35° TORINO FILM FESTIVAL
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PEOPLE POWER BOMBSHELL: THE DIARY OF VIETNAM ROSE

PEOPLE POWER BOMBSHELL: THE DIARY OF VIETNAM ROSE
by John Torres
Country: Philippines
Year: 2016
Duration: 89'


In 1986, Celso Ad. Castillo (1943-2012), a maestro of 1980s’ Filipino sexploitation, shot a film on an island south of Manila; the movie, The Diary of Vietnam Rose, was about fishermen’s families escaping from the Vietnam war. It was meant to be a big production, starring and in part produced by the then-young star Liz Alindogan; the movie was interrupted four months into filming because of severe financial problems. It was a trauma for Liz Alindogan and a harsh blow to her career, but she held onto a few reels of 35mm film of the shot material. Today, that material is in poor condition, humidity has damaged the film, but John Torres, in an effort to reconstruct the events behind The Diary of Vietnam Rose, decided to screen it anyway for the surviving members of the cast, in order to record their memories and reactions. He then edited it along with other new material he shot on the island where the original filming had been done and, using the declarations of the actors of the time as though they were lines of dialogue, he decided to finish an unfinished movie.

Biography

film director

John Torres

John Torres (Manila, Philippines, 1975) graduated from the University of Manila in communications and became interested in film thanks to the influence of a Jesuit priest. He began his filmmaking apprenticeship on the set of Ligaya Ang Itawag Mo Sa Akin by Carlitos Siguion-Reyna. His first feature film, Todo todo teros (2006), won numerous international awards, including the Dragons & Tigers Award for Young Cinema at the Vancouver Film Festival. In 2010 his documentary Refrains Happen Like Revolution in a Song was selected at the Torino Film Festival, after having its premiere in Rotterdam. The following Lukas the Strange (2013) was presented in Rotterdam too.

FILMOGRAFIA

Kung paano kita liligawan nang di kumakapit sa iyo? (How Can I Court You Without Ever Holding You?, cm, 2005), Salat (cm, 2005), Tawidgutom (cm, 2005), Gabi noong sinabi ng ama kong may anak siya sa labas (The Night When Father Told Me He Had a Child Outside, cm, 2006), Todo todo teros (2006), Taon noong ako’y anak sa labas (Years When I Was a Child Outside, 2008), Ang ninanais (Refrains Happen Like Revolution in a Song, 2010), Lukas nino (Lukas the Strange, 2013), People Power Bombshell: The Diary of Vietnam Rose (2016).

Cast

& Credits

regia, sceneggiatura, montaggio/director, screenplay, film editing
John Torres
soggetto/story
Mervine Aquino, Julie Caulgcug, Joanne Cesario, John Torres da un film non finito di/from an unfinished film by Celso Ad. Castillo
fotografia/cinematography
Malay Javier, Jippy Pascua, Shireen Seno, Dennese Victoria
scenografia/production design
Alvin Francisco
suono/sound
Itos Ledesma, Christopher Lambert Flores, Mervine Aquino, Miguel Hernandez
interpreti/cast
Liz Alindogan, Anna J. Luna, Elora Espano, Kim Perez, Julie Calugcug
produttore/producer
Liz Alindogan
produzione/production
Los Otros Films, Creative Programs Inc.

**
contatti/contacts
John Torres
johnotros@gmail.com
john@los-otros.com

Los Otros Films
peliculas@los-otros.com

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