Uphill climb for indie thriller

CAST and crew of “Kubli” on the set in Bicol.

Quite literally (and figuratively), shooting the Bicolano film “Kubli” was as arduous as a mountain trek for debuting director Gilbert Yuga Llantino.

In an e-mail interview, Llantino recalled that he spent 11 days in the mountains with his valiant cast and crew to shoot the film – a thriller about students who get lost in a forest.

“They didn’t complain even if we often had to skip meals,” he related. “We only had sweet potatoes and cassava for breakfast and gathered fruits for lunch for two weeks.”

From time to time however, one of the crew members would run back to the city to charge the video camera’s battery.

To say that his team was committed would be an understatement.

“I didn’t have the right equipment. I only had a video camcorder,” he admitted. Since he couldn’t afford to rent lights, generator, boom mic, tripod and other gadgets, he could only shoot with natural light.

Slew of problems

Apart from the usual financial constraints, Llantino had to contend with a slew of problems—foremost being the inexperience of his cast.

The writer-director had to work as cameraman and acting coach as well. Llantino, who heads a community-based theater company, had to give the actors—mostly newcomers—a crash course before the shoot.

“It was a big challenge,” he narrated. “I gave them workshops and they worked hard to overcome their limitations.”

The bigger obstacles came after the shoot.

Like other independent and regional filmmakers, Llantino is having difficulties distributing his film.

He wants to show “Kubli” in Manila and hopes at least to attract Bicolano viewers. “But I don’t know how to go about it.”

Mixed reactions

He admitted that reaction to his film had been mixed so far. While some students had been harsh in their comments during a preview, he also received encouraging feedback from some media people at a later screening.

He said that local leaders should play an active part in supporting and encouraging regional filmmakers.

“The government should nurture the talents of young filmmakers and help them develop their skills,” he said.

He pointed out that there’s more to indie films than just “sex and violence” and, with “Kubli,” he sought to make a “different” kind of thriller.

Although he enjoys watching horror movies, he’s not keen on too much blood and gore.

Among the thrillers he considers classics are “Psycho,” “Scream,” “Wait Until Dark,” and “Friday the 13th.”