MANILA, Philippines — Content creator, comedian and singer Sassa Gurl is making a Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival debut with "Balota," an especially significant experience as the film is headlined by Marian Rivera.
"Balota," directed by Kip Oebanda, follows a teacher who serves as a poll watcher at a local elections. Kip described the film as the "unfortunate sequel" to his previous Cinemalaya film "Liway" from 2018, starring Glaiza de Castro.
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Sassa spoke with members of the media, including Philstar.com, at the press conference for this year's Cinemalaya last July 10, to talk about the comedian's time shooting the film.
The artist portrays a "baklang kanal," a role Sassa feels personally attached to, and laid out the significance of a "baklang barangay" in the community.
"[Ang] baklang barangay papansin 'di ba? Usually sila talaga 'yung mga umeeksena sa pulitika ng barangay dahil kami ay papansin at nakakakuha ng boto," Sassa shared.
Sassa quipped agreeing to take on the role because the comedian had nothing to eat, before praising Kip for his support of the LGBTQIA community, adding the filmmaker took notice of Sassa's videos during the pandemic, "Nakukuha niya talaga 'yung fantasy ng bakla, talagang hindi niya ako pinabayaan."
Sassa pointed out gay characters often deliver punchlines or are the butt of the joke, however, Kip put depth and layers into a "baklang kanal."
One of the fantasies that Kip made come true for Sassa was tapping Marian to headline the movie, someone Sassa said every Filipino queer looks up to because of Marian's iconic roles in "Darna," "Dyesebel," and "Marimar."
"Bilang isang bakla, 'yan ang kinalalakihan ko... isa sa mga idol ko," Sassa raved. "Alam mo naman 'pag baklang-bakla ka noong bata, fantasy mo talaga 'yan, feeling mo ikaw si Marian Rivera."
The content creator reiterated what a dream come true it was working with Marian, praising the actress' professionalism.
A total of 200 titles will be running at Cinemalaya 2024, including 10 feature films, 10 short films, and 10 Philippine premieres out of the main competition, from August 2 to 11 in Ayala Malls Manila Bay.
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