A postmortem journey

Glaiza de Castro in “I-Libings”

Filming inside a morgue was the most unforgettable experience for actress Glaiza de Castro while doing the coming-of-age movie “I-Libings.”

“It felt really eerie,” De Castro told Inquirer Entertainment. “Even though we only shot one scene there, I couldn’t help imagining all those bodies that got cut up inside that large room in the basement. Seeing all those funeral paraphernalia used on the dead only made things worse.”

Luckily, she said, she was able to use her fear to act out the difficult scenes in the morgue.

The film, directed by Rommel Andreo Sales, is an entry in the New Breed Full-Length Feature category of the 7th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival. It tells about the journey of Isabel Fabros (De Castro) as an intern for a funeral videography company called I-Libings.

Isabel initially dislikes her internship in I-Libings. But over time, she realizes that the company is not just a place where videographers make money out of people’s misfortunes; it is where the dead and the grieving receive special attention.

Sales was impressed by her “underrated” actress.

“I was amazed by how well she performed in this film,” Sales said, who directed De Castro for the first time. “Given the right script, I’m sure Glaiza will become one of the best in the industry. She has very expressive eyes.”

De Castro stars in the film with her brother Alchris Galura, Rez Cortez, Louella de Cordova, Marc Abaya, Carlo Aquino, Earl Ignacio and Dexter Doria.

Sales, whose first full-length film “Slow Fade” (2009) also deals with death and loss, said the idea to make “I-Libings” was developed early last year.

“A friend asked me to help him put up a funeral videography business,” Sales revealed, adding that the plan was put on hold because he had to finish the film. “He explained to me how profitable it is, especially now that more and more Filipinos are migrating.”

Financial challenge

Sales said he shot the film for only six days, but preproduction had been tough. “It was hard to get financial help for this kind of film. It was also difficult to find a funeral home willing to sponsor us. Except for Sanctuarium, no one else saw how this film could help them get profit.”

Sales graduated from the University of the Philippines with a Bachelor of Arts degree on Film and Audio-Visual Communication. His recently lauded works include “The Leaving,” a 2010 Cinemalaya finalist, in which he won Best Cinematography; “Squatters in Mars,” a sci-fi short film that won 3rd place in the Philippine Graphic Fiction Award; “TxtB4 Marriage,” a documentary finalist to the 2008 Dekada Cinemanila International Film Festival; and “Slow Fade,” a product of the 2009 PLDT-SMART Foundation and Cinemabuhay film grant competition and one of the five indie films included in the 2010 Metro Manila Film Festival.

His other works are “Ranchero,” a feature film screened in Cinemalaya 2009 and adjudged as the official selection for the Paris Cinema International Film Festival; and “Paano Kaya Managinip ang Taong Grasa,” an official short film entry to the SP*T Film Festival in New York, 2003.

Sales said he has sought the assistance of friends in the music scene like Frank Corona, Diego Mapa of Pedicab and the group Doctor Mindbender to create the film’s “eclectic sound—a combination of alternative, electronica and classical tunes.”

Its producers—Brainchild Studios, Digital Fusion, Bigtop Media and Leather Lane Films—are preparing for the movie’s local commercial run.

Cinemalaya film screenings are ongoing at the UP Diliman’s Cine Adarna until August 5.

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