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Direk Mes De Guzman
and Nora Aunor on the set of 'Ang Kuwento ni Mabuti'.
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De Guzman’s film is
actually a morality tale about Mabuti, a faith healer who maintains a positive
outlook in life despite her poverty. But that was until she found herself in a moral
dilemma after accidentally finding a bag containing P5 million in cash that
could bring an end to her family’s problems.
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InterAksyon.com ·
Tuesday, March 26, 2013 · 5:19 pm
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When the eight
finalists for the first CineFilipino Film Festival were introduced last
January, one filmmaker immediately stood out from the rest of the pack.
Fresh from his big win
for “Diablo”(Best Film and Best Director) in the New Breed category of last
year’s edition of the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Festival, Mes De Guzman
naturally was expected to be the odds-on favorite to win the top awards even before
his cameras started rolling. It looks
like the veteran indie director is already living up to expectations as his
film, “Ang Kuwento Ni Mabuti”, is off to a rousing start with the casting of no
less than superstar Nora Aunor in the title role.
Not to be confused
with the Filipino literary classic by Genoveva Edroza-Matute, De Guzman’s film
is actually a morality tale about Mabuti, a faith healer who maintains a
positive outlook in life despite her poverty. But that was until she found
herself in a moral dilemma after accidentally finding a bag containing P5
million in cash that could bring an end to her family’s problems.
Like most of De
Guzman’s films, including “Diablo”, “Ang Kuwento ni Mabuti” is also being shot
in his home province of Nueva Vizcaya.
Like “Himala”, which
the director listed as one of his all-time favorite films in the online forum
of PinoyDVD.com, his new film also casts Nora Aunor as a faith healer and even
reunites her with “Himala” co-star Ama Quiambao, who also won the 2012
Cinemalaya Best Actress for her lead role in “Diablo”.
Rounding up the cast
are indie veterans Sue Prado (“Ang Bangka Sa Pagitan ng Dalawang Ilog”), Arnold
Reyes (“Graceland”), Mara Lopez (“Palitan”) and what De Guzman calls “a bevy of
non-actors from Nueva Vizcaya”.
Dubbed by De Guzman as
one of the country’s best cinematographers, Albert Banzon (“Haruo”, “EDSA XXX”)
has been tapped as the director of photography for “Ang Kuwento Ni Mabuti”.
As with his other
films produced by Cinelarga Productions, the film company he co-owns with his
wife Rhea, Direk Mes does not expect any hitches in the production of his new
film. “It’s an indie policy of our production outfit to stick to our budget and
production schedule”.
With the P1.5 million
seed money granted by CineFilipino, which is a bigger amount than the P500,000
grant of Cinemalaya that they had to work with in “Diablo”, audiences can
expect to see even higher production values for “Ang Kuwento ni Mabuti”.
Along with seven other
finalists, “Ang Kuwento ni Mabuti” will be showcased during the CineFilipino
Film Festival that will take place at Araneta Center’s Gateway Cineplex and Ali
Mall Cinemas as well as at the Newport Cinemas at Resorts World from June 26 to
July 2.
