Sofia Copolla Masterpiece PRISCILLA To Be Shown in PH Theaters on the 31st!

Just got out of the cinemas this evening after watching Priscilla, the movie starring Jacob Elordi and Cailee Spaeny. This centered on the life and love of Priscilla and the iconic entertainer/actor Elvis Presley. Set in West Germany, she gets invited to be in their home for a party, which started it all.

She was very young, but it was an Elvis appearance (heck he always get the girls from the start), they got close and she daydreamed about him all the time. 

This setup would have been shunned in 2024 (hello cancel culture and grooming), and I bet it would have been worse if people knew about it during those days too. They talked much about what life was like in the US. He dreamed and missed Graceland, talked lengthily what it was like to go back there. He's grown a bit homesick after being stationed for years in Germany. Priscilla then became smitten.

So was he.

After a few months, Elvis went back to the US and she thought that was the end of the relationship. A call came one day, and arrangements were made to have her flown to home soil... and she stayed with him for quite some time to finish her studies.

Life looked perfect, but one could see how their lifestyle was certainly different. While they were together, life was laid with substance abuse and Vegas fun. It felt like no one could stop them.

Then came reality. The popularity, the stardom, the differences, the time away, the women, the continued abuse, being controlling, which started questions about living in it. Is love really enough? Is she really living the dream or is she living a lie?!

Yes, her life would have been a dream for a lot of women. On the surface, it certainly looked like it was good. In reality, there were a lot of things that didn't feel quite normal. If you were in her shoes, you would ask if it was still worth being together. Her journey, their relationship, her desires, this will all be told in-depth in the movie.

This is a soft burn, written and directed by the award winning Sofia Copolla. This will be shown in theaters come January 31st nationwide and is released in the Philippines by CreaZion Studios Inc. (same people who got The Childe which stars Kim Seon-Ho and When Evil Lurks in 2023) represented by their EVP Real Florido. You may follow their social channels by searching CreaZion Studios or visit their official website creazionstudios.com for more about this.

For fans of the rock and roll icon Elvis, Priscilla and Liza Marie, you would definitely want to see this with fresh eyes as this will be in the point of view of the wife. The 60's and 70's was certainly different, totally americana... and I experienced that in Priscilla. Make sure you watch it!

Khalil Ramos and Elisse Joson for iWant’s Ampalaya Chronicles

Unrequited love is painful, but here goes Firestarters Production under the helm of Real Florido to tackle the story based on best selling author Mark Ghosn’s book called Ampalaya Monologues. This pilot episode is entitled ADIK written by Carlo Hornilla. It tells the life of hopeless romantic and poet named Carlo, and his muse cum long time crush Nina. This is played by Khalil Ramos and Elisse Joson. The episode is written by Florence Henzon.

In a way, this is very relatable for people who didn’t get the chance to show their love for someone. Spoken word poetry has been a very ingenious way to be an outlet, to foretell love with a play of words, which sometimes are effective, sometimes not. One thinks how he could just look from afar and hope he gets noticed by the lady he so admires, one who wants to also protect her from other guys, some situations he wouldn’t have any control over. He hopes his efforts would bear fruit, one day, someday. 

Khalil Ramos says “Good evening to everyone, I play Carlo here. It was important for me to study, at first the look and screen test, we already talked. We rehearsed this kind of poetry, it’s rhythm, it’s like rap and I had to do it right. The character is one of many, like people who want to profess love. Carlo is intimidated with Elisse, she is like the dream girl, out of his league, he went through a lot. It has so much to do with his identity, his purpose in life, he is very introverted, he has been bullied and has dealt with his friends and family a lot. Emotion wise, I have my own struggles, it is natural for most of us. For me it’s what I wanna do, about my future, I got it from there. I find myself looking at my own inner purpose, my relationships, my friends. I wouldn’t say I wanted to quit, it was just stressful and it will break you. Knowing yourself, I have had one sided love, in highschool I felt his frustrations. It was an immature love, heartbreak. I couldn’t tell you the story, I might spoil it for you so please watch it.”

Real says “Some of the performances you have seen a while ago will be put on screen. I came from trad broadcasting but understanding the generation involves producing for the new audience. TV as we know is changing, this is familiar, this is relatable, when we saw Ampalaya Monologues three years ago we planned this out and is now streaming. It is the hunger for new kind of entertainment, they have a different kind of thinking and it is so nice to see on the digital platform. The nice thing about this is when we pitched this to iWant, they gave us builds about family, a person’s journey, when we developed this we delved into problems, heartaches of the new generation and you have something to learn from it. There is value in pain. Generally the series is about the bitterness and pain, you wouldn’t experience love without it.”

