ALLEN DIZON is paired with Judy Ann Santos for the first time in Cannes best director Dante Mendoza’s “Bayang Magiliw”, meant to be sent to prestigous filmfests abroad. They play a Muslim couple whose only child is afflicted with a terminal disease. Allen is a soldier and while he is fighting in the war against terrorists, his own child is fighting for her life at their home.
“Ang ganda ng movie at ang galing ni Juday,” he says. “Ayaw ni Direk Dante na makitang umiiyak kami ni Juday, pero hindi namin mapigilan. This is my second movie with Direk Dante dahil tapos na rin naming i-shoot ang ‘The Right To Kill’ which is about extra judicial killings and where I play a cop naman.”
Allen has finished two other movies. “Bomba” is about an outcast of society and he plays a deaf-mute. For his performance, he got the best actor award in the recent Warsaw International Filmfest. He has also wrapped up work for “Persons of Interest”, where he plays a blind cook accused of killing his own wife.
Both films are directed by Ralston Jover. He is now starting yet another movie with Ralston, “Latay”, produced by Mrs. Baby Go of BG Productions. He will play the battered husband of a manipulative and abusive woman. For the first time, Allen agreed to do a cross dressing scene. He was previously offered a similar role in “Bes and the Beshies” as Ai Ai de las Alas’ transsexual husband, but he nixed it.
“This time, hindi naman gay ang character ko,” he explains. “The opening scene shows the annual Aguman Sanduk Festival, or Fellowship of the Ladle, held in Minalin, Pampanga on New Year’s Day. They’ve been holding this for over 80 years now. Minalin is a coastal town with lots of fishermen. It has 15 barangays and all the barangays are required to send representatives to the festival, not gays, but real men who dress in women’s clothes to entertain the womenfolk in their town. Opening scene ito sa movie and we will shoot it there on location this coming January 1, 2018. Di ko alam, pag uwi ko pala, bubugbugin ako ng asawa ko. This will show the psychology of a man who agrees to be manhandled by his wife. I’m a simpleminded man here na hindi masyadong kumikibo kaya my wife easily abuses me.”
So who will play his wife? “Secret pa. Pero ngayon ko pa lang siya makakapareha. We will announce in January. Kasi she’s under contract with a big company at hinihintay pa niyang payagan siyang gumawa sa labas.”
