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| dennis trillo wirh stars and director of MINA ANUD at the presscon at REGAL VALENCIA |
DENNIS TRILLO is happy to topbill a movie which is based on a true story that happened in Samar ten years ago, “Mina Anud”, written and directed by Kerwin Go who pitched it to Roselle Monteverde when they met at the Singapore Filmfest. Roselle liked it well enough and Regal Entertainment is now releasing it.
“Maganda yung story about bags of high grade cocaine being washed up on the beach of a fishing village and how it dramatically changed the life of the people there,” says Roselle. “They easily succumbed to the temptations of money and materialism even if they’re aware that they’re engaging in an illegal activity. It’s really very timely and relevant kaya sabi ko, sige, kami magre-release niyan.”
“Mina-Anud” won the Basecamp Colour Prize at Singapore’s Southeast Asia Film Financing (SAFF) Forum. Established in 2016, SAFF serves as an exciting platform in assembling the best feature-length film concepts and the top filmmakers and producers from Southeast Asia and Europe to meet with international co-producing partners, festival programmers, distributors and financiers.
“Mina Anud” tells the story of people who resorted to illegal drug selling to earn instant cash and get a taste of luxuries of life, such as flat-screen televisions, motorcycles, cars, and jewelry, without realizing they have a price to pay. Dennis Trillo says he quickly liked the project when it was offered to him.
“Sobrang nagustuhan ko yung tema about how greed changes the lives of simple people,” he says. “Matapang siya kaya tinanggap ko agad and I got excited to shoot it right away. We shot in on location sa Paninap Beach Camp in Real, Quezon. I play Ding, a local surfer. Along with my friend, si Jerald Napoles as Carlo, natukso kaming magkapera nang mabilisan by selling the cocaine we found on the beach. Naging drug pushers kami. We thought it would be the best way to improve our economic situations in life. Hindi namin alam, hahanapin yun ng mga sindikatong may ari at babalikan kami, resulting into violence.”
The film’s writer-director, Kerwin Go, is a newcomer, but Dennis says he succeeds in bringing out his filmic vision on screen effectively. “Totoo yung movie and I’ve really been wanting to do something like this. Para itong yung mga movie na napapanood ng naghahanap ng ibang klaseng panoorin online, like sa Netflix. The story is really very interesting and it will hook your attention from start to finish.”
Director Kerwin Go says he personally witnessed first hand what happened to the villagers in Samar. “I saw with my own eyes all the true events portrayed in the movie. The characters are all based on real people who yielded to the temptation of earning easy money. Some of them were able to get away with it, but some ended up in prison. It carries a very valid message for everyone who is easily lured by the promise of getting rich quick.”
Also in the cast of “Mina Anud” are Mara Lopez, Lou Veloso, Alvin Anson, Anthony Falcon, Dionne Monsanto, Marc Feliz, Louie Manansala and Luke Landrigan. It will have its premiere as the closing film of Cinemalaya on August 10 at CCP Main Theatre at 9 PM, then it will open in theaters nationwide on August 21.
As for Dennis, he’s also happy that his song collaborations with GF Jennylyn Mercado on youtube, titled “CoLove”, is getting positive feedback and gaining more viewers. Because of their duets of various songs are getting thousands of hits, the two of them have decided to come up with a post-Valentine concert entitled “CoLove” on February 15. Did he take voice lessons to be able to sing capably with Jen?
“I took voice lessons poero noong grade school pa ako. But now, let’s just say that I’m merely inspired kasi si Jen ang kasama kong kumanta. She really brings out the best in me.”
So do we hear wedding bells ringing for them soon? “Naku, malayo. We would like to make our future very secure muna and really prepare for it. As of now, marami rin kaming trabahong hinaharap so we don’t have time for that yet. Aside from ‘Mina Anud’, I’m now shooting a new horror movie for Star Cinema, ‘A Family Ghost Story’. Kasama ko sina Beauty Gonzalez, Raymond Bagatsing and Alyssa Muhlach, so busy ako talaga.”
