Local boys to star in ‘Kaplag’

Screening. When Chiqui Lastierre of Viva Communications invited us to the special screening for the local media of a film next month, we readily nodded and committed to grace the occasion. Why? Because the movie, titled Waves, happens to be the directorial debut of Don Gerardo Frasco, cousin of Liloan Mayor Duke Frasco. We gathered that the young film director also serves as marketing director of the original Titay’s Rosquillos.

Stars. Baron Geisler and Ilona Struzik, a professional model of Polish descent, play the lead roles in this production. Pilar Pilapil and her reallife brother Leo play wife and husband who run the private resort where Ross and Sofia (Geisler and Struzik, respectively), indulge in their emotional adventures.

Locations. We also gathered from Lastierre that Waves was shot in Palawan, Oslob, Liloan and Cebu City. In the film written by Scott Curtis Graham, Ross and Sofia decide to rekindle an abandoned friendship and a jaunt to an isolated island brings back old emotional struggles and sheds light to new ones.

Director. Back to Frasco, the director. In 2012, he founded Waverly Pictures, a Philippine-based film outfit that produces motion pictures for international audiences. He already has over four years of experience in narrative production work in New York and California and to date, has shot 35 short films.

Appeal. We appeal to Frasco and his team to try producing a Cebuano/Visayan movie in the future. We are sure that as a Cebuano, Frasco is also interested in helping revive the local film industry. Cebu has a surplus of talents that he can always approach. We know they are just waiting to be tapped.

Glad. We are glad that the organizers of the upcoming “Kaplag,” the reenactment of the founding of the miraculous image of Señor Sto. Niño, are not tapping Manila-based actors to portray important roles. We are happy to know from reenactment director Val Sandiego that the activity will have purely local talents as stars. We are not against Tagalog actors but when it comes to local historical and religious reenactments, it is best to tap purely Cebuano or homegrown talents.

Lapu-Lapu. This reminds us of the practice of the Lapu-Lapu City government to hire Manilabased stars to play the local hero, his wife Bulakna and Ferdinand Magellan every April 27 when they reenact the bloody fight on the shores of Mactan in 1521. The city government spends a lot in terms of talent fees, plane tickets, accommodation, food and security for these Tagalog actors. The city government says it is after the “star value” that these Tagalog actors bring to the city during the reenactment. But we disagree. Our very own local actors are also capable of drawing a huge number of spectators. On the economic aspect of the event, the city government can save a lot because local talents need not be housed in expensive hotels here.