MANILA, Philippines — From a small town in Antique to Cinemalaya and now in South Korea, director Arden Rod Condez is “still in disbelief” over how far his three-year-old movie John Denver Trending has traveled. Making history as the first Filipino film to be widely screened in Korea, it’s now showing in theaters there such as CGV, Lotte Cinema and Megabox.
Set in Pandan, Antique, the cautionary tale tells the story of John Denver Cabungcal (Jansen Magpusao) “who was branded as a devil overnight with a single video uploaded (on) social media.” It also stars Meryll Soriano as John’s mother, Marites Cabungcal.
John Denver Trending bagged a total of 15 awards from various international film festivals, including six awards at the 15th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival (Best Picture, Best Actor, Best Original Song, Editing, Cinematography and NETPAC Jury Award). It was nominated as Best Film, under the New Currents section, at the 24th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) in 2019.
The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) recently announced that it is “the first Filipino film to be released with wide screenings throughout Korea.”
Direk Arden “never imagined” that his “little film” would achieve such recognition. “Who would have thought that a regional film in Kinaray-a language and with almost all non-professional actors, could do this? We were just dreaming for it to be screened at Cinemalaya, now it will be screened in major cities in South Korea. And also, the film is already three years old. Hahaha! Some filmmakers say it’s unprecedented for a film that old to still get this kind of attention. Thanks to our very eager South Korean distributor,” he told The STAR in an exclusive e-mail interview.
After South Korea, he is eyeing for more international exposure of the film. Direk Arden and his team are currently in talks with a film programmer in Scotland for a screening there. They also plan to offer the film to other streaming services, targeting international territories, like North America, once their contract with IWantTFC expires next year.
Direk Arden shared that their Korean promo team had told them that “the initial reviews from the preview they organized were positive.” He added, “I do not expect a massive box-office result but I just hope that more people will watch the film, including, of course, Filipinos living in South Korea. I hope they will not miss this rare chance of watching a film from home.”
As early as 2020, their Korean distributor contacted them for a screening and after several negotiations, a contract was inked. However, the COVID-19 pandemic happened. Direk Arden recalled, “I thought it wouldn’t push through anymore but then a few months ago, (the distributor) just told us that it is finally happening.”
Moreover, he is also grateful to the BIFF for selecting the film in 2019 to have its international premiere in Korea. “The film got exposed to so many film festival programmers and film distributors. This is how important film festivals are. It is not just for you to have their laurels, it is for your film to have a chance to be seen by film industry leaders,” said direk Arden.
As a regional filmmaker, he urged aspiring movie makers to “always go local.”
“Local but/and global. You can (always) tell a local or regional story but as long as the emotions are real and sincere, your film will have an international audience. Because human emotions, no matter how they are dressed, will always be universal. In short, focus on the story first. A lot of emerging filmmakers always get excited about shooting their films. But more time and energy should be given to developing the story first,” he said.
“Also, it is very important for regional filmmakers to know about the trends in world cinema. It is always changing. Be strategic. Know what the international audience wants to see. After all, filmmaking is still business. You cannot just make a film all because you just want to do it. You will probably spend thousands and millions doing it, so while you do it, think already of how you will bring your film to the world. Regional filmmaking is not just about doing art or fulfilling a passion, it still has to be sustainable,” he added.
On why John Denver Trending still remains relevant years after its release, direk Arden commented, “Oh how I wish it will be irrelevant anytime soon because probably it would mean we have already learned our lesson. But no.”
“Because we are still living in a world, where social media majorly affects our lives. We are in that age. We even elect government officials depending on what we see on Facebook, YouTube and TikTok. Politicians are funding Internet troll farms. Magpakatotoo na tayo. Hindi mo na alam kung ano ang totoo ngayon at kung sino ang nagsasabi ng totoo. Pero magsabi man tayo ng totoo at hindi, one truth still remains: We can affect people’s lives,” the filmmaker said.
“Whatever we say on social media can have effects on some people. Because social media, no matter how ‘social’ it is, can still be personal. Words can hurt. It can even kill. John Denver Trending will still be a reminder for us to be responsible with our social media use,” he furthered.
Direk Arden’s Dandansoy, also featuring Jansen, recently won Best Short Film at the 45th Gawad Urian Awards.