public Affairs asked him to dabble in the said genre via “Sirkus,” he had to “do a double take.”

“To be honest, I didn’t believe I could actually do a fantaserye. It was nothing like the indie films or shows I had done in the past. I had second thoughts, and it took a lot of convincing from my bosses before I accepted the offer. Now, I see it as a learning experience,” he told the Inquirer.

“It’s heartening when people put their trust in you,” added Zig, who directed such films as “Bagahe,” “Bambanti” and “Paglipay,” and served as one of the writers for “Neomanila,” “Ekstra” and “Posas.” He’s also one of last year’s Inquirer Indie Bravo! honorees.

But more than trust, he was given creative freedom. “They allowed me to do what I wanted to do. They respected my process, and my vision wasn’t questioned,” Zig said of working on “Sirkus,” which revolves around the lives of fraternal twins, Mia (Mikee Quintos) and Miko (Mikoy Morales).

After their parents get abducted and after escaping the vengeful La Ora (Cherie Gil), Mia and Miko find themselves seeking shelter from the traveling circus Salamanca’s ragtag band of tricksters: the strongman Martel (Andre Paras), the clairvoyant Astra (Chariz Solomon), the acrobat Al (Sef Cadayona), the fire-breather Sefira (Klea Pineda) and the leader Leviticus (Gardo Versoza).

“One of the adjustments I had to make was keeping in mind that this show has a different target audience; that we’re aiming for general patronage. That means we have to use suitable language. But still, I try to infuse my filmmaking sensibilities into the project,” he related.

Zig recently finished a dark comedy produced by Brillante Ma Mendoza and stars Nar Cabico and Kiray Celis.