Director Edgardo 'Boy' Vinarao Praises Michelle Madrigal For Being Such A Good And Professional Actress In 'Bacao'

DIRECTOR EDGARDO “Boy” Vinarao is an icon when it comes to film editing. He started in 1976 with prestige films like “Sakada” for the late Behn Cervantes, “Minsa’y Isang Gamo-Gamo” for Lupita Concio and “Ligaw na Bulaklak” for the late Ishmael Bernal. He eventually became president of the United Film Editors Guild. After winning countless awards for editing films like “Paradise Inn”, “Diligin Mo ng Hamog”, “Kadete” etc., he branched out into directing in 1993 in “Secret Love” with Jomari Yllana and Geneva Cruz. He has helmed the late FPJ in the blockbuster “Epimaco Velasco” and the late Rudy Fernandez in “Birador” and “Diskarte”. He has even filmed a movie in Japan, “Winds of Samurai”, which was never shown here. He is now the head of the Mowelfund Film Institute.

Last year, he joined the FDCP scriptwriting contest and his screenplay, “Bacao”, won. It is the only script he wrote that survived when the floods of Ondoy inundated his home. It is now completed as a full length film and will be shown in the FDCP Horror Plus Filmfest that starts showing on SM Cinemas on October 29. Boy belongs to the Yogad Tribe of Echague, Isabela and he says “Bacao” in their dialect means corn. The story is set in cornfields and he tried to shoot the film in his hometown.

“But when we got there, the corn has just been harvested,” he says. “In San Manuel, Tarlac, nakita namin yung corn fields at doon kami nag-shoot. Michelle Madrigal is my only choice in the lead role of Mayet. Nakita ko siya sa FHM at bagay sa kanya ang role kasi morena siya. A fair girl will not be credible as a corn farmer. At hindi kami nagkamali dahil hindi lang siya maganda at sexy, napakagaling din niyang umarte at very professional. Dinarasal ko talagang magtagumpay itong ‘Bacao’ para dumami pa ang projects niya.”

We used to see Boy fequently when movie previews where still held at the old Magnatech at Sct. Borromeo St. during the heydays of local movies in the 70s and 80s. It’s now a supermarket. “Nakakalungkot nga tuwing makikita ko yun,” he says. “I remember the times when so many local films were being made. Sabay-sabay. Nagbago na ang lahat, e.”

What did he do when making movies using film or analogue became passé and everything became digital? “Nag-aral ako to update myself about digital filmmaking. Lahat ng exhibits about new cameras, pinupuntahan ko. We need to educate kundi mapag-iiwanan tayo. Here in ‘Bacao’, we used the latest digital equipment, including an Alexa camera na napakaganda talaga pati ang underwater shots.”

“Bacao” is from Oro de Siete Productions with Emmy Abuan as PRO.