The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
My film director Bon Labora–visual artist, naturalist, polymath, environmentalist, culture advocate, teacher etc.–and I were at the Xentro Mall in Tumauini, Isabela on an early Monday morning last week.
We had an audition for the roles of three young daughters of a healer mother who lives in the boondocks.
Our film, a collaboration between Agos Media and BVV8 Media Productions is about man and his relationship with nature.
“It’s an art film. It is poetry,” exclaimed Bon is who also a documentary filmmaker and an animator.
It is still officially untitled but its working title is “Pasasalamat (Thanksgiving).”
According to Labora, he doesn’t want to exploit the idea of titling it on the horror genre although it has a dash of fantasy.
The narrative of the film is very challenging to translate onscreen and I trust Bon to bring it to life on his own terms as a well-meaning artist.
The main character of the movie will be played by comebacking actress Vida Verde after more than three decades of absence from the entertainment scene.
Vida, Catherine Mejia in real life, is a breast cancer survivor and has been living in Tumauini for years.
Verde was with us in casting call at the mall which supported us with professionalism.
It was our second go-see season after we had it at the office of a former local radio disc jockey and now online show host DJ Bonehead, Bernardino Baquiran in real life.
It was DJ Bonhead who helped up announce our first audition sometime after All Saints Day.
Aside from on air announcement, Vida also mobilized some of her kith and kin to try out.
It was a whole day event but nobody came.
Even Verde’s friends and kids of her friends who promised to undergo tryout didn’t show up.
Two students from Tuguegarao City had sent regrets they couldn’t go because of some campus activities.
The one based in Tumauini backed out. “Nagkasakit. At ewan ko, nahihiya raw siya (She got sick. I don’t know, it reached me she was attacked by shyness),” Vida, lead actress and title roler of the films “Nene,” “Katawang Lupa,” “Katalik” and “Desperada,” major star of “Casa,” “Takot Ako, Eh,” among others in the mid-80s and early 90s.
So we scheduled another audition and Bon negotiated with the main office of Xentro Mall in Manila since he was one of its graphic artists and advertising men.
The local Xentro approved the second sked.
I printed tarps while DJ Bonehead regularly plugged the tryout and Vida again invited personally auditionees.
The posters were hang inside strategic points of the mall and outside.
On the actual day of the selection, we found it hard to convince the young girls in the mall to try it out although they were milling around and smiling coyly within our distance in the audition corner when we approached them.
Even DJ Bonehead who has established himself in the community as a communicator could hardly convince the teens to participate just as they were doing some out-of-school gig because it was a holiday.
I also found it contradictory and funny what DJ Bonehead said that some teachers he approach would say “kung hindi lang nag-aaral ang mga bata (if only the kids weren’t in school)” because that day was declared “no classes.”
What fuss?
If it were a search by major TV shows like “StarStruck” or “ Pinoy Big Brother” or “The Clash,” these young people even from the remotest barrio or barangay would appear, enthusiastically at that without lifting a finger.
It just so happened that we are independent and unknown producers and our logistics are limited but we are also professional filmmakers who would want to reach out to the grassroots whose dreams of the underprivileged we want to help fulfill.
“It’s alright. We didn’t come short of our intention to involve the community for an important project that could enhance our national film industry. It’s not our fault anymore,” opined Bon.
It’s good there were two interested colleens from the rural areas, namely Jaydee Jscinto and Krishna Somera who showed satisfactory performances.
According to Labora, he would still conduct online casting calls.
We never say die.
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Beauty queen and actress Azenith Briones, according to her friend Willie Chu, has been out of a rehab center after she was allegedly committed there by her children who found it right, said actress Isabel Rivas, because Azenith was a drug addict and a crazy woman. “Azi isn’t even an alcoholic. She’s also a sane person. Her kids just wanted her to distribute their inheritances even if their mom is still alive,” said Isabel in her social media posts.
Willie informed this writer that Briones is now confined in a hospital in Paranaque City.
Chu said it was only Isabel who fanned the issue out of proportions.
Too bad.
Rivas is just airing her side of the story.
“Please tell your friends not to believe what is circulating in social media. My mom is in safe hands,” informed James Matthew Briones Reyes, one of Azenith sons.
***
Personal: Calling all members of the Villasanta clan. There will be a Get-Together of all Villasantas in the Philippines in December 30, 2023 at the Lopez, Quezon Credit Cooperative (LQCC) Hall, General Vicente Yngente Avenue, formerly Calle Anda, Lopez, Quezon.
Event is from 8 am to 6 pm.