She has been leading Star Cinema in telling well-thought-out and culturally-rooted films. Olivia Lamasan, the film company’s managing director, and her team have through the years successfully invited audiences to converge and commune in theaters. Even with today’s global health crisis, she and Star Cinema never falter to create content through the digital space for audiences to enjoy. Star Cinema fulfills its calling to present entertaining and relevant narratives with or without pandemic.
“We never thought, although we prayed for it, that it was going to be a great success,” said Olivia of the performance of The House Arrest of Us, starring Daniel Padilla and Kathryn Bernardo, in digital platforms during a presscon via Zoom. “It’s a first for us. Yun nga nakakatuwa lang na tinangkilik siya ng marami (We’re happy that people watched it). Of course, it’s a far cry, you know, from the audience or the crowd that we have in the movie houses. But it’s something new, it’s a very new way for us to reach and connect with our audiences. It’s a new way of storytelling.”
Star Cinema has truly embraced this new-normal way of presenting movies. The House Arrest of Us was shot like a movie but its story is presented in episodes, which is why it can be experienced in the comfort of one’s home and in a shorter time.
The digital movie series is among the blessings Star Cinema feels grateful for in these challenging times. The company acknowledges its audiences, who appreciate the content, and people (like Daniel and Kathryn and their moms Karla Estrada and Min Bernardo, respectively), who made this particular endeavor possible.
“We were thinking of ways and means to connect with our audience,” said direk Olivia of how the KathNiel starrer came about. “Sabi namin walang pelikula, hindi makalabas.” One day, Star Cinema received a call from Min, who informed the former that Daniel and Kathryn were asking about ways they could help the film company. “That generosity inspired the team to create something new for them and find a way to reach out and connect to the audience, na miss na miss silang makita,” said Olivia. “That gave birth to The House Arrest of Us. (But) it’s not the only thing we would like to celebrate.”
So, what’s in the pipeline of Star Cinema?
Love or Money with Coco Martin and Angelica Panganiban is one. According to the director, most parts of the movie were shot in Dubai before the pandemic. Her group wants to add more scenes but waits for the availability of its lead stars to shoot. There’s also the Vice Ganda and Ivana Alawi movie team-up, a co-production with Viva. A Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil movie and a Paulo Avelino starrer, Fan Girl, with Charlie Dizon, also a co-production with Epic Media, are what film enthusiasts can look forward to.
Meanwhile, Joshua Garcia will be seen in Mama Susan, a co-production with Regal and a comeback directorial movie of Chito Roño, and Keys to the Heart, an adaptation from a Korean movie with Charo Santos-Concio and Zaijian Jaranilla. Part of the line-up, too, are a Daniel and Kathryn movie and the reunion project of Bea Alonzo and John Lloyd Cruz that will see the perennial onscreen partners as co-creators of content.
The public will also be treated to Four Sisters Before The Wedding, prequel to Four Sisters and a Wedding, which launches the careers of some Rise Artists; Soul Sisters with Momshies Karla, Jolina Magdangal and Melai Cantiveros; Princess Diaries, Maymay Entrata and Edward Barber; Hello, Stranger, the movie; and Boyette (Not a Girl Yet), Zaijian. The films will be accessed through various platforms like Cinexpress sections on ktx.ph and iWant TFC, and Cinexpress channels: Sky and Cignal pay-per-view. It will be similar to how audiences watched U-Turn.
Premiering on Nov. 13 is My Lockdown Romance, starring Jameson Blake and Joao Constancia. It presents a “sweet, poignant romance that blooms amid COVID-19,” said direk Olivia.
It’s true that working in the new normal or during a pandemic is challenging, but according to the director, it pushed them to think out of the box to reach their audience. That’s why Star Cinema has also created content such as I Feel You, hosted by Toni Gonzaga, and the lovecast Listen to Love with Maymay. Like everybody else in the film industry, direk Olivia supports and looks forward to the re-opening of theaters.
With these blessings coming their way, direk Olivia and Star Cinema can’t help but feel grateful and celebrate for God is good. “Every disaster presents an opportunity,” said the film company’s head, who also encourages her team to “find joy in small victories.”