SANTOS, CALZADO, DE BELEN AND ISIDRO. Topbill Reyes’ Cinemalaya entry.
THE atmosphere bristles with energy when director Jose Javier Reyes talks about his Cinemalaya entry, “Mga Mumunting Lihim,” his 66th film. He shares, “You have to keep evolving. I don’t believe in retirement; what I believe in is reinvention. People are telling me to stop, but I can’t—I’ll die if I did!”
Joey says that his new film is inspired by the death of his friend, Don Escudero: “It’s about losing a friend and exploring the idea that, even among your closest pals, there are still secrets you keep from one another that accumulate through the years. What if, in death, those secrets come out?”
What are his tips to young directors and actors to survive in the entertainment industry? The filmmaker answers, “Do not take yourself too seriously. Don’t believe in your press releases or in what the studio says about you. Keep in mind that you aren’t good all the time—there’s always something more to learn!
Passion
“Times change, and you should change with them. If you want to be a filmmaker, it’s not a job—it’s a passion! It’s not about money; it’s about leaving something behind. Viewers don’t remember TV directors—they remember television shows. But, in the movies, the film is the director. If you want to leave a legacy, dedicate yourself to filmmaking.”
Does Reyes miss working with Lino Brocka and Ishmael Bernal? He reflects, “Utang na loob ko sa kanila, not so much the work that they gave me as a screenwriter, kundi ang encouragement na ibinigay nila. It hurts me when young filmmakers these days look at their senior counterparts as if they were fossils that already need to be put to death via euthanasia! I want to encourage them to be better than us.”
Shooting his first indie has been a fascinating experience for the veteran director. He explains, “Kami, the filmmakers who come from commercial movies, are not the indie directors’ enemies. We all want the same thing. Believe it or not, pareho lang ang mga hinanakit namin—but, those from the mainstream choose to work within the system.”
Experience
How has his Cinemalaya experience been so far? Reyes discloses, “It’s so much fun—but, I’m also getting tense about it! ‘Mga Mumunting Lihim,’ which premieres on July 25 at the CCP, is about friendship—and is also done out of friendship.
“My four lead actresses—Judy Ann Santos, Janice de Belen, Agot Isidro and Iza Calzado—weren’t paid a single centavo for their services. They did it out of love—for me and the project itself. They prove that ‘commercial’ actors also aspire to do something out of the box!”