ANGELI BAYANI : SCRATCHING THE SURFACE

The July issue of ISDA MAGAZINE features this year’s Cannes sensation ANGELI BAYANI.  Having the pleasure of doing the cover story, here is an excerpt of  the raw version:  Has she landed softly back to reality after being  sent  to stratospheric heights  by the deafening standing ovation her films (Singapore’s “ILO-ILO” and Lav Diaz “NORTE, HANGGANAN NG KASAYSAYAN) received in the recent Cannes Film Festival?  Honestly?  Yes.  Honestly,  but ANGELI BAYANI would rather puff some smoke and give you a girlish  gaze trailed by an enigmatic smile.  ‘Actually, na-ooffend ako sa mga tanong kung nakababa na raw ba ako… let’s face it , part yan ng job mo bilang actor na tanggapin ang karangalan para sa mga obrang sinalihan mo ; yes , to receive a Cannes approval so to speak is all glamorous and stuff, but at the end of the day – it’s still part of your job!’  Never underestimate this lovely petite actress who is at the prime of league;  her craft comes first and the accolade the may be thrown her way  are tasty sprinkles on the icing.  ‘I can never sit back or float on a pool relishing on how it felt to be there , much less being acknowledged! I’m a working actress and the affirmation comes with the load of work that may come my way now…’

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ANGELI BAYANI @ CANNES!

ANGELI BAYANI

MERCEDES CABRAL : Epitome Of An Indie Queen

Certified Queen Of Philippine Indie Films : MERCEDES CABRAL

Half-a-ghost-of-a-chance along a journey on the facets of Philippine Independent Cinema, a face will persistently shadow upon some filmic meandering and tattoo on minds a subtle allure so totally fresh and unique. The face has a name : MERCEDES CABRAL. A name now casually being dropped as THE QUEEN OF PHILIPPINE INDIE. A title that so far nobody has attempted to refute since this twenty-five year old actress who never dreamed of becoming such as a child, fits the tag perfectly. ‘I only wanted to paint… I wasn’t aware then that I will eventually end up as an actress; My passion for painting grew up with me so I took up Fine Arts at the state university,” she languorously surmised as I grab some of her moments while being made up for a pictorial. Looking at her now , you can’t help but retrace the Mercedes you saw on ‘SERBIS’, her third film outing wherein she had no qualms dipping herself into the now taunted risqué scene with Coco Martin. Finely etched into the digital realm, Director Brilliante Mendoza was dead sure that he had a gem in his hands. Word around and beyond the industry now distinctly projects her as Mendoza’s muse : “ If Brocka had Hilda Koronel; Bernal had Rita Gomez; Goseingfiao had Alma Moreno… Brilliante Mendoza has Mercedes Cabral!” She breathes that Mendoza taught her how to carefully knot the nittier-grittier ropes of the trade. When asked to describe her mentor , she only has one word and said in awe : ‘Genius’. To top it all, when she graced Cannes Film Festival in 2008, she was no less acknowledged with the MOST BEAUTIFUL ACTRESS award ; an endearing tribute to the Filipina beauty .

ADOLFO ALIX JR.’s ‘DEATH MARCH’ @ CANNES!