Cebuana producer on FAMAS haul: It’s a win for Samboan

CEBU, Philippines — Bianca Balbuena-Liew, CEO and co-founder of Epicmedia Productions Inc., had much to celebrate recently with three of the films her company produced bagging honors at the 2019 FAMAS Awards.

Lav Diaz’s “Ang Panahon ng Halimaw” won Grand Jury Prize, and Best Sound; Dwein Baltazar’s “Gusto Kita With All My Hypothalamus” won Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay; and “Oda Sa Wala” bagged Best Production Design for Maolen Fadul, and Best Cinematography for Neil Daza.

The Cebuana film producer wrote that she was “very surprised, grateful, and overwhelmed” upon the victory of “Ang Panahon ng Halimaw” and was teary-eyed when she accepted the Best Film award for “Gusto Kita with All My Hypothalamus.”

She recalled conversations with Diaz of how nobody seemed scared of his horror films and how she knocked on people’s doors to borrow money so they could shoot in old downtown Manila. She also thanked the films’ staff, crew, and cast whom she credited as the driving force that made all of the awards possible.

In an interview with The Freeman, Liew – youngest recipient of the Asia Pacific Screen Awards (APSA) FIAPF Award and recipient of the 2018 Asian Film Commissions (AFC) Network’s Producer of the Year award – shared her vision for Epicmedia from day one and looked at how far they’ve come.

“It’s overwhelming. It’s a win for Cebu. It’s a win for Samboan – that’s my province. It’s a win for women cinema because my director for ‘Gusto Kita With All My Hypothalamus’ is a female filmmaker. It’s a win for political cinema and human rights because ‘Ang Panahon ng Halimaw’ bravely takes a stand. It’s a win for independent cinema,” she began.

Liew joked that Epicmedia was her and Pepe Diokno’s attempt to legitimize themselves as filmmakers. But kidding aside, they only wanted to make films that matter and bring these to the global market.

Throughout the years, the company has excelled in creative production, line production, and branded content. They have since churned out products like the Venice Film Festival 2009 Best Film “Engkwentro” (Pepe Diokno), Berlinale 2016 Silver Bear winner “A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery” (Lav Diaz), 2015 hit “That Thing Called Tadhana,” and the Cebuano sleeper hit “Patay Na Si Hesus” (Victor Villanueva), to name a few.

“We wanted to collaborate with fearless filmmakers and discover the next generation of storytellers,” said Liew. “Now, we’ve extended our services not just to making films but also to TV series and branded content. We partner with independent and mainstream companies. We continue to work with masters such as Lav Diaz and emerging filmmakers with passion and talent.”

Among their international co-productions are Malaysia’s Bradley Liew (her husband), whose debut film “Singing In Graveyards” premiered at the Venice Film Festival Critics Week, as well as Johanna Pyykko from Norway whose short film, “The Manila Lover,” will premiere at the Cannes Film Festival Semaine Dela Critique.

Initially, Liew dreamed of becoming a cinematographer. While the path was tricky, it led her to Diokno and was met with a newfound purpose –  now having a hand at creating internationally-acclaimed films, box-office hits, TV series, online shows, and branded content.

“It was tough. I had memorable shoots as apprentice to great cinematographers but I was not making any money. I couldn’t pay my bills. It was actually my colleague, Pepe Diokno, who asked me to produce films with him. He believed in me when nobody did, not even myself. So I tried it out and I enjoyed it…being able to mold a project from development to release, being able to tell stories and be part of creating them, being able to help directors and push them forward. It’s an exhausting and thankless job but very much fulfilling.”

For a film to be worth producing, Liew said a story should have these three: heart, soul, and potential.

“It should somehow still be original and ambitious,” she quipped.

From there, a lot of things have to happen, requiring a village of people with imagination, grit, and passion. Before any of us can kick back and relax to watch a movie, the writer and director had to develop the story first, someone had to make the film attractive for funding, find people and make a team to put the film together.

Suddenly, it isn’t just someone’s idea. It’s a combination of everyone’s blood, sweat, and tears. Behind every film is a team of creative and hardworking men and women, whose fingerprints are smudged all over a single masterpiece. And so the strength of a production relies on its people.

“You take care of your people and make them feel that it’s a collaborative effort. That it’s their film as it is yours. Now comes the hardest part – you release the film to the audience and hope that they’ll appreciate and support it and make some sales,” said Liew.

Of what makes the work fulfilling, Liew shared, “During production, it’s the in-between setups where you get the chance to sit down, talk about the next scene or the previous scene, talk about life, throw some jokes, laugh, get stressed and drink iced coffee. During release, it’s when your film premieres and you’re a witness to the unifying moment of the audience laughing, crying, gasping, and clapping at the same moment.”

Her favorite part of the grind is being able to work with her husband.

“Driving home talking about our favorite shots and all the shortcomings of the shoot and how we solved them. And that big sweaty hug after long hours of work,” said Liew, who just welcomed their firstborn, daughter Ava.

Liew, who was given the Camera Obscura Award by the Film Development Council of the Philippines last February, added that despite the recognition they get for their films, they should never aspire to make films just for the awards. The point of filmmaking, she stressed, is not about the trophies, but its power to create change and affect lives.

“It’s not healthy. Filmmaking is not a competition. It’s storytelling. It’s a device to change society. It’s a chance to offer jobs to people who need help and give voice to the voiceless.”