Ploning: Realization of a dream

It will probably take a lot to convince Judy Ann Santos to do an independent film, considering her bankability in commercial projects, her stature as an actress and her popularity as a showbiz star. But if the director at the helm is her best friend with a promising material to be bankrolled by a team of young and aggressive producers, then it’s not surprising that Judy Ann has given her nod to the project.

The result is Ploning, the maiden offering of Panoramanila Pictures Co., a new film outfit composed of young Filipino filmmakers coming from both independent and commercial cinema industries. Directed by production designer-turned-filmmaker Dante Nico Garcia, Ploning is about a Cuyonon woman’s promise, her struggle with hope and love told from the point of view of a young boy.

The young producers who gambled their money, time and effort to produce Ploning with Dante Garcia are Guia Gonzales, Jourdan Sebastian and BJ Lingan, who heeded to the vision of Dante to come up with a full-length film. The young producers, however, are no tyro when it comes to filmmaking. They are experts who have done work in mainstream productions, infusing the independent cinema spirit with commercial filmmaking sensibilities.

All four, at one point, crossed paths while working at ABS-CBN. In summer of last year, while Dante, BJ and Jourdan were working on a project for a church, Dante pitched the story that had been with him for almost seven years. He wanted Judy Ann to star in the film, the actress being his best friend.

A few creative people like Jojit Lorenzo, Eugene Domingo, Joel Saracho and Peter Serrano helped Dante develop the story further. When the time was right to make the film, the young producers pooled their resources to bankroll Ploning.

“When we heard about the project, we had the same vision for the movie,” recalls Guia, the company’s operations director. “We started with zero funds. As the story of Ploning progressed, so did the company, Panoramanila.”

Shot entirely in Cuyo Island, Palawan, Ploning is taken after the popular Cuyonon folk song of the same title, which became the main inspiration for the film. The main character is inspired by Dante’s foster mother and his personal story as a young boy, but the film was tailormade for Judy Ann.

“Dante didn’t want Juday to accept the project based on their friendship, but on the merits of the movie,” Guia relates. “Fortunately, Juday was not hard to convince to make the film. It was just a matter of adjusting to her schedule. She even agreed to co-produce the film, waived half of her talent fee and opted for the profit share to address our financial constraints.”

The Palawan setting is specific to the story, according to BJ, Panoramanila’s concept supervisor who developed the story with Dante. “We went to Cuyo Island as a team. It all made sense that the story can’t happen anywhere else but in Cuyo.”

Guia adds, “We fell in love with the place once we got there. Dante handpicked every location because he’s familiar with Cuyo. He grew up there. We could have shot in Batangas and probably saved money. But we didn’t compromise. We didn’t think of options. Dante wanted to give the story its due respect.”

Jourdan informs that Panoramanila’s maiden project intends to portray a more beautiful and scenic Philippines. “With Ploning, we want to veer away from the stereotype images of third world poverty, sex and gambling trade and violence proliferating from current crop of Filipino films recognized in international film festivals.”

The film was shot with live sound and in the traditional 35-mm. film format. The underwater scenes, which are integral to the movie, were directed by Marissa Floirendo. Cinematographer is Charlie Peralta.

“We had to be sincere in all aspects of the film, from the visuals, costumes to the sound and music,” Jourdan states. “Dante had disciplined freedom in making the film. We allowed him to choose his own creative path, given the parameters we had. The theme, shots and music are all his. I believe it is ripe for Dante to tell this story after 10 years of working as production designer with other directors.”

Adding the Tagalog and English subtitles to the prints made the budget of Ploning balloon to P20-M.   But the producers are not complaining. They are optimistic that Ploning will even start the trend of quality feature films that are values laden, culturally rich and well-marketed both here and abroad.

In fact, Panoramanila is looking forward to the Philippine and international premiere of Ploning, which is also set to be shown in New York, London, Dubai and Singapore after its local theater run starting April 30. The success of Ploning will also allow Panoramanila to produce other films in the future and give the company long-term and sustained business strategies.

“Everything about the film is about dreams,” Jourdan grants. “What excites me is that it’s a gamble on people’s dreams — mine, Juday’s, Dante’s, Guia’s and BJ’s. If the film becomes a hit, then we see the reality of our dreams. It’s really mind-boggling and nerve-wracking to think about the elements involved. Filming in Palawan became a logistical nightmare for us. But our vision is to produce a film that we enjoyed making, despite the pressures and budget constraints. Hopefully, it translates into a product that is excellent and at the same time appreciated by people.”

Ploning turned out to be a real challenge for Judy Ann, as she had to learn the Cuyonan dialect for her latest big screen assignment. The rest of the powerhouse supporting cast likewise had to speak the local Cuyonan dialect, that’s why there was a need to hire dialect coaches on the set.

“Juday’s character in the movie is very mysterious,” Guia explains. “She was not just an actress, but also became part of the creative process for Ploning. We are very grateful to her for that.”

Giving strong support to Judy Ann are Gina Pareño, Joel Torre, Mylene Dizon, Meryl Soriano, Ces Quesada, Eugene Domingo, Tessie Tomas, Tony Mabesa, Ronnie Lazaro, Ketchup Eusebio, Beth Tamayo, Crispin Pineda, Jojit Lorenzo and Spanky Manikan.