Isiah Dela Cruz, Alex San Agustin, Henz, Mark Ghosn will also be in this episode. Real Florido has done a lot of remarkable films in the past, and having top caliber actors like Khalil and Elisse in this iWant digifilm, this would be another nice piece to watch. This is an iWant Anthology, a different show every week so stay tuned! 

The Cinemalaya Entry "1st Ko Si 3rd"

Do you still remember the first time you loved someone? I do. Mine was requited, I was young, she was famous, I was crazy about her, but she didn't even know I loved her. Well, I was reminded of that a few days ago when I met the people behind the film "1st ko si 3rd" (My 1st is 3rd) - an official entry to the 2014 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival. It's a movie that I'd surely like to watch.

1st ko si 3rd. Artwork as done by renowned artist Tokwa Peñaflorida

This is the first title role of Ms. Nova Villa, and it's about time I say! She plays the role of Cory, a married woman who just retired from work. Like I mentioned, she is happily married, spent years working and attending to her family, but she always had one thing at the back of her mind... her first love. His name is Third, played by former Senator Freddie Webb. There were times that I remember their old shows,  back when Ms. Nova and Sir Freddie were paired in different programs in the 80's... though in this project, the young Director Real Florido wanted to present something like an "interrupted love" and hope he gets to show what a woman in that age would do if she gets to meet him again. Would it be complicated to do that if they had no closure and married to different partners?  Would you do the same if you were in their shoes? Trust me, some of you would probably deny it but in the back of your mind, you would love to do it in a heartbeat.

Director Real Florido tells us about 1st ko si 3rd in the exact same coffee shop where the characters first met.

"This is the point where there are lots of uncertainties in life, after all these years of working she wonders what she wants to do in life... what's waiting for her? It just so happens that it was the same time that she met Third again. It brings another life crisis, of finding self worth, of finding her identity again. All the memories came crashing back to her. She sees and in some way scrutinized herself. She then took time to make herself beautiful, because they wanted to see each other again... to seize the opportunity to have that first date that never happened." says the film's Director Real Florido.

"It's a common story, just like us. It's not a usual love story though. This one's not so dark. It's the first time Ms. Nova Villa is on a leading role. After almost two decades this is the first time that she and Freddie Webb is back on screen, but it's a first together in a movie." says Ms. Katrina Golfo who hosted us that afternoon.

Vian Seranilla, one of the film's producers.

Jon Versoza, the Production Manager also told us about how their chemistry worked. Ms. Nova and Sir Freddie actually talked about it on the first day to make their roles believable, they needed to play as real husband and wife even off cam. That formula worked for them during the 80's and you'll see more of this on this film.

RJ Agustin isn't just one of the actors on this film, he's also one of the Producers of 1st ko si 3rd (My 1st is 3rd).

RJ Agustin says it was a little hard to actually play one of the characters and produce the film. You kinda go into a trance thinking of how you'll give superior performance up to the standards of the director and think of how much a day of production costs (we laughed a little about that). He says though that in these kind of films, you don't really think much of the ROI... you kinda think about the love for the art... the love for the craft too. "It was hard to actually make this because it was doubly hard to keep their cool while filming" says RJ. They've had no small arguments doing it hence that statement. He's glad that this is a well thought out film. 

Ken Chan plays the young Freddie Webb/Third in this film.

Cinemalaya first timer Ken Chan plays the young Freddie Webb/Third on this film. He says he used to watch Cinemalaya in high school and back then it was all about gays, violence and darkness. He feels so blessed that he's now in the production where he's proud of the story, production and cast. He deemed this as an honor to work with veteran actors like Ms. Nova Villa, Mr. Freddie Webb and Mr. Dante Rivero (who plays Cory's husband). In a nutshell, he says it's a wonderful experience for him.

Denice Barbacena of Protege fame is also part of this film. She couldn't believe the time she heard that she's actually going to be a part of this project. She only used to watch entries in Cinemalaya and never thought to see the lead stars with her during the press conference. She really wanted to be a part of it and glad to also see her GMA compatriots in the cast. She even marveled looking at Mr. Freddie Web who freakingly looked good at his age. 

1st ko si 3rd (My 1st is 3rd) stars Ms. Nova Villa, Dante Rivero, Freddie Webb, Ruby Ruiz, Lara Morena, RJ Agustin, Denise Barbacena, Coleen Borgonia and Ken Chan. I wish I could get to talk to Ms. Nova Villa and Freddie Webb next time. They all believe in this film and the production could only say good things with the artists. The dedication they put in this just speaks a lot. I'll see them on the gala night. You can quote me on that. You should too as they'll be showing from August 1-10 in CCP and selected Ayala Malls.

Here's the screening schedule:

Here's the full trailer!



See you there!

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