During the recent weeks, actors, and directors from two 2024 Metro Manila Film Festival entries visited Davao City to promote their films which will be shown nationwide starting December 25.
Topakk
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder or PTSD also referred to as shell-shock or combat fatigue is the focus of the action thriller Topakk which stars Arjo Atayde, Julia Montes, and Enchong Dee alongside Dabawenya actress-model Ann Feo, Maureen Mauricio, Sid Lucero, and Vin Abrenica and an ensemble cast of talented actors. It is directed by Richard Somes who once served as the 2020 Mindanao Film Festival juror.
Atayde is a former special forces operative who works as a security guard he rescues the character of Julia Montes from a death squad operated by corrupt cops.
Topakk (international title Triggered) has been entered into several prestigious international film festivals such as the Cannes Marche Du Film and the Locarno Film Festival in Switzerland.
Film star Arjo Atayde says they made intensive research into the topic playing the condition in the film as accurately as possible.
“We were assisted properly, we didn’t want to represent PTSD in a bad way, we wanted to deliver a good story, so when people watch it, yung sasang-ayon sa adbokasiya (they will agree to the advocacy), we did not exaggerate and depicted it accordingly to what our Armed Forces does through in an everyday basis, especially sa mga frontline,” Atayde said.
The film is produced by Nathan Studios of Arjo’s mom, film actress Sylvia Sanchez who invested in the film pitch of Richard Somes.
“Sinugalan ko ito, naniwala ako sa material at higit sa lahat sa mga actors ko (I gambled and believed in the material and most of all my actors) says film producer Sylvia Sanchez Atayde. She says this film will really elevate the Filipino action film genre.
“Level up siya because iba ang atake ng mga actors as action stars, nag-iba ang atake ng mga fight scenes kinonect naming sa younger generation sa mga millennial at Gen Z,” Sanchez says.
Sanchez added they already have international distributors as a result of the film being shown in international film festivals. However, as of the moment, they are focused on the film being entered in the 2025 Metro Manila Film Festival.
Uninvited
The Star for All Seasons Ms. Vilma Santos descended into Davao City alongside her co-stars in the 2024 MMFF entry Uninvited.
During the press conference held at Dusit Thani Davao she was joined by Aga Muhlach, Tirso Cruz III, Ketchup Eusebio, Ron Angeles, Elijah Canlas and film director Dan Villegas.
The film is about a grieving mother (played by Vilma Santos) intent on vengeance against those who caused her daughter’s death. The film also stars Nadine Lustre, Mylene Dizon, Lotlot de Leon among the talented cast.
The film marks the third screen partnership of Vilma Santos and Aga Muhlach and the first in 30 years after their 1994 film “Nag-Iisang Bituin.”
Aga who plays the billionaire Guilly, had long regarded Vilm Santos in high esteem and was one of the primary reasons why he immediately accepted the project.
“Iba siya eh ang rami ko nang ginawang pelikula when somebody offered the film sa akin, hindi naman ako nag-atubili. I happen to work again not just with a good friend of mine but a very, very good actress that alone is an experience not to miss,” Muhlach said during the presscon.
For Vilma Santos her character is very different from the many movie characters she had essayed in her 62 years in the film industry.
“Sabi ko almost 200 pelikulang nagawa ko, inisip ko po kung itong temang ito nagawa ko na. Sa totoo lang sa Uninvited first time ko lang nagawa ang character na ito and for that I’m really, really excited and proud,” Santos said.
She reveals this is her first time working with Dan Villegas which makes the work more exciting plus also getting to work with a cast of talented actors.
“Hindi po lahat ng artista mabibigyan ng opportunity doing a movie with ace actors,” Santos said.
Tirso Cruz praised the quality of the film and says Uinvited “Will start to turn the wheels of the movie world again. “Para manumbalik ang golden age ng pelikulang Pilipino, we’re very very proud of this film,” he says.
Uninvited is produced by Mentorque who produced the horror film Mallari, which was an entry to last year’s Metro Manila Film Festival.