Pilar’s film a hit at Gwangju Filmfest in South Korea

MANILA, Philippines - What inspired Pilar Pilapil to personally keep her hands on the marketing, booking and showing of her return to titular film roles was the success of her independently-produced project on migration, Leona Calderon at the recent 12th Gwangju International Film Festival in Gwangju City, South Korea where it was the opening film.

“I was amazed by the reception of the foreign audience including the international press to our film. It was surprising. Everyone was congratulating me although I was nobody in Korea,” said the veteran actress in an interview at her Belson Manor unit in Valle Verde a few days ago.

“To begin with, Leona Calderon was the very first Filipino film which opened an international film festival outside the Philippines. It’s already historic on our part,” she added.

The 2012 Gwangju was a successful mix of arts and politics not only because it gave tribute to Korea’s former President Kim Dae-Jung, an icon of democracy in his country, but it also gathered the best and the respected names in world cinema like Chinese master Xie Fei, Chen Kaige and Zhang Yimou’s mentor; Kim Ki Duk, one of Korea’s award-winning filmmakers who directed the Oscar-bound Pieta; young Vietnamese-Canadian film artist Cuong Ngo and the classics of Frank Capra.

In the audience, too, were Kim’s widow, Lee Hee-Ho, who awarded the prestigious Kim Dae-Jung Nobel Film Peace Award to Xie Fei, film studies professor at the University of Beijing, the internationally-acclaimed film programmer Cho Pock-rey and Korea’s Presidential aspirant Jae-In Moon.

Pilar became a hit in Gwangju after the screening of the film directed by controversial Fil-Briton filmmaker Jowee Morel. “We were also received very warmly by the Koreans and most especially the whole Gwangju festival team,” she recalled.

“The Koreans were crying over the film although they would also laugh at scenes which were funny. There was a universal appeal of the film, as a matter of fact,” she recounted.

When Pilar returned to the Philippines a day after she was feted with respect and adulation, she immediