Cinemalaya entry ‘Don Filipo’ a BL-horror flick rolled into one

Scene from “Don Filipo”

We have to let them know that we are not a race that they can just take advantage of, said Washington-based Filipino filmmaker Tim Muñoz, who also admitted that he would sometimes feel too afraid to go out of the house as a result of the ongoing hate campaign against Asians in the United States.

Luckily, Tim said he lives in an area where the rate of hate crimes against Asians and Asian Americans isn’t as high. “Admittedly, you feel afraid to leave the house because people here blame Asians for the spread of the COVID-19 virus, but life must go on. The number of cases of people getting hurt is becoming quite alarming,” he told reporters during a Zoom meeting with show biz scribes and vloggers.

Wake-up call

“Asians are generally kind and mild-mannered. I feel that’s why people of other cultures think that they can just abuse us. It’s time that we show them that just because we have these traits, they can already take advantage of us,” Tim pointed out. “So I’m happy whenever I hear an Asian voice being heard in different parts of the world. I’m happy every time Asians are being recognized in various fields. For me, this serves as a wake-up call to the world that we have to teach equality to each other. This doesn’t just mean race, but also sexual orientation.”

Incidentally, Tim is promoting his latest work, “Don Filipo,” which is a boys’ love (BL) film that has already participated in various international film festivals and won awards in India, Sweden, Italy, Germany, Slovakia and France. It is currently part of the Indie Nation section of the ongoing 17th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, which will run until Sept. 5.

“Cinemalaya is a big venue for a small film like mine. I’m excited to be a part of it,” said Tim. “I also think that when you talk about art involving homosexuals, the audience in the Philippines still responds well only to comedy bar humor. It’s sad that we’re still on that stage or level—of gay people being relegated to comedy. There’s more to the LGBTQ+ culture than that. There are a lot of aspects to it that we can still explore. I wish for the time when its Filipino members will finally gain the respect they deserve.”

Adrian Arias (left) and Luis Padilla

Best of both worlds

When asked to describe “Don Filipo,” Tim said: “It is a combination of my favorite movie genres—BL and horror. I placed both elements in one film about a nurse named Dino who travels to the province to work as a caregiver to an old man whom people there call as ‘Don Filipo.’ What Dino doesn’t know is that he will be facing the dangers of living with his ward in the latter’s old mansion.”

Tim added: “I enjoy watching horror films like ‘Annabelle’ or ‘The Conjuring,’ and most of what I’ve picked up, I put them in ‘Don Filipo.’ I check out the classics, too. From the Philippines, ‘Patayin sa Sindak si Barbara’ is also an influence. On the film being the BL kind, this is because I’m such a fan of all the Thai BLs. I know them by heart.”

Filmmaker Tim Muñoz

Making a filmmaker

After 15 years of working as a director and scriptwriter for ABS-CBN and TV5, Tim ventured into filmmaking. His first film was the 30-minute “Estranghero” (2016), followed by “Hombre” (2017), and “Lodi” (2018).

“I didn’t have formal studies. I simply read a lot of books. I also bought a camera and studied how to use it. My belief as a filmmaker is that for you to be an effective one, you have to know all the aspects of it. I also took a few courses at the New York Film Academy but only weeklong ones. On the side, I would watch a lot of classic movies, mostly Italian and French. That’s when I felt inspired to make my own. As a filmmaker, you have to make time to watch as many films as you can. There’s a long history to learn from. This is so that, even though you don’t have formal training in a big university, you get to absorb a lot of things that can affect your output later on.”

Fantasies realized

Tim also believes that each film is a reflection of its maker. “I’m a fan of several directors. A lot of the scenes here are patterned after what they did in the past. This is a combination of my personal experiences and those that I’ve watched in their films,” he declared. “Yes, I agree to what they say that a film is your fantasies coming to life—from the script level to shot level, this is really me.”

The film, which was shot prepandemic in Bulacan, will stream via ktx.ph until Sept. 2. Playing lead are two first-time movie actors, Luis Padilla as the nurse Dino and Adrian Arias as the houseperson Obet. Portraying the title role, Don Filipo, is Steven Eduard Yu, and Rap Robes as the young version, Philip.