English Only, Please' Producer Joji Alonso Traces The Journey Of Her Movie That Is Now No. 4 At The Box Office

THE AWARDS and positive word of mouth endorsement from satisfied viewers helped “English Only, Please” to earn more money at the box office and it’s now number 4 among the 8 Metro Filmfest entries, easing out “Kubot: Aswang Chronicles” even if it’s also an award-winner. Quantum Films producer Joji Alonso issued an open letter in social media about the success of their movie: “I hardly know where to start. Perhaps by saying I still cannot believe we have reached this far. I do recall that when the managers of Derek and Jennylyn asked me how we’d promote the film and what the budget was for tv spots - I replied we would have no tv spots at all but we will try to get some tv exposure (though I knew for a fact that was going to be next to impossible). And their reaction was practically the same: ang lakas ng loob mo!!! kakatayin ka ng ibang pelikula for sure. I said - true - but the risk taker in me just wanted to do exactly what I planned.

I had no plans whatsoever to join this year but scriptwriter Antoinette Jadaone egged me to give it a shot and give Dan Villegas a chance at directing the film. Having seen his debut in cinemalaya's “Mayohan”, which I really liked, there was no further talk, it was a go - but I made it clear that this was the budget we were gonna work with - inclusive of promo. I don't exactly know how we reached the finish line - sa totoo lang. While the shoot went well, the challenges never stopped coming. At one point - a weak Joji would have simply given up - but the stronger side of me said - you cannot let these people down.

And so we did - finish the film - that is. At the early part of the shoot, we did the teaser and the response was overwhelming. It was a dead end though for the trailer, as we had no idea how to market the film. Thank God for friendships that go beyond time and money and so a person from the advertising world who requested anonymity guided us on exactly what to do. This is where "ako na ako na ang mag isa” scene was born! Before I knew it, that 10 seconder trailer went viral and has garnered 2.5 million views to date.

And then the first day of the festival came and the film made a pretty decent box office gross but it was hardly what we had hoped for. Then the awards night followed. When we attended the awards ceremonies, maiuwi lang namin ang best float award (LOL!), we would have already been exuberant with joy! But God had bigger plans for everyone who worked so hard on the film. And we went home with 7 awards.

It didn't end there. There were people questioning why we won - that someone from our end must have paid off the 14 member-jury. That gave me the biggest laugh of the century! For one, we would never imagine doing such a thing! And ironically, we hardly even had funds left to finish the float for the parade!

Today, we learned the news that the film has managed to slowly reach the 4th spot among the 8 entries! This leaves me grasping for words to say, except thank you to everyone who tirelessly and unselfishly worked on the film. Thank you to everyone who laughed and enjoyed the film and said good words about it on facebook and twitter and tumbler. English Only, Please may not be the best among the lot, more so, not the most expensive entry to the MMFF. but I dare say it has the biggest heart. To God be the greater glory!”