Solito casts ‘Bruno’ actor in local film

LOS ANGELES—Clifford Bañagale, the LA-based Filipino-American actor who played boy toy Diesel in Sacha Baron Cohen’s “Bruno,” suddenly found himself in the lush wilds of Palawan last month.

Auraeus Solito cast Clifford in his new film, “Busong (Fate),” a third of a trilogy he is planning on his beloved Palawan, where he lived for several years and where his family is from. (He was born in Manila).

“Busong” is about present Palawan, so the filmmaker behind the internationally acclaimed “Ang Pagdadalaga ni (The Blossoming of) Maximo Oliveros” is shooting that movie first. The other two planned film projects will touch on the province’s past, “Delubyo (Deluge),” and future, “Sumbang (Origin).”

Auraeus gave us this synopsis of “Busong”: “Punay (Alessandra de Rossi) was born with wounds on her feet so that she cannot step on the earth. Her brother, Angkadang (Rodrigo Santikan, a Palawan native who auditioned all the way from a remote island), carries her through a hammock, as he searches the changing landscape of Palawan, hoping to find a healer who can cure Punay. Different people help Angkadang carry his sister along the way—a woman looking for her husband, a fisherman who lost his boat and a young man (Aris, played by Clifford) who is searching for himself. Each one meets his fate.”

Coming home

Also in the cast is, in Auraeus’ words, “a brilliant bunch of native Palaweños,” plus a cameo by Australian actor Chris Haywood.

Auraeus, one of the 25 indie filmmakers honored last December by the Philippine Daily Inquirer on the occasion of its 25th anniversary, told us via e-mail: “I learned about Cliff for the first time when I read your column on him. I befriended him on Facebook. So we met through the Internet!

“Then serendipitously, Cliff was planning to return to the Philippines this year after 23 years. He was born in the Philippines but left with his family for the United States when he was 6 years old. I thought, he would be perfect for the role—his return to the Philippines, my return to my roots. Cliff’s emotions will be authentic for the role of someone who returns and rediscovers his roots. I was 5 years old when I first met my tribal relatives. I returned 20 years later to learn from the shamans of my tribe.”

Clifford thus spent his first trip home last February shooting his scenes for the movie. Auraeus, however, is still filming the rest of the film whose Palawan locations so far include Brooke’s Point, Bataraza and Puerto Princesa.

“Busong” itself is a trilogy, with parts that are titled “Forest,” “Sea” and “Mountain.”

Emotional journey

Clifford, whom we first wrote about after watching his well-received performance in the musical “Altar Boyz” at LA’s Celebration Theatre, said the role resonated with him right away. “I foresaw how lineal Aris’ and my history were, right from the cusp,” said the actor, who is back in the United States. “But I did not foresee how life-changing this production would be. It was an emotional journey I could not have ever prepared for. I am thankful for the opportunity to work with very lovely, honest and talented people.”

Auraeus, whose other credits include “Philippine Science” (originally “Pisay”), “Tuli” and “Boy,” shared his inspiration for his new film which he plans to enter in this year’s Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival. “‘Busong’ is the indigenous Palawanon concept of fate or instant karma. What you do to nature, you do to yourself.”

“My mother told me stories about her hometown to put me to sleep when I was a kid,” he continued. “I knew one day I had to tell these stories. That’s why I decided to make films. My mother used to tell me that the chants called tultol were sung from twilight till dawn. And the tultol, she says, were her ‘movies.’ She would imagine each myth in her mind and wait each night for another myth to be retold. Now, I feel that it’s my turn to retell and reimagine these stories and visualize them through cinema.”

Alter ego

According to Auraeus, Clifford’s character, Aris, is his alter ego. “Cliff had to learn the Taruk, a sacred Palawanon dance,” the director revealed. “The shamans of my tribe taught me this dance. They have always said that I dance this best. For a while, out of desperation, I was considering acting and doing the role myself.”

The director, whose honors include a Teddy, a Crystal Bear and a Netpac from the Berlin International Film Festival, added: “Cliff’s musical theater background was an advantage. He immersed himself with my tribe for a week. When he finally attempted to dance the sacred Taruk, I told him the secret—since your eyes are closed when you are dancing the Taruk, the only way you will know if you are doing it right is if the children are laughing. Then you know you’re not doing it right!

“When we eventually shot that final scene where Cliff dances the Taruk, all the elders raved and said, ‘Manunga,’ which means beautiful!”

The balikbayan actor adapted well to the rough conditions and the shoot in rugged parts of Palawan. “Clifford was very open and fascinated by the Palao’an culture,” Auraeus happily reported. “He even tried chewing nga-nga with the elders!

“Last year, I returned to Palawan… I was hoping to reconnect with the land of my inspiration before I make my dream film about the shaman kings of my tribe. Instead, I was faced with an immediate concern—the changing landscape of Palawan itself. That’s why I decided to make ‘Busong’ first since it is about Palawan’s present.

“After the Dos Palmas kidnapping in 2002, tourism in Palawan went zero. Now, it’s back on its feet. There is a danger that big business might overdevelop the land… The shaman who trained me to dance the Taruk has died. An environmentalist, Doc Gerry Ortega, was killed only a month ago. He was supposed to be in my cast. I am dedicating the ‘Mountain’ part of the film to him.”

Auraeus contended that “Busong” will “serve as a warning. If we forget what Palawan is all about, and that is its nature, then we might just end up getting our country’s most tragic ‘busong’!”

What are Auraeus’ hopes for “Busong”? “I hope for the manunga banar—beautiful truths that will enlighten people what Palawan really is.”

(To be concluded tomorrow)

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