Ina Feleo: The world is her silver screen

As Tanya, the female lead in the Cinemalaya 2007 Special Jury Prize winning film Endo, 22-year-old Ina Feleo portrays a strong-willed, assertive young woman out to get what she wants from the world. In real life, Ina is similarly self-assured and certain of what she wants – and is set on achieving her goals. From figure skating to dancing to writing to acting, for a talent like Ina Feleo, the world is her stage – or, in this case, her silver screen.

Despite having two veteran actors and filmmakers – Johnny Delgado and Laurice Guillen – for parents, Ina still stays grounded. “I didn’t know that my parents were famous,” she shares on growing up. “I just knew what their job was.” She adds that she and her sister Ana would often stay up late waiting for their parents, who would work late hours on set. “Lagi akong may tantrums dati kasi hinahanap ko si mommy.” It was only later on, when she was old enough to recognize who’s who in the industry, that she started to get star struck when meeting her parents’ friends and colleagues.

Ina’s love for performing began with figure skating. “It’s a sport,” she says, “but it is also similar to theater and dance.” From the age of nine until she turned 16 years old, Ina trained for and competed in figure skating. She had dreams of making it to the Olympics, “of course with the Philippine team.” But since there were not enough facilities or support at that time, she trained in the United States. “Ayoko namang US team,” she says about her decision not to push through with competing abroad. Now she still enjoys figure skating as a form of relaxation instead of as a sport.

The same nationalism can be found in Ina’s thoughts on being part of the Bayanihan Dance Company. “You get to dance in different theaters, in front of different audiences,” she shares. A member of the dance company for five years already, Ina has represented the Philippines in dance festivals in Spain, London, Berlin, Moscow, Malaysia and China among many other places around the world. “Maraming Pilipinong nanood,” she recalls fondly of the Bayanihan’s 2006 US tour. She adds that it gives her pride to perform in front of Filipinos abroad who have a deep appreciation for the culture of their homeland. Aside from being immersed in different cultures, as well as sharing her own with different audiences, Ina says that she also learned to work as part of a group in the Bayanihan. “Iba ang samahan ng grupo,” she says.

Putting her passion for dance into writing, she graduated from Ateneo de Manila in 2006 with a degree in creative writing, her thesis a collection of vignettes juxtaposing real life with different dances. “Sa sayaw nagbubuo ka rin ng istorya,” she says of the way she attacks each dance.

It was dance that brought Ina    her first acting role in a production of Lam-ang. She played the role of the hero’s sidekick, the tandang (rooster) and had no lines, communicating with movement instead of words. Eventually, she moved on to speaking roles, most recently alongside her sister and her mother in Tanghalang Ateneo’s The Glass Menagerie. “Dati ayokong umarte kasi nakakahiya,” she confides. But, after attending a workshop given by the Acting Workshop Foundation, she acquired a passion for acting as well. “You get to know yourself more through acting,” she says. “As an actor you have to channel emotions from within yourself to be able to bring them out in your character.”

In choosing her roles, she says that she looks for characters that “experience a transformation throughout the story.” She adds, “Sinusubukan kong lagyan ng dignidad ang lahat ng characters ko,” be it a lead role or a cameo. She also sees to it that she makes each character she plays important to the story.

Her film debut in Endo, she says, was unexpected. After her acting stint with Tanghalang Ateneo, she auditioned for a supporting role in the Cinemalaya entry Gulong (which she also got). She remembers how surprised she was to get a call back for the lead role in Endo. Ina says that it does not matter for her whether the work she does is for an indie or a mainstream film. On one hand, she says “You are able to reach a wider audience through the mainstream.” On the other hand, she adds that it is frustrating for indie filmmakers who make very good films but do not have a wide audience. Ina has been able to grace both sectors of the industry with her work for Cinemalaya as well as acting roles on television.

Being the daughter of two veterans in the film industry, it is inevitable for Ina to be compared to her parents. “Before, sobrang lakas ng pressure,” she confides. She adds that now, she has come to terms with the pressure. “People can’t help but expect,” she adds, joking that if it was the other way around, she would expect much from someone like her as well. Now, she says, she handles the pressure more constructively. “Mas nagpapa-pressure ako sa sarili ko.” Ina adds that both she and her parents have come to realize that she has her own style, her own brand of acting. This was affirmed by her win as best actress in the 2007 Cinemalaya film festival as well as the warm reception that she and co-star Jason Abalos received in France when Endo was screened along with other films from Africa, Latin America, and Asia in the Festival Des Trois Continents.

“Ang hirap paghiwalayin ng dance at acting,” Ina says when asked if she considers herself more of a dancer or an actress, highlighting that both dancing and acting involve emotions and telling a story. “Mas tinatanong ko sa sarili ko ngayon kung magiging filmmaker ako o actor,” she shares. Taking up film in the Marilou Diaz Abaya Film Institute is one factor that brings Ina a step closer to her dream to become both a filmmaker and an actor. Through her film studies, she has gained a deeper sense of understanding and respect for each of the different jobs of the crew. She also says that studying film has helped greatly in her work as an actress, from knowing what goes on behind the scenes to polishing her storytelling skills.

 “I don’t feel worthy yet,” she says of being called a filmmaker. “Kailangan ko  pang mahinog nang husto,” she adds humbly. Her dream film, though, is a dramedy – “Something funny, but very touching and heartfelt.”

Ina is determined to finish her studies in filmmaking and directing, as well as continue her work as a dancer and actor. With her passion for dance, her talent for acting, and her determination to tell a good story, Ina Feleo is certainly on the right track to forging her own distinct path in the Philippine film industry.