A dramatic thriller from NY-based Pinoy director

MANILA, Philippines - New York-based Filipino filmmaker Vince Sandoval, who is starting to make waves in the international scene, flew to Manila in February to direct a dramatic thriller titled Aparisyon set to compete at the eighth Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival next month.

The film follows a group of cloistered nuns in the months leading to the declaration of Martial Law. Mylene Dizon and Jodi Sta. Maria lead the cast which includes Raquel Villavicencio, Rustica Carpio and Fides Cuyugan Asensio. Sandoval wears multiple hats in his second feature Aparisyon. Aside from directing it, he wrote, co-produced and co-edited the film. “We had our last shooting day last April 20 — the culmination of a grueling yet very rewarding shoot,” Sandoval said. 

Before Aparisyon, Sandoval dabbled in noir melodrama for his first full-length feature, Señorita, in 2011. Sandoval directed, co-produced and co-wrote the screenplay, and played the title role of a transgender sex worker who attempts to start a new life in the province but instead gets entangled in local politics. “It was crazy and ambitious of me to be putting on so many hats for my first feature,” noted Sandoval, who has no formal training in acting and filmmaking, “but I’ve always been thrilled by the idea of taking risks.”

Jodi Sta. Maria as a cloistered nun (left) and Vince at work