What is the color of truth?

My siblings are truly a colorful and creative lot. Of the seven, five are in artistic fields of endeavor, although you could also count my sister Isa’s cupcakes as works of art. The most famous of the bunch, in terms of artistic accomplishment, have been my younger brothers (and one sister-Marita) who, early in their careers, made up Alcazaren Brothers; an animation studio that specialized in stop-motion animation (think Wallace and Gromit).

The nucleus of the group was made up of my two younger brothers, Johnny and Mike. They produced cool indie shorts and animation for commercials in the ’80s and early ’90s, a number of which won local and international acclaim. Later that decade, however, their individual careers beckoned. Johnny turned to his painting and sculpture, Marita to the advertising field and Mike turned to directing for commercials with great success.

Mike had always wanted to make a feature film and I would hear of his plans and continuing efforts in film at family reunions. He even won a Palanca award in 2007 for a script on the trial of Ninoy Aquino. The pressures of the advertising industry kept him from pursuing and fulfilling his dream of directing his first feature film. Until now.

Next week, his film Puti premiers as part of the Cine Filipino Film Festival, the maiden festival sponsored by PLDT/Smart Foundation, Studio 5 and Unitel. It will run from Sept. 18-24 at the Gateway Cineplex, Newport Cinemas (Resorts World Manila), Lucky Chinatown Mall and EDSA Shangri-La Cineplex (on Sept. 21-22).

Mike’s film is about Amir Luna, a talented painter who has forged a living producing copies of paintings, which are then sold in the art black market. He leads a life free of troubles, despite the illegitimate source of his income, until he gets into a car accident with his eight-year-old son. He survives but suffers a traumatic head injury that renders him color blind. His son is comatose. His world collapses as he navigates the twin tragedies. While recuperating, strange things start to happen to him.

Mike penned the screenplay for Puti in 2009. He explained, “The film was inspired by Schubert’s classical opera piece The Erlking. It tells the story of a father who rushes his ill son to the doctor on horseback. While riding through the woods, they encounter the Erlking, a malevolent spirit. This idea of facing death and the relationship of father and son was an interesting theme for a film.”

He also noted that he wanted to explore the similarities between the art forms of painting and cinema. “The two are intertwined in that they present an artist’s perspective of life in broad strokes. This gives the viewer more involvement in the art form by allowing different interpretations of the images presented before them. It just makes the experience more participatory.”

Mike learned the art of cinema from their early days sculpting with clay and an apprenticeship with Mike de Leon during his Ateneo days. Mike had also worked on an unfinished screenplay and documentary with the maestro and admits that Puti is homage to the elder Mike and his seminal film Itim.

Casting appeared to be one of the many things Mike enjoyed about the process of making the film. We would get updates on the casting calls. Eventually he put together a great ensemble of new and veteran actors. The leads were Ian Veneracion, the former child actor turned matinee idol of the ‘90s, having starred in several television dramas and action movies. His role as a forger, says Mike, “…is his most challenging as a character actor. It also proves to be his most personal, being a painter himself and son of respected visual artist, Roy Veneracion (whose painting appears in the film.”

Heartthrob Jasmine Curtis-Smith stars as Nika. The younger sibling of Anne Curtis is making a name for herself as a serious actress. She made an auspicious film debut in this year’s Cinemalaya Best Picture Transit, winning best supporting actress. Puti is her second outing in an independent film.

In key supporting roles are Lauren Young, and the veteran Leo Rialp. Seven year-old Brian Pagala plays Air’s son, Jaime. Mike cast unknown Maricel Baluan. He wanted to cast a real blind woman. The physical handicap was crucial to the story and would have had a different impact if an actor was used. Maricel auditioned together with other blind women. She was chosen based on her performance in several readings, which were audio-fed to her. She also had an uncanny resemblance to the woman in the main painting that was featured in the film.

As the focus is art, the film features paintings of Geraldine Javier, a leading figure in Philippine contemporary art and a 2003 Thirteen Artists Awardee. She set record auction sales at Christie’s. Puti also features Johnny Alcazaren’s paintings (he also helps out in the production). Puti is also the first local film to use infra-red photography extensively, which adds immensely to the flavor of this psychological thriller.

A good majority of Puti was shot on location, as Mike wanted to lend real texture to the film. The artist studio is that of a real artist, Bernie Pacquing’s actual studio/house in Tahanan Village Sucat. The infra-red scenes were shot in Villa Fernandez in San Narciso, Zambales. Mike took his crew to the First United Building in Manila’s heritage-rich Escolta St. and the hospital scenes were set in both the Novaliches General Hospital and the Salve Regina Hospital in Marikina. To replicate the neo-classic ambiance of an art gallery, he shot at the Philippine Women’s University.

Mike’s production team was stellar. Boy Yniguez was the director of photography Rious Caliso did the atmospheric production design. Film editing was by award-winning Kelly Cruz-Abano and the eerie sound design was recorded by Mark Lacay.

The film was also a family effort — from the production financing to the soundtrack, with Mike’s better half Lizanne singing the lullaby Ili-Ili Tulog Anay, and sis-in-law Beng Calma-Alcazaren lending the haunting vocals for the My Eyes Deceive Me, with music by her group Drip.

Next week we celebrate Mike’s directorial debut, the first, we hope, of many. My siblings’ Alcazaren Studios company has also been resurrected as stop-motion animation; making a comeback because a new audience for animation and seriously edgy feature films has emerged. New Filipino Cinema’s canvas has indeed broadened the opportunities for un-compromised creative expression and Puti lends, to the palette used, the truth that the best can come after a long wait.

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Feedback is welcome. Please email the writer at paulo.alcazaren@gmail.com.