NORA Aunor chooses “Pieta” as the first movie she’ll do after being named National Artist.
This is directed by Adolf Alix (who directed her in “Padre de Pamilya” and “Kontrabida”) and co-starring with Gina Alajar (her director in the hit GMA series, “Onanay”) and Alfred Vargas, who’s also bankrolling the project.
What made her accept the film?
“Unang-una, magandang challenge for me ang role ko as Alfred’s blind mother kasi first time kong gaganap na bulag ako. Si Gina naman, kumare at kaibigan ko ‘yan, at gayundin si Direk Adolf na kilala na ako at pinagtitiwalaan ko bilang direktor. Si Alfred, nagpunta in person sa bahay ko, very humble at napakadaling kausap.”
She is also glad to get the chance to work again with Gina.
“May kasalanan akong nagawa kay Direk Gina noon sa ‘Onanay.’ Sa eksenang namatay ang kapatid ko roon, si Gardo Versoza, sabi ko sa kanya, ayokong umiyak, hindi ako makaiyak.
Kasi kailangan, totoo ‘yung nararamdaman ko. But minotivate niya ako. Inakbayan niya ako at pinisil niya ang kamay ko, saying kaya mo ‘yan. Inutusan niya ang mga cameramen na sundan lang ako kasi tuloy-tuloy lang ang buhos ng eksena. Ayun, sa tulong niya, nagawa ko naman at nag-trending pa ‘yung eksenang ‘yun.”
Ate Guy was full of anecdotes about her childhood days in Bicol during the storycon and Direk Adolf announced that we will get to read all about it in a biographical book he is writing about the National Artist.
“Isinulat ‘yun in her own words,” says Direk Adolf. “Yun kasi ang gusto niya, para authentic daw. Walang bawal. It will be a no-holds barred kind of book. Gusto niyang mai-share ang mga karanasan niya nang buo, para may lessons din daw na matutuhan sa mga naging pagkakamali niya.”
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Julia Barretto and Diego Loyzaga were first paired ten years ago in “Wansapanataym: Petrang Paminta” in 2013. Then they did the primetime drama, “Mirabella,” the following year. Now, a decade later, they’re together again, but this time on the big screen for the first time, in Viva Films’ endearing romcom, “Will You Be My Ex?”
Julia is Chris and Diego is Joey. They first meet in college and become sweethearts. Julia is a fun-loving, impulsive, easygoing young woman from a family of artists and theatre actors. She loves to act.
On the other hand, Joey is a quiet, responsible, introverted young man from a well-to-do and reserved family who becomes a civil engineer. In other words, they are complete opposites so they get to face some kinks in their relationships and eventually call it quits.
Several years later, they meet again, a bit older and a lot wiser. Looks like time really heals all wounds and their feelings for each other are rekindled. Can they make it work this time?
We ask Julia how is it to be working with Diego again after such a long time? “We had fun when we worked before sa ABS, so I’m excited to work with him again as we’ve remained good friends,” she says. “We’re more mature now and I’m glad that our movie has a very interesting story. I really look forward to working with him again and our director, Real Florido, na ngayon ko lang nakasama.”
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‘Walang bawal. It will be a
no-holds barred kind of book.
– Rahyan Carlos’
Rahyan Carlos has been busy these past couple of years giving acting workshops at Star Magic, but now, he returns to being a film director in “The Diary of Mrs. Winters,” a drama-thriller starring Judy Ann Santos and Sam Milby, written by National Artist Ricky Lee. This is his second collaboration with Ricky Lee after “Ringgo, The Dog Shooter,” which starred Janice de Belen and Sandino Martin and won acting awards for both of them in 2016.
“The Diary of Mrs. Winters” is set mainly in Canada and they’re shooting it in Toronto from mid-February to March. Judy Ann plays Charity, a Pinay overseas worker who is separated from her philandering husband and has one teenage son.
She works as a bio-forensic cleaner and her life becomes complicated when she finds the diary of an old woman named Mrs. Winters, who has committed suicide.
She and her family soon experience a series of misfortunes and this is because Mrs. Winters is haunting her as the dead woman’s diary has a curse on it. It becomes Judy Ann’s task to defend her loved ones from some malevolent forces that try to mess up their lives and she is assisted by her ex-boyfriend, Sam Milby as Victor.
“To say that this is a dream project is an understatement,” says Direk Rahyan. “Not only because of the fact that I reunite with Ricky Lee in our second collaboration, but also because we are working with Judy Ann and Sam who are both artists of world-class caliber.”
“The Diary of Mrs. Winters” is also the first full-length Filipino film to be shot amidst the panoramic beauty of Ontario in Canada in mid-winter.
