GMA Public Affairs ventures into films, entrusts first salvo to JulieVer

GMA Public Affairs wants to help bring Filipino audiences back to the cinemas, choosing to release its debut film, The Cheating Game, on the big screen and not on a streaming platform.

“Actually, it’s scary to produce films nowadays, this year. Parang nothing locally has done well. And then you have movies like Insidious that did so well since Day 1,” said Nessa Valdellon, newly appointed senior vice president for GMA Pictures and GMA Network’s concurrent first vice president for public affairs, in a mediacon.

“But for us, a movie should be an event, it should be something different, there should be mystery. If you notice our marketing efforts, you can’t really tell what the movie is all about. If you watch the trailer, you have a feeling that something dark is going to happen but you don’t know what the surprise is, so we want to bring audiences into movie houses and (let them) find out and be surprised while watching this on a big screen.”

Valdellon, nevertheless, pointed out that streamers form part of their business plan, but that they’re “prioritizing theaters first.”

“We’re hoping we can tell stories in that way and bring people back to the cinemas. If you look at our Asian counterparts in Malaysia, in Indonesia, people are going back to the theaters and supporting local content. So, I’m hoping we’re going to end up doing the same thing in the Philippines.”

Hope’s family members are played by Phi Palmos, Yayo Aguila and Candy Pangilinan.

Marking several big firsts

The Cheating Game scores several big firsts for the Kapuso network. Besides being the official foray into movie production of GMA Public Affairs, it’s the first film released under GMA Pictures post-pandemic, and the first-ever movie for real-life couple Julie Anne San Jose and Rayver Cruz, whose tandem dubbed as “JulieVer” has been mostly confined to television projects.

In a separate exclusive chat with The Philippine STAR, Valdellon said, “The thing with Julie Anne and Rayver, we really felt it’s time for them to have a film of their own, that they deserve to be recognized as movie stars of GMA.

“And we wanted this to be the big thing that will start the relaunch of GMA Pictures because this is not the only movie that we’re coming out with this year. This is the first in the slate of five films actually and there are more to come early next year, so we’re super excited kasi iba-iba ang storya.”

When asked what was it about The Cheating Game script that GMA Public Affairs decided to produce and make it the opening salvo, Valdellon said that this was not the first film that was greenlit but “it ended up being the first we finished shooting.”

“Why The Cheating Game? We wanted to produce a romantic story but with an unexpected storyline,” she explained. “Our goal in GMA Pictures and GMA Public Affairs is to provoke and inspire and shake up the expected genres a little bit. In The Cheating Game, you start out thinking you’re watching a standard romantic-comedy and the film takes you somewhere else entirely. It’s a thrilling journey. We’re not afraid to tackle the darker side of relationships.”

On overseeing the Public Affairs department’s venture into a new format of storytelling, Valdellon said, “Every day, we learn something new about making movies and I’m loving the process,” reiterating, “I just hope we find a way to get Filipinos back into the cinemas … the way Malaysians and Indonesians have managed to do post-pandemic. I’m a real believer that there is no better way to enjoy a film than on the big screen!”

Julie and Rayver, who play Hope and Miguel, are paired for the first time in a big-screen project.

Betrayal in modern-day dating

As per synopsis, The Cheating Game is a “deep dive into the psyche of two individuals who react differently to betrayal” amid the modern-day dating scene.

There’s Hope (Julie) who runs a non-governmental organization (NGO) with her fiance. Young and idealistic, she believes she can change the world and knows everything. Apparently, that’s not the case, after a sex video of her boyfriend with another woman surfaces.

A heartbroken Hope walks away from the engagement, the NGO and the life she thought was hers. She begins a new career as a content producer in a company that, unknown to her, moonlights as a troll factory.

Determined to restart life and not fall prey to another cheating partner, she designs a cheat sheet as a guide against any potential incidence of infidelity. She then meets Miguel (Rayver), a self-made businessman who is a walking green flag. He is the “perfect” man for Hope, but when they become closer, deep, dark secrets start to unravel.

The Cheating Game is co-written and directed by best-selling author Rod Marmol, whose past works are Cuddle Weather, Mata Tapang and Quaranthings, among others.

The film is based on the original concept and story by Peabody award-winning documentary writer-producer Shao Masula, and co-written by Jessie Villabrille, who is head writer for GMA primetime dramas.

Masula said, “The original concept before direk Rod came into the picture… a part of it was based on my experience. Hindi naman dahil sasabihin natin kailangan natin patawarin ang mga cheaters (but) it’s more of…we all make mistakes, we’re just humans.

The movie also stars (from left) Martin del Rosario as the cheating partner Brian, Paolo Contis as Mister Y and Winwyn Marquez as Vanessa. Photos courtesy of GMA Public Affairs

“But itong mga pagkakamali na ito na nagagawa natin sa buhay, they don’t define us and we have many chances of correcting them and gumawa ng tama para mas maging mabuting tao.

“That’s the first message of the film and then, of course, because of the pandemic, the landscape of the society has changed. We had to update the script and in recent years, napaka-ingay ng mga troll farms and fake news. And true to Public Affairs’ mission of bringing relevant information and relevant entertainment, of course, we had to tackle these relevant issues,” she added.

As for direk Rod, he also hoped for the film to become a “point of reflection” on how big an effect “privilege” has on how a person moves on from a failed relationship.

“For some people, they can afford to go away or go to the beach to heal. But for most Filipinos, who are working day in and day out, there’s just no time to stop,” he said.

“At times, we’d use that to distract ourselves from the emotional romantic things that we’re going through. So, there are different ways of coping with cheating and breakup, but at the end of day, iba’t ibang use of love pa rin yun.”

The Cheating Game also stars Martin del Rosario, Winwyn Marquez, Yayo Aguila, Candy Pangilinan, Phi Palmos, Thea Tolentino and Paolo Contis. Also featured are Charm Aranton, Chef Jose Sarasola, Charlize Ruth Reyes, Rocelyn Ordoñez, Aaron Maniego, Andrea So, Ida Sabido, Evan Tan, Roi Oriondo, Bernadette Anne Morales, Felds Cabagting and Iman Manoguid.

Besides The Cheating Game, GMA Public Affairs has lined up a slate of films deemed “thought-provoking” and “genre-bending” such as the fantasy drama Firefly, the horror movie Penthouse 77, the science fiction romance Version 2 and the 4K documentary film The Lost Sabungeros.

The Cheating Game premieres today in cinemas nationwide.