Scene from “Nelia”
(We are running this guide to help you plan your holiday moviegoing activity during the pandemic. The 47th Metro Manila Film Festival, or MMFF, runs from Dec. 25, 2021 to Jan. 7, 2022.)
Directed by Lester Dimaranan; stars Winwyn Marquez, Raymond Bagatsing, Shido Roxas, Ali Forbes, Lloyd Samartino, Mon Confiado, Juan Carlos Galano; produced by A&Q Production Films In her first starring role, Winwyn Marquez plays Nelia, a nurse who realizes no patient who gets admitted to her hospital’s Room 009 ever makes it out alive. And as she investigates the mystery shrouding her workplace, Nelia realizes that she may not need to look too far to find the answers.
“Nelia tries to uncover the reason behind the deaths. Is there a virus going around? Is it a work of supernatural beings? Is there a person doing the killings?” Dimaranan observed, adding that movie also tackles mental health and illness.
Meanwhile, asked why she chose Marquez to play Nelia, despite the actress not having played a lead role before, lawyer-producer Honey Quiño said she believes that those who typically play “contravida” roles can be versatile performers.
“Transforming your character from good to bad can be difficult. Winwyn is a versatile artist, and she’s capable of playing Nelia. We waited for her to finish her locked-in taping for a television show, because we really wanted her for the role,” Quiño said.