Silver screen's newest gem

MANILA, Philippines - With his charisma, movie star looks and formidable showbiz lineage, Paul Soriano has been receiving perennial offers to act and be seen in front of the cameras, but the grandson of late veteran actor Nestor de Villa insists he has no plans of being onscreen, for his passion is directing.

And, judging from his works, critics can attest that Paul is on the road to becoming one of Philippine cinema’s acclaimed directors.

After directing music videos, concerts and TV commercials like Jollibee, Nokia, HSBC and Chevrolet in the past three years, Paul did his big screen directorial debut last year in A Journey Home, an inspirational indie drama topbilled by girlfriend Toni Gonzaga. The family drama earned raves and good reviews, as Paul was also lauded to be ready for mainstream cinema.

“I really enjoyed doing A Journey Home, so I’m inspired to do more movies,” says Paul. “Directing is my childhood dream. I fell in love with it,” he remarks.

This year, the 29-year-old director will unleash his filmmaking genius once more in Thelma, an indie sports film he is writing, directing and producing. It is about a young runner, with Maja Salvador in the title role and Asia’s fastest woman and track and field champion Elma Muros as consultant.

With Maja and running coach Elma Muros

Only in his second picture, Paul is already fast becoming known for his seamless directing style, and the positive tone of his projects, a breath of fresh air amid the usual dark, daring themes of most indie stories.

“I want to produce films that are inspirational, hopeful and with empowering messages,” he stresses. “I want to create movies that touch lives, to give people an experience that they want to change their own lives after watching my works.”

His latest offering, Thelma is a story of dreams, determination and making the right decisions. It is inspired by movies like Million Dollar Baby, Remember the Titans, Prefontaine, Cinderella Man, Chariots of Fire and the Oscar-nominated Iranian film, Children of Heaven.

Incidentally, Million Dollar Baby’s Oscar-winning screenwriter, Paul Haggis, was one of Paul’s mentors when he took up a filmmaking course in the US.

Paul wrote Thelma’s script with Froi Medina and Rino Que. It took the writing triumvirate almost a year to finish the story. But it’s all worth the wait, for the script turned out to be so good that lead star Maja, who has turned down every single indie film offer she got in the past, was convinced to do the project.

“I’m so grateful to Maja,” says Paul. “This is her first indie film. She loved the story and accepted the offer even though the fee is nowhere near what she normally gets. I’m also thankful that Mr. M (Johnny Manahan) allowed Maja to work outside Star Magic.”

Paul reveals that Maja is the first choice, being an artist who can really act, and having an athletic physique perfect for a runner’s role.

Runners or non-runners alike will be able to relate with the film as it centers more on a young girl’s relationships and issues, not just her love for running.

Still, with running as a subplot, Thelma has a timely appeal, especially with the youth’s heightened interest in fitness and the growing popularity of run-for-a-cause marathons and races these days. Paul says he himself is a running enthusiast. Before or after a shoot each day, he would put on his running shoes and run around the village to relieve stress.

Thelma also stars Tetchie Agbayani and John Arcilla as the parents, and Eliza Pineda (Flor de Luna) as the younger sister. Executive producers of the film are Rino and Samantha Que. Thelma is the maiden offering of the couple’s Time Horizon Pictures, in cooperation with Abracadabra Productions. The film will be shown early next year, with plans of bringing it to international film festivals abroad.

Having done a drama and a sports flick, Paul now hopes to do other genres. “My dream project is a sci-fi, but it needs more budget for special effects,” says this huge Steven Spielberg fan. “I grew up watching films like ET, Close Encounters of the Third Kind and Indiana Jones. My favorite is Back to the Future.”

It seems like Paul is indeed wired for the entertainment world. All his life has been pretty much in production, growing up in the set of movies or TV commercials. As a kid, he would tag along with his lolo or with dad Jeric, a TV ads director, and would do his homework in the set.

By the time he reached high school, Paul was already “well-trained” to do short films. He started the Film Club at International School in Makati and finished Communication at Sta. Clara University in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Girlfriend Toni is one of the most bankable actresses in this generation; wouldn’t it be nice to see them together on cam? Paul just smiles and quips, “If I wanted to pursue acting, I would have done it 10 years ago. But it’s not really my cup of tea.”

Asked to comment on his three and a half strong years with Toni, Paul replies, “I’m not a stick in the mud. I don’t get jealous. I understand her job; I accompany her to showbiz functions.”

The US-bred gentleman also shares that he had to adjust to the Filipino culture, as he didn’t know about courtship or curfews at first.

Both he and Toni have close family ties, too. The eldest of four boys of Jeric and Marissa Soriano, Paul looks up to his parents whom he describes as “generous as they are also strict.”

Also the eldest apo, Paul has fond memories of his Lolo Nestor. He remembers his grandfather for their golf games when he was a kid, and for the late actor’s ability to keep his good image and separate his private life from showbiz.

Now, as Paul carves a name in showbiz as a director, he is committed to improving his craft. “I want to please the audience and satisfy my creative fire,” he muses.

The industry sees Paul does have what it takes to make successful indie films and box-office hits alike. Philippine cinema definitely has a place for the likes of director Paul Soriano.