Bela reveals ‘different’ side
Watch as Bela Padilla reveals a different side of her when she plays the role of an ex-military sniper in her new movie Mañanita.
Directed by Paul Soriano and written by Lav Diaz, Mañanita is the story of Edilberta, an ex-military sniper who was honorably discharged and accepts a job that will change her life. It is a quiet character study of when your life’s purpose is stripped away, but you will still pursue it, only to realize that it could kill you.
The story is based on Oplan Mañanita, an anti-drug campaign which started in Davao City in 2016. In the campaign, law enforcers would knock on the door of drug suspects and serenade them to turn their backs against illegal drugs.
Paul is an award-winning film director, scriptwriter and producer who was born in Los Angeles, California. He moved to the Philippines and started his career directing concerts, music videos and TV commercials. He then moved on to creating short films and full-length feature films. Today, he is one of the country’s top TV commercial directors and has directed numerous commercials for companies such as Unilever, Unilab, Kraft, Smart Communications, Globe Telecom, Enchanted Kingdom, Rebisco, Honda, Chevrolet, Western Union and Pizza Hut. He has directed five feature films: A Journey Home (2009), Thelma (2011), Kid Kulafu (2015), Dukot (2016) and Siargao (2017). He has won numerous awards including Best Picture and Best Director in film festivals here and abroad. Known for her roles in romantic movies like
100 Tula Para Kay Stella, Meet Me in St. Gallen and The Day After Valentines, the rugged and sometimes shabby Bela in Mañanita is a Bela we have never seen before on screen.
Bela admits that preparing and shooting for the film was not easy physically and mentally. To prepare herself for the role, she trained at a military camp and learned how to assemble a rifle and properly shoot with a rifle. She’s proud to report that she can now assemble a rifle in one minute. As part of her role, Bela has to wear a prosthetic scar on one side of her face and neck from start to end of filming. And as if the prosthetic was not challenging, what she had gone through during the filming was rewarding to the actress. Her hard work paid off since Mañanita was among the finalists at the 32nd Tokyo International Film Festival. The film was wellreceived by the audience.
Produced by Ten17P and VIVA Films, Mañanita opens tomorrow, Dec. 4, in theaters nationwide.