AFTER JOY AQUINO in “Kitty K 7” and Linneth Surbano in “Afam”, Vivamax gives a break to another female director in “Star Dancer” that streams on June 2.
This is Pamela “Pam” Miras, who has written and co-directed many drama series for GMA-7, like “Legally Blind”, “Buena Familia”, “Magkaibang Mundo” and the latest being the hit “Mara Clara at Ibarra” with Zig Dulay.
“Star Dancer” is not her first full length film.
In 2012, she directed a horror film, “Pascalina”, about an aswang, and it won the Cinema One Digital Filmfest best picture award.
So how did she get to do “Star Dancer” for Viva?
“Noong 2021 pa ako nag-pitch sa Viva, a horror movie,” she says.
“But they preferred a sexy film so I offered itong ‘Star Dancer’ about two rival strippers in a club and ito nga ang nagustuhan nila.”
How did she cast the movie?
“Nag-go see si Denise Esteban for the lead role at nagustuhan ko agad siya kasi she’s really a dancer.
"For the role of her rival, I chose Rose Van Ginkel, na dancer din. Pareho sila, they both started as dancers with a girl pop group.
"And si Rose, she played the lead role in ‘Kitty K 7’, na ako ang sumulat ng script and she was very good in it.
"Yung rest of the cast, Viva helped me in choosing the actors for the other roles.”
She is known for her feminist leanings but this time, she’s setting them aside to come up with an entertaining story about the joys and pains of women working in a night club.
What movies are her pegs?
“One is ‘Dancing at the Blue Iguana’ in 2000 which is about women in a strip club starring Darryl Hannah.
"Another is ‘The Killing of a Chinese Bookie’, a 1976 movie set in a Hollywood cabaret. They’re both about women working as dancers.”
Who is her favorite director?
“Barbara Loden, a Hollywood actress who directed only one film, ‘Wanda’, in 1970, about a coal miner’s wife, but it’s my favorite.
"It won the International Critics Prize in the Venice Filmfest.”
She’s happy that everyone in the cast and crew cooperated with her in her first Vivamax project.
All of them are very talented and very professional. I didn’t have any problem with them, kahit na sa love scenes, they all collaborated well.
"Everyone really delivered, pati ang supporting cast. Ang pinakamahirap sa movie is to shoot the dance sequences.
"We shot in an actual girlie bar and may cut off kami. We’re allowed to shoot only up to 7 PM kasi magsisimula na yung actual club operations nila by then.”
So what is next for her?
“Balik muna ako sa pagiging writer. I’m writing a mini-series, ‘Road Killer’, starring Nadine Lustre.
"And for Direk Joy Aquino, I’m writing the script of a new movie, ‘Lecheng Pag-ibig’.
"I do hope ‘Star Dancer’ will be a big hit on Vivamax so they can give me another project as a director.”
