Another winner in Jennylyn-Derek MMFF entry
Had Jennylyn Mercado been the girlfriend of Derek Ramsay, she would not come with him to watch the press preview of “All Of You,” the 2017 Metro Manila Film Festival entry of Quantum Films, MJM Films and Globe Productions.
Jennylyn and Derek are the lead actors of this new movie directed by Dan Villegas, which tells the story of two people who have opposite views on love and marriage.
The two leads have a number of love scenes in the movie and Jen was kind of worried that Derek’s girlfriend might get jealous.
Derek brought along Joanne to the press preview as he really wanted her to see the film which the actor is very proud of.
For his part, Derek said his girlfriend is openminded and is not the jealous type. “Joanne knows the nature of my work. She knows I am an actor and that has never been an issue between us. And she knows that there are certain things that I need to do as part of my job,” said the MMFF Best Actor winner for “English Only, Please.”
“Kunwari ako ang girlfriend ni Derek, hindi ako sasamang manood sa kanya kasi selosa ako. I might get affected sa mapapanood ko,” said Jen with a smile.
And she would certainly understand had Joanne reacted to the steamy love scenes that she and Derek did.
“Oo kasi siyempre wala siya sa showbiz so siyempre iba rin ‘yun para sa kanya,” Jen added.
Derek counters, “Once you enter a relationship, you should be willing to accept everything. Selosa sa ibang bagay si Joanne pero pagdating sa trabaho ko, hindi siya selosa.”
The actor said that his job as an actor is never an issue with his partner. “When I first met her, I brought her along to the set of a few of my films and we never spoke about it. I can see that she is not at all affected by it. Kasi hindi mo maitatago ‘yun from a girl. She really wants to support me. She knew how excited I was to see the film,” said Derek.
The entertainment press had the chance to talk with Derek and Jen after the press preview of “All Of You” held at the Director’s Club of SM Megamall on Tuesday. The press had nothing but praises for the performances of Jen and
Derek who should both be strong contenders for acting honors.
It was also the first time that Jen and Derek were able to watch “All Of
You” in full and like the press folk in attendance, they liked the film. Direk Dan has another winner in his hands. He deftly handled the story of two people who have opposing views on love and marriage. The film should be a shoo-in for a Best Picture Award.
We won’t be surprised if Direk Dan nails another Best Director trophy for “All Of You.”
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Ever since “Deadma Walking” released its teaser with the intention of joining this year’s MMFF, the film directed by Julius Alfonso has been compared to “Die Beautiful,” the gaythemed movie starring Paolo Ballesteros that was a big winner at the 2016 MMFF.
But the truth is, Direk Julius has yet to see “Die Beautiful,” the most successful gay-themed movie in the post-Dolphy era. He said he will probably watch the film by January.
“I did not watch it on purpose. Ayoko kasi na ma-influence ako ng ‘Die Beautiful’ sa paggawa ko nitong ‘Deadma Walking,’ in the same manner na ayoko rin ma-limit sa gagawin ko sa ‘Deadma Walking.’ I just want to give justice to Eric Cabahug’s script,” said Direk Julius who was with Eric and Vanessa de Leon in conceptualizing ‘Deadma Walking’ in 2014.
“We already had the concept of ‘Deadma Walking’ ahead of ‘Die Beautiful.’ The only thing similar between ‘Die Beautiful’ and ‘Deadma Walking’ is the gay character and the coffin but the story is very different,” said Direk Julius.
If you want to know the difference, then you have to watch “Deadma Walking” when it opens in cinemas this December 25.
“Deadma Walking” got an A-Rating from the Cinema Evaluation Board. Within a week from its online release, the movie’s trailer has gotten six million views, a level usually seen only in expected blockbusters.
The movie stars real-life buddies Joross Gamboa and Edgar Allan Guzman in the role of gay best friends who vowed to be together in life, death and beyond.