Sisterakas vs. Enteng: And the winner is…

It’s that time of year once more when Metro Manila will line up to watch their choice Filipino movies starting on Christmas Day. For the duration of the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) established in 1975, a ban on foreign films was instituted. Instead, only local films approved by a selection committee of the MMFF are allowed to show.

From the time of Diligin mo ng Hamog ang Uhaw na Lupa in 1975 which won Best Picture, Best Director and Best Actor for Joseph Estrada, plus top grosser, and Celso Ad. Castillo’s  Burlesk Queen which won all but two awards and reigned at the tills, the film landscape began to change. Slowly, almost surreptitiously, people started watching more television, buying more pirated videos, watching more foreign films. By year 2000, observers of the film scenario predicted the death of Philippine movies. For the holidays, it has been almost the sole responsibility of the MMFF to bring back the tradition of movie-watching to the theaters.

In 2010, Si Agimat at si Enteng Kabisote signaled the partnership of Vic Sotto and Bong Revilla which finished top grosser. In 2011, Vic acquired Ai-Ai de las Alas as co-star in Enteng ng Ina Mo, also finishing top grosser. The expectation for 2012 is the same for Si Agimat, Si Enteng at Ako.

But Kris Aquino who plays the kontrabida in Sisterakas has her contradictory theory, revealing that in 2010, her movie Dalaw finished third in the box-office, with Ai-Ai and Eugene Domingo at second and Vic and Bong top grosser. In 2011, Kris was second with Segunda Mano, even defeating Ang Panday 2 of Bong at the tills in third, and Vic and Ai-Ai made top grosser. Which is why for 2012, she is confident to be first. So confident, in fact, that she agreed to what could have been a controversial billing (Vice, Kris and Ai-Ai). Kris explained her decision on the billing was based on highest-grossing film. In which case, the winner should actually be Wenn Deramas!

We went to director Wenn and asked how he kept the set running smoothly with such celebrated stars bound to have moods and differences. Direk Wenn admitted to being very careful regarding equal exposure. “I talked to them and asked them to trust me.” He explained that after a day’s shoot, he would review the take and add to the scene if it needed more exposure, or re-edit another sequence so that walang lamangan.

Not everyone has this type of directorial patience that possibly only direk Wenn has, coupled with the ability to read the audience’s changing tastes.

A graduate of UST with a degree in HRM, he was introduced to the acting profession through Teatro Tomasino. He has gone up the ranks from waitering at Aristrocrat to F&B coordinator after two years, to production assistant on TV and film, to writer for Teysi ng Tahanan, to executive producer for Calvento Files, to director of various soaps and movies.

Direk Wenn comes across as mild-mannered but it is obvious he gets his way. We don’t know of any director who has multiple contracts with Star Cinema, ABS-CBN and Viva and yet manages to maintain good relations after solving the snafus along the way. He has been a Kapamilya talent for 22 years.

We recall the time when possibly out of exasperation, direk Wenn considered a TV5 offer when his request for a raise in his monthly salary at ABS was being ignored for the longest time. Another was when Star Cinema backed out of its co-production venture with Viva Films Moron 5 and the Crying Lady at the last minute when the film had almost been done.

We discussed his unique schedule which assigns him to TV dramas Mondays-Wednesdays-Fridays and comedy films Tuesdays-Thursdays-Saturdays. Direk Wenn said it occurred when he manifested interest in doing drama, and the split schedule came from both Charo Santos-Concio of ABS and Boss Vic del Rosario of Viva. “It had to do with branding,” Direk Wenn explained. “Since I am a brand in comedy films, they said it would confuse my audience to see me doing drama in the movies.”

After Sisterakas, direk Wenn has schedules for the next few years. For Viva, he has a Maricel Soriano, Gabby Concepcion, John Lapus project; for Star Cinema one with Eugene Domingo and John Lloyd Cruz; for Regal, Shake, Rattle, & Roll for 2013; and for the filmfest Praybeyt Benjamin the Sequel. Watch out on Dec. 19 Live Feed for the Judy Ann factor in the Enteng franchise.

(E-mail us at [email protected].)