GORGY RULA
Nasa bansa ngayon ang Filipino-American actress-director na si Isabel Sandoval para gumawa ng pelikula sa Nathan Studios.
Magsasama sila ng actor-politician na si Arjo Atayde sa isang film project na pinamagatang Moonglow.
“I want to come back home with the project that’s exciting and that would be an opportunity to showcase, you know, world-class Filipino talent both in front and behind the camera.
"And one of those talents is, of course, Arjo Atayde, who is an award-wining actor himself,” pakli ni Isabel sa tanggapan ni Arjo sa West Avenue, Quezon City.
“I wrote it, I’m directing it, and acting as well. And I’m cutting the film as well.
"So this is something that I’ve done before and my previous film Lingua Franca… I’ve done the same thing.
“My very first film was Señorita which was shot here in the Philippines.
"But this Moonglow, it’s about jaded female police detective who breaks into the mansion of the corrupt police chief that she works for. And steal a large sum of money that he accumulated from graft and corruption.
“And so the police chief enlists his nephew, who is played by Arjo… the police chief enlists Arjo’s character Charlie to get to the bottom of the case to find out who stole money from her.
“In a way, it feels like your standard Philippine noir crime-thriller,” saad ng actress-director.
Base sa mga sinasabi niya, napakaambisyoso ng pelikula na sisimulan na nila ang shooting sa April 9, 2024 at kukunan sa iba’t ibang bahagi ng Binondo.
“That’s the premise of the film and… it really, you know, I think it blossoms into something lyrical, poetic, and more like my style.
"And that, you know, as a director, after having directed three films, my style is really more of a marriage of blending of strong political themes, with a visual style and flourish, that’s more lush and lyrical and poetic in poetic, you know, think of… if you’re familiar with the work of Wong Kar-Wai, for instance In the Mood For Love.
“So it’s me kind of doing a Casablanca, you know, a classic noir from the '40s, in the style of Wong Kar-Wai,” dagdag niyang pahayag.
Nasa pre-production na sila at gusto sana nilang makasama si Agot Isidro para sa isang mahalagang papel sa film project na ito.
“I’m really, really excited to do it because Moonglow as my fourth film that I work on really represents my most ambitious… you know, my most radically, you know, radical film in terms of style and theme,” sabi pa ni Isabel.
NOEL FERRER
Nagkakilala sina Arjo Atayde at Isabel Sandoval sa nakaraang Locarno Film Festival kung saan ipinalabas ang pelikula ng aktor na Topakk. Marami raw silang napag-usapan doon para sa ating film industry.
Read: Arjo Atayde, challenging ang roles sa dalawang bagong projects
Ani Isabel, “I’ve met Arjo actually at the Locarno Film Festival last August in Switzerland. His film Topakk with director Richard Somes premiered there.
“I’ve met Arjo, I’ve met Tita Jojo [Sylvia Sanchez], and then we had great conversation. Not just about the project, but also what we want to accomplish, you know, for Philippine talent, especially abroad.
“And it feels like there’s been a kind of renaissance and resurgence of interests in Philippine cinema in the last few years… and of course Dolly de Leon for instance, breaking through with Triangle of Sadness.
“We have Leonor Will Never Die doing well in Sundance.
"And being nominated in Independent Spirit award and also humbled to say that my work has been recognized in Hollywood.”
Kaya pursigido raw silang tapusin itong Moonglow hanggang Mayo at sisikapin daw niyang makapasok ito sa iba’t ibang international film festivals.
“We’re shooting all the way until the first or second week of May and while we’re shooting, I’m cutting the film at night. Because we’re hoping to premiere the film this fall at the Venice Film Festival and Toronto.
“My last two films had, you know, the great luck to premiere in Venice.
"Lingua Franca, of course, and after Lingua Franca, I was also commissioned by Prada by Miu Miu to direct a short film for them as part of the series called Miu Miu Women’s Tales,” pahayag ni Isabel.
JERRY OLEA
Isa sa huling nagawa ni Isabel ay ang idinirek niyang isang episode sa FX miniseries na Under The Banner of Heaven, na pinagbidahan ni Andrew Garfield.
Nag-streaming ito sa Hulu at na-nominate si Andrew sa Emmy Awards para sa seryeng ito.
“I directed one episode out of the seven in the series and it was really, really great experience,” bulalas ni Isabel.
“It’s a little intimidating to be thrust into a series of this caliber for my first TV show as a director in Hollywood.
“I’m so glad that the showrunner is Dustin Lance Black, who is an award-winner screenwriter. He wrote Milk starring Sean Pean.
"And so, yeah, he was a very supportive showrunner and I also made the effort to reach out to Andrew, before we shot their episode and told them that I’m directing one episode of the show.
“And I’m not going to claim that I know better than you when we have to discuss your characters.
“Of course, I’ve spent a lot more time in research and hard work to know your characters and portray them.
“So, I want you to know that I’m here to support your process. So, let me know how best I can support you as a director.
“I think that really set the tone and made our shooting days together truly pleasurable and a fun experience, despite how dark the show is,” saad ni Isabel.