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Jason took up communications in UP and graduated in 2012. “Inabot ng nine years bago ko natapos kasi nagsi-shift ako ng course,” he says. “I even tried taking up sociology, then bumalik uli ako sa broadcasting. I was a production assistant to Direk Maryo de los Reyes and I also got to work with Direk Dante Mendoza and Jeffrey Jeturian.”
He was only 22 when he helmed his first full length film, “Astro Mayabang”, an entry in Cinema One 2010. It was a flawed work and it wasn’t until last year’s “Babagwa” that he was noticed. The film was accepted in various film festivals abroad, allowing him to travel. “Magkakabaung” is now taking him to the Cleveland Filmfest and next year, to a filmfest in India. Set in Sto. Tomas, Pampanga, the country’s casket capital, it’s the story of a poor coffin maker (Allen Dizon) who kills his only daughter by mistake and has a hard time laying her to rest. “It’s inspired by various true stories,” says Jason. “Of someone who died due to wrong medication, of a man who stole his own daughter’s remains from the hospital due to poverty, of the shady business involving the sale of cadavers to medical schools and of the real coffin makers of Sto Tomas.”
The end product is a touching film about loss, guilt and anguish that will touch your heart. Jason is now based in his native Angeles City and teaches at Holy Angels University. He has new projects up his sleeve and is preparing to enter the various filmmaking contests now available in the country. “Magkakabaung” is showing at SM Megamall Cinema 12 tonight at 8 PM, tomorrow at 10 PM, on Friday at 12 noon, on Saturday at 2:30 PM, on Sunday at 5 PM, on Monday at 7:30 PM, on Tuesday at 10 PM. At Glorietta Makati, it’ll be shown today at 2:30 PM, tomorrow at 5 PM, on Friday at 7:30 PM, on Saturday at 10 PM, on Sunday at 12 noon, on Monday at 2:30 PM and on Tuesday at 5 PM. For tickets, call 0906-4125860 and 0915-2601946.
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