PEP: Katherine Luna shines in Cinemalaya’s Baby Angelo

Muling nagpapaka-aktibo sa paggawa ng pelikula ang aktres na si Katherine Luna. Una siyang napanood bilang bida sa Babae Sa Breakwater ng batikan at respetadong direktor na si Mario O'Hara, na bihirang-bihirang gumawa ng pelikula. Si Direk Mario O'Hara ang isa sa mga paboritong direktor na superstar na si Nora Aunor at kung ilang award-winning films ang kanilang pinagsamahan noon. Taong 2004 nang muling gumawa ng pelikula ang nasabing multi-awarded filmmaker, at ito nga ang Babae Sa Breakwater. Laking suwerte ni Katherine dahil no less than the Mario O'Hara ang nag-direk sa kanya. Nanalo si Katherine ng Best Actress award para sa naturang movie sa Cinemanila International Film Festival 2004, ka-tie ang banyagang aktres na si Marina Golbahari for the movie Osama. Na-nominate rin si Katherine sa prestihiyosong Gawad Urian Awards bilang Best Actress still for the same movie noong 2004. Nabuntis at nagsilang ng kanyang sanggol si Katherine at pansamantalang nawala ito sa sirkulasyon. Muli siyang gumawa ng movie noong 2005, ang Masahista ni Brillante "Dante" Mendoza at isang maliit na papel naman ang nilabasan sa Nasaan Ka Man ng Star Cinema of the same year. After that ay nag-lie low siyang muli sa movies. May special participation lang siya sa Endo, ang Cinemalaya entry nina Jason Abalos at Ina Feleo last year. Pero ngayon ngang 2008 ay nagpapaka-aktibong muli si Katherine at nagbabalik-eksena sa pelikula. Nangunguna ng rito ang Baby Angelo ng Arkeo Films, isa sa sampung full-length feature films sa 2008 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival na kasalukuyang ginaganap hanggang July 20 sa Cultural Center of the Philippines sa Roxas Boulevard, Manila. Ang direktor ng Baby Angelo na si Direk Joel Ruiz ay puring-puri ang kahusayan ni Katherine bilang aktres. "Incredibly talented" kung i-describe ni Direk Joel si Katherine. Aniya, "It was a great pleasure to work with Katherine, who plays the wife of Jojit Lorenzo. She's incredibly talented. "Napanood ko siya sa Endo at sa Babae sa Breakwater, and I knew she had to be in the film. While writing the script, siya ang nasa isip ko. Her screen presence is amazing and she lights up every scene she's in, kahit na ang character niya is a little bit kontrabida. She has great control over her face, the emotions she portrays are very precise. "Para sa akin nga, puwedeng sabihing she's a director's dream dahil every take she gives is a good take," sabi ni Direk Joel tungkol kay Katherine. "She's also a clown behind the scenes. She's very funny and she kept us all entertained in the middle of the night." UPCOMING INDIE FILMS. Ang dalawa pang indie films natapos na ni Katherine at naghihintay na lang ng playdate ngayong 2008—ang Adela at ang Kristo. Ang Adela ay isang tribute film for Ms. Anita Linda na dinirek ni Adolf Alix, Jr. at siyang naging opening film ng Cinemalaya sa CCP last Friday, July 11. Samantalang ang Kristo naman ay hindi isang religious film, kundi tungkol sa sabungan. "Kristo" kasi ang tawag sa taong nagpapataya sa sabungan, at kasama niya dito sina Christian Vazquez, Jay Manalo, Aleck Bovick, produced by Carlo Maceda. Going back to Direk Joel Ruiz ng Baby Angelo (which he co-wrote with Abi Aquino), nakapagtrabaho na rin siya sa advertising and film. Siya ang managing partner and one of the resident directors of Arkeo Films. Ang kanyang short film na Mansyon ang nagwaging Best Film in the 2005 Cinemalaya Short Film Category. Paano nga ba nagsimula ang Baby Angelo? "Baby Angelo was inspired by true events. A dead baby was found in the garbage of our office building. The reaction of the people in the building, plus the tragedy of the situation, stuck with me. Nung dumating na ang Cinemalaya application time, I put my thoughts to paper and submitted it. Thankfully they accepted it and sinimulan ko nang gawin ang script." Paano nga ba maging first-time full-length director? "It's my first full-length film, and after doing it, I realize it was a little bit ambitious. I have an ensemble cast and had nine major characters. "Casting was a long process because we had to find the right mix of actors and actresses, they should complement each other," pahayag ni Direk Joel. Ano naman ang masasabi niya sa iba niyang cast led by Jojit Lorenzo, Ces Quesada, Archie Alemania, Alchris Galura, and Mark Gil? "Jojit is from theater and also does a lot of television work. I really loved working with Jojit dahil he responded very well sa character niya. "Sa shooting, we'd spend a lot of time talking about the character. During takes he added his own thing, which was always a good surprise. Habang ginagawa namin ang movie, he was very much my partner, because of his understanding of the movie. "Landlady naman ang role ni Ces Quesada, whom as we know is predominantly a comedienne. She fits the role of Mrs. Nora, the very strict, overly controlling president ng homeowners' association. It was a great pleasure working with her. "Akala ko nu'ng una, mai-intimidate ako sa isang veteran actress like her, but she was very gracious, and she was very pleasant and accommodating during the shoot. "Good sport rin siya. We made her work very long hours and even if she was really very tired and sleepy, she'd still give a 100 percent with every take. I feel very honored that she joined my cast. "Archie Alemania is a likeable tough guy. Kilala ko lang si Archie as a comedian and so I was hesitant nu'ng una siyang ni-recommend ng producer namin for the role. "Pero nung nag-audition siya, I was instantly convinced he was the right guy. I think that only a few people know that not only is Archie a good comedian, but he's also a very good dramatic actor. Dark ang character niya dito. Very friendly 'yan, and I enjoyed our conversations on set. Very funny guy. "Alchris plays a gay character, the brother of Archie. Hindi siya sa gay sa real life, pero he played the part. He's very funny and embraced the role. "Mark Gil plays Ces' husband. It's a small role but I wanted someone big. Mark put so much weight in the few scenes he was in, his screen presence is amazing. Isa sa paborito kong Pinoy movie ay ang Batch '81. He was the star in it, kaya excited ako to work with him. His nephew Ryan [Eigenmann] is a good friend of mine. "Kaya nu'ng tinanong ko si Ryan kung puwede niyang kausapin si Mark, the guy said right away that he'd do the film, because he supports the independent film movement. I thought this was very kind and noble of him," pagwawakas ni Direk Joel Ruiz. - Philippine Entertainment Portal