An international win for newbie director

MANILA, Philippines - Following on the heels of Lav Diaz’s big win for his film Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival, newbie filmmaker Carlo Ortega Cuevas earned the Best Director in a Foreign Language Film award for Walang Take Two (No Second Take) at the International Filmmaker Festival (IFF) of World Cinema in London last Feb. 26.

Direk Carlo’s directorial debut film, produced by Iglesia Ni Cristo’s INCinema, was also nominated for Best Comedy Feature Film. Walang Take Two, released in Philippine cinemas on Sept. 7, 2015, is about an ambitious but poor young filmmaker who wants to make it big.

“Actually when my name was called (during the awards night), my mind went blank and I was totally speechless,” direk Carlo said. “I was so overwhelmed because I did not expect it at all. Yung pagka-nominate pa lang at nakarating ako sa London which was my first trip abroad was already an award for me.”

He added, “I share this award to my team — the cast and crew who were part of the creative process.”

Direk Carlo graduated with a degree in Communication Arts at De La Salle, Lipa City, Batangas. He was in third-year college when filmmaking caught his interest as he did short films as requirements for his course. He recalled that his very first short film won in a regional school filmfest. It was also awarded at the UP Diliman during one of its filmfests in 2012.

“That’s when my passion for filmmaking intensified, which led me to do more short and documentary films, although ang gamit ko pa noon was a mini-DV,” he shared. “I just wanted to tell a story and (doing it through film) is the best way for me to express it.”

When he graduated, direk Carlo worked as director of photography (DOP) on ABS-CBN shows like Krusada, Pinoy True Stories and Mission Possible.         

His fate was sealed when he competed at INCinema’s annual Excellence in Visual Media Awards and was named Best Director for his entry Ritmo ng Pangarap which won Best Film. INCinema eventually tapped him to become its first resident director for full-length films. According to its media release, INCinema films are among the many projects of INC to hone the cinematic talents of members who are interested in filmmaking, not only in the Philippines but in other countries as well.

“When INCinema finally decided to produce a full-length film, I was fortunate to be chosen as its director. I submitted them my story Walang Take Two na three years nang naka-bangko. It was approved although there were minor changes, mayroong binawas at mayroon ding dinagdag,” shared direk Carlo whose film influences include Erik Matti and Tikoy Aguiluz.

Another Pinoy director winner at the prestigious IFF is Carlo Enciso Catu, who was named Talented New Director for the film Ari: My Life with a King. The two other Filipino directors nominated for Best Director in a Foreign Language Film were Luisito “Louie” Ignacio for Laut and Butch Maddul for Kaleidoscope World.

Asked about his reaction that a first-time director like him has beaten veteran filmmakers, he said, “Siyempre, natutuwa po ako na nakakuha tayo ng award. But maybe it so happened that the set of judges na pumili ay ‘yon po ang interes nila at nagustuhan nila. Kumbaga ang panel naman po yung pumili, hindi natin masasabi na ito mas maganda, ito hindi masyadong maganda, depende pa rin po sa audience.”

Meanwhile, a spin-off sitcom of Walang Take Two titled Hapi Ang Buhay is also helmed by direk Carlo, featuring the same cast from the film. Eagle Broadcasting Corp. (EBC)’s first-ever situational comedy, Hapi ang Buhay, narrates life in a usual urban Filipino community as the neighborhood encounters various social issues. The sitcom, which premiered last March 5, airs every Saturday at 4 p.m. with replays on Sundays at 9 p.m. on Net 25.