Elijah, artista

Ten-year-old Elijah Castillo won the Best Actor award for the digital film Pepot Artista at the recently-concluded Silver Screen Competition of the 19th Singapore International Film Festival. The film, entitled Pepot Superstar for foreign release, is about a 10-year-old boy who wants to be a movie star. It also posits on the penchant of Pinoys for entertainment amid grave social problems.

Japan’s entry, It’s Only Talk, a tragedy-comedy about three lovers and directed by Ryuichi Hiroki, bagged the Best Film award.

Though Pepot Artista was not named Best Picture at this year’s SIFF, Clodualdo del Mundo Jr., writer, director and producer of the movie, was more than happy for the international premiere of his movie whose screening was "well-attended" at the Alliance Francaise Theater in Singapore.

Pepot Artista was one of the films that was given a P500,000 grant for the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival in 2004. It won the award for Best Picture in Cinemalaya in 2005.

"For this year, out of 11 films in competition, three Filipino indie productions were included. That, I think, is a winner in itself," Del Mundo told The Star. Apart from Pepot Artista, the two other Pinoy films that made it to the final list of the Asian Feature Film Category were Raya Martin’s Indio Nacional and John Torres’ Todo Todo Teros which won the NETPAC (Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinemas) Award.

Ten-year-old Castillo, an incoming Grade 5 pupil at the Espiritu Santo Parochial School in Tayuman, Tondo, Manila, has been in "cloud nine" ever since he learned Saturday that he bested other veteran actors from participating countries like Japan, China, Singapore, India, Indonesia, Lebanon, Malaysia and Iran. Castillo and Del Mundo attended the screening of Pepot Artista in Singapore but had come home to Manila already on the day when winners were announced.

"Masarap po sa pakiramdam (It feels good). This is my first time to win an award," said Castillo whose "ultimate ambition" is to become an actor.

Del Mundo asked Castillo to audition for Pepot Artista after spotting the latter on stage while doing Himala, the Musical at the Cultural Center of the Philippines in 2003.

Early on, Castillo played a lead role in the stage production Kanser also at CCP in 2001. Last year, he was also the main character in a short film entitled Kahon, a project of film students from the University of the Philippines.

Included in the cast of Pepot Artista are Rio Locsin, Cris Villanueva, Jeffrey Quizon, Bituin Escalante, Tado, Joy Soler-de Castro, Yoyoy Villame, Lou Veloso, Ces Quesada, Nina Medina and Nonie Buencamino.

Other kids with major roles in the movie are Shiela Mae Junsay, Cedrick Lambarte, Jian Pascual and Nina Joyel de Jesus.

"We’re entering Pepot Artista in other festivals. We hope to have a commercial run if any distributor is interested, both locally and abroad," Del Mundo said.