Working with ‘next Brockas, Bernals’

Actor and Bulacan Vice Governor Daniel Fernando says he agreed to work with the young indie filmmakers behind Suntok sa Buwan “because these kids are the future Lino Brockas and Ishmael Bernals.”

Directed by Bianca Catbagan and Jono de Rivera, Suntok… is one of three films featured in SM’s “Bigshot” film festival, ongoing until Tuesday at SM Manila, Megamall, North EDSA, Mall of Asia and Cebu.

Catbagan and De Rivera are BA Film and Audio-Visual Communication students at UP Diliman, along with Archie Dimaculangan and Franne Cheska Ramos who, with De Rivera, codirected another entry, Balang Araw.

Crash course

Catbagan said she took a crash course on boxing to finish Suntok…, which tells the story of two boxers, a grizzled old-timer (Fernando) and a dreamy newcomer (Joem Bascon), who must slug it out in the ring.

“The biggest challenge was writing the story,” Catbagan admitted. “We had very little knowledge about the sport, so we compensated by researching and consulting with our mentors (directors Mark Meily and Nick Deocampo and producer Raymond Lee).”

Catbagan and De Rivera wanted to shed new light on the theme, “modern heroism.”

Common man

World-renowned champion Manny Pacquiao is considered by many as the epitome of Pinoy heroism, explained Catbagan. “But we wanted to zoom in on the stories of the nameless, faceless heroes who keep fighting every day. The whole world knows about Pacquiao’s success, but we know very little about the struggles that ordinary Filipino boxers face outside the ring.”

With their film Balang Araw, De Rivera, Dimaculangan and Ramos chose to focus their cameras on the common man, too—the call center agent, convenience store clerk, taxi driver, housewife and petty thief whose paths cross one harrowing night.

“We wanted to tell the story of unlikely heroes who go unnoticed,” De Rivera explained.

In a rush

“These characters could be any one of us and our film shows how ordinary individuals would act in the face of utmost fear and adversity,” Ramos said. “We wanted to show Filipinos’ daily battles to live the life they think they deserve.”

Dimaculangan pointed out: “I think it is vital for people to listen to the stories that the younger generation would like to tell.” He noted that he and his codirectors wanted to share an “interesting take on fate and heroism.”

Balang Araw, was conceived in a rush, De Rivera recounted. “We had three days to finish the sequence treatment. Staying up late led us to write about characters who roam the city streets after dark.”

Dimaculangan agreed: “We wanted to show the grace and grit of the city at night.”

“Bernal’s Manila by Night is a favorite film of ours,” De Rivera admitted. “It served as our inspiration.”

Positive experience

Working with mainstream actors (Fernando, Bascon and Noni Buencamino in Suntok sa Buwan and Jao Mapa and Aleera Montalla in Balang Araw) was a positive experience as well, they said.

“It was intimidating at first because we were newbies … but as the shoot went on, directing them became less awkward and more natural,” said Dimaculangan.

Ramos elaborated: “They brought something unique to the table. Seeing the actors breathe life to the characters we created on paper brought a certain kind of rush.”

Catbagan agreed: “It was a challenge and a thrill. Working with professional actors kept us on our toes.”

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