At this point, we probably all know that the movies of Vic Sotto, Vice Ganda, and Regal Films’ matriarch Lily Monteverde are not part of this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF).
What’s not being discussed? How, despite the criticism over the film fest selection, the entries to this year’s MMFF look very, very promising.
READ: After snub, Vic Sotto says: ‘I hope MMFF respected the taste of Pinoy moviegoers’
One movie to watch out for is Saving Sally starring Enzo Marcos and Rhian Ramos.
Tagged as a romantic sci-fi fantasy movie, Saving Sally combines live action with 2D animation — already making it an unusual entry in a film fest that has been dominated by horror, comedy, and rom-com the past few years.
What makes it even more unusual? It took almost 10 years to make.
According to ABS-CBN News Online, Saving Sally first started as a passion project director Avid Liongoren and writer Charlene Sawit-Esguerra.
In an article written for Rogue Magazine (and published on her blog), Charlene said the movie began as a short story. They decided to turn it into a movie because it felt like “it would make a fun movie.”
Despite budget concerns, they finished filming Saving Sally with Enzo and actress Anna Larucea as the stars.
In 2010, French film producer Alain de la Mata decided to help with the production in. But with Alain entering the picture, Avid and Charlene had to re-shoot the whole movie.
“This was mind-boggling; we had already lived with the film for so long, and this meant that the finish line would once again descend into vanishing-point distance,” she wrote.
They had to replace Anna, who was no longer available for the re-shoot. After an “arduous” audition process, Rhian was chosen to play Sally.
READ: Vice Ganda on MMFF 2016 selection: ‘Quality is subjective’
Now, almost a decade later, Saving Sally is finally ready to screened to the public.
“Avid worked hard on this film. He didn’t take any shortcuts and he made sure he poured his soul into it,” Enzo told ABS-CBN News Online. “Every frame, every background, every piece of art was painstakingly made. He truly deserves an audience.”
Watch the trailer of Saving Sally below:
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