SINAG MAYNILA Features TALAHIB with Kristof Garcia and Gillian Vicencio

Watched one of the featured films in Sinag Maynila called TALAHIB, a film directed by critically acclaimed director Alvin Yapan and produced by FEAST foundation. It's English title Legend of the Tall Grass tells a lot about where most of the incidents happen since this is a slasher film. 

The elements are there, but since this is an Alvin Yapan film, the story telling felt a lot different from usual. If it were heavily commercial, it could have taken a route of violence all throughout but since it delves more into lore, detective work and their past wrongdoings, you would need to understand more of the conversations in order to decipher it. It did not depend on violence alone, it had elements of mental anguish, ghosts and indestructible beings as villains in the story. 

Alvin Yapan says "I am so nervous about what we will see this afternoon, and at the same time excited that after a long while, we will be finally seeing this with the producers and the audience, and I hope they get to like what they could see in our film. We are planning to have this be shown in other platforms, that's also our goal." 

He adds "This is the first time that the actors will be seeing the film (except playbacks). This is now complete with editing and sound, I hope those who would see this film appreciate the work we put in to hopefully spread the word about TALAHIB. We plan to put this in cinemas too on October for Halloween. This is R13, which we were gunning for. Hopefully we could get everyone to watch it, we didn't want it to be plainly a gorefest. I'd want Gillian to get a Best Actress nomination for her work here. I also gave Kristoff his time to shine in this project, and I've seen how he excellently is making drama executed too. (Spoiler) You'll see a long scene with Gillian showcasing her command on screen. This is an ensemble piece, but they have their own moments, their own spotlights that movie goers should watch out for."  

Kristoff says "Gillian and I are really okay even after the shoot. It's been a year but we still stay in touch. We go out in groups sometimes, to bond over karaoke at times. Even before this project, I've already been able to watch Gillian in films. I know how great she is as an actress. I was really excited to work with her. When I saw her, I didn't know she was going to be that warm in person. She's also very kind, very pretty."

Gillian tells us "Of course I'm so happy to hear that from our director. The chance to work with him was already an honor, getting complements is just extra. I'm excited because this is also my first time to watch it on screen. We can't expect to win awards, so we don't get hurt in the end. I got recommended by Ms. Irma Adlawan and I'd like to thank her for that. We made this last year and we can't wait to see how it pans out on screen. I'm excited about TALAHIB even more because I'm not the one who's scaring people. I'm the one who's getting scared. It was also hard to shoot on location because you'll get to experience the sharp tall grass, it's real and you will experience getting nicked by its sharp blades every now and then."

Here's our video coverage of the premiere:

Congratulations to the Filipino Excellence in the Arts, Sciences and Technologies Foundation and other producers. This film certainly has that Alvin Yapan print on it. This will be shown in Gateway Mall, Robinsons Malls, SM Cinemas, and Market Market. Just check cinema schedules if you're raring to watch it on SINAG MAYNILA.

There's No Stopping GILLIAN VICENCIO

After numerous commercials, lining up for auditions trying to find her spot, Gillian Vicencio finally got the ball rolling in her showbiz career after appearing called "EERIE" together with A list stars Bea Alonzo and ABSCBN exec Charo Santos Concio. She played the role of a ghost named Erika Sayco which meant she wasn't allowed to appear in promotional tours to get the element of surprise when people see the movie.

She was seen with her merits, and slowly got different projects because of it, one of which is a horror film "Hell Come Home" with noted actor Dennis Trillo, Alyssa Mulach, Raymond Bagatsing and talented actress Beauty Gonzales. She entered Star Magic in 2019 together with some of this generations brightest stars like Belle Mariano, Anthony Jennings, Jeramiah Lizbo, JC Alcantara and good looking actor/singer Kyle Echarri.

Later on, she was handled by Mico Del Rosario via Rise Artists Studio and the Star Creatives group. She was ready and met with ABSCBN execs, though 2020 proved to be a huge challenge for ABS-CBN as their franchise woes started. Gillian says "Of course I was so afraid about the situation because I just signed with the corp. But we were assured by management that they will take care of us. This started numerous digital shows, hosting stints, lots of opportunities to introduce ourselves to the public. We also got to talk with other artists while doing We Rise Together Live. We also got a lot of workshops done to hone our skills, it was a lot of help to equip us prior to bringing us in new projects we're doing today, I am truly grateful for that!"

She also got her biggest break in a movie called "Four Sisters Before The Wedding" wherein she got cast with Charlie Dizon, Belle Mariano and our girl Alexa Ilacad. Since this is a prequel, she portrayed the same role of Angel which was previously done by screen superstar Angel Locsin. This was shown online in so many platforms and her versatility was evidently showcased and appreciated by many.

Last year, she was also in KARGO which was shown in Netflix. She got to work with veteran actresses like Rio Locsin in the Thriller/Drama piece and was quite happy about that. Viral digital series "Hello Stranger" also got her as part of the cast as Tony Labrusca's girlfriend in the BL series which got lots of views, then continued to appear in other shows.


Gillian took her talent to the KathNiel project "2good To Be True" and was paired with Yves Flores. People loved their chemistry and she liked the friendship she formed with him during the shoot. Though the months after, she faced some real challenges. She faced it with positivity and continued to work and focused on her race instead.  

Today, she's grateful about the opportunities that continue to come her way. Gillian appeared in the theater play "KUMPRONTASYON" in mid January at the PETA Theater. There, she continued to cop more roles and even had the opportunity to work with Romnick Sarmenta and Director Melvin Lee.

She also got endorsements with beauty brand Beautederm. CEO and Girl Boss Rhea Tan got her in the roster of influencers, artists and A-listers to promote their products nationwide. Gillian says "I couldn't contain my happiness. Albeit being fairly new in the industry, Mommy Rhei had her trust in me. Being in the midst of artists and celebrities of Beautederm is but an honor. Can't wait to see how the photos and billboard would come out!"

Gillian will also be a part of the Filipino adaptation of "What's Wrong with Secretary Kim?" where she will be with Kim Chiu and Paulo Avelino. It will be shown on streaming platform Viu. Aside from that, she's going to be in the horror film "Talahib" together with Kristoff Garcia and Joem Bascon. This is produced by FEAST Foundation and dony by acclaimed Director Alvin Yapan. It will be showcased in local and international film festivals, so make sure to watch out for that!  

There's no stopping Gillian Vicencio, she's going no where but up!