Hollywood-based director brings film to RP

MANILA, Philippines – After its successful screening at the 2010 Cannes Film Festival, Hollywood-based Filipino producer, director, actor and writer Ace Cruz is set to premiere his award-winning thriller movie, Outrage, in Manila on Aug. 7.

Outrage, which tells the story of a vacation gone wrong for friends in the remote woods of Northern Georgia, had won the Best SciFi Picture Award at the Action on Film (AOF) International Festival held in Pasadena in 2009. It is released by Cruz’s own Spirit Films and stars famous Hollywood actors Michael Madsen (Kill Bill), Natasha Lyonne (Blade: Trinity), Lee Majors (Six Million Dollar Man) and Michael Berryman (The Devil’s Rejects), among others.

Born in Manila, Cruz migrated to Los Angeles with his family at age 3. Before becoming a director, he took up Bachelor of Arts major in Drama at the University of Southern California (USC) and has acted on several TV shows, and in movies and theater such as America’s Most Wanted, Psychotic, Urban Task Force, Hamlet and Killing Game.

If he is a familiar face to many Filipino moviegoers, that’s because Cruz was also seen in several Viva Films movies from 1992 to 1996. He later returned to the US to study filmmaking at USC Film School for three years.    

The director is especially proud of Outrage because it talks about dealing with the past and pain in a positive manner. Although a thriller, the film’s ultimate message is based on the Law of Attraction; that is, people must let go of their own fear and anger before passion would enter their lives.

Outrage will be released in the US in July. Given this, Cruz could become a major player in Hollywood who would open doors for other Filipino filmmakers to make it big in the US.

More, he could cast Filipino actors in his Hollywood films. Note that he had already done so in his past outputs, namely Sunshine Cruz in Urban Task Force and Judy Ann Santos in Last Chance.

Cruz is currently in Manila writing his next project, a love story called The Wishing Well which will star singer-actress Vanessa Hudgens (High School Musical, Thunderbirds).

In a previous interview, Cruz said he aims to become like Woody Allen, Sylvester Stalone and Kevin Costner who have starred, directed and produced their own films.