MANILA, Philippines — Despite criticisms on his camera angling during last year's State of the Nation Address, Cannes Festival-winning director Brillante Mendoza will not change his directing style for this year's SONA.
Contrary to what Presidential Communications Secretary Martin Andanar said in an interview with radio station DZMM that the director will adjust his shots, Mendoza told Philstar.com in a press conference in SM Directors' Club, SM Megamall last July 20 that his directing style this year will be just the same.
Last year, he was under fire for his alleged "artistic" shots like slow transitions, worm's eye-view of the president and close-ups of President Rodrigo Duterte's tight fist.
Nonetheless, the director asks viewers to focus on the SONA and not on how he will show it on TV.
"'Di naman pelikula 'yung SONA. Ang focus ay 'yung message, hindi 'yung direction ko or techniques ko," he reiterated.
Brillante's "Kadaugan" film on TV5
On July 30, Mendoza will celebrate his birthday with the airing of "Kadaugan," his latest masterpiece in the Brillante Mendoza Present series that will air at 10:30 p.m. on TV5.
"Kadaugan" tells the story of Tere (Dionne Monsanto), a Cebuana waitress. When Tere arranges her boyfriend Johann (Daniel Marsh) to finally meet her parents before his scheduled flight to the Netherlands, Johann was surprised that her extended family prepared a large feast to welcome him. Everything about the night turns out fine until conversations seem to suggest for Johann to marry Tere. Surprised and unprepared Johann, admits that he is not yet ready to get married and leaves for his scheduled flight without closure in his relationship with Tere.
Three years later, Tere is now pregnant with her new American boyfriend, Frank (Matt Daclan). He initially agrees to meet Tere’s parents, but postpones it because of work. Unable to contact Frank a few days later, she discovers that Frank has already left for America. Alone again and hopeless, Tere decides to raise her son by herself.
Five years later, Johann comes back during the Kadaugan sa Mactan Festival to surprise Tere. Johann is also surprised by the fact that Tere is already a mother, troubling him as he bonds with them in the festival. A few days later, to Tere’s surprise, Johann visits her and proposes to marry her.
Written by Eero Francisco, this heartwarming story of family, faith and love also captures the beauty of Mactan and the pageantry of the Kadaugan sa Mactan festival, which re-enacts the defeat of Magellan by Lapu-Lapu at the beach of Barangay Mactan.
Brillante Mendoza Presents is a collection of films made for television that merge together Filipino culture and Filipino stories. It airs once a month on TV5. Movies are themed according to the month of its airing – earlier episodes included "Tsinoy" for Chinese New Year, "Everlasting" for Baguio’s Panagbenga Festival, "Ang Pagtatapos" for Graduation, "Panata" for Holy Week, and "Anak" for Bulacan’s Obando Festival.
Each episode is presented in Mendoza’s trademark cinematic storytelling style that has garnered prestigious international awards. Brillante Mendoza Presents explores the complexities of human relationships set against the backdrop of culturally rich Filipino traditions.
With this partnership, TV5 considers director Brillante Mendoza as their content partner. As TV5 President Chot Reyes says, “Our collaboration with Direk Brillante Mendoza is a full-fledged content partnership that spans culturally significant made for TV films and a 13- episode miniseries. With this partnership with Direk Brillante Mendoza, TV5 continues to uplift and improve the quality of entertainment in Philippine Free TV.”
For his part, Mendoza says in a statement that he agreed to do this project as his advocacy for indie films, a vision that TV 5 –who has given the winning filmmaker full support for this creative inputs and brand of storytelling – also shares.
“With TV 5’s new thrust, it’s going to be a home for independent artists and independent cinema, and I am happy to be part of it. Our goal here is to tell the Filipino story, and for this, I will – like in my films –show reality and capture life the way it is on television,” shared Mendoza.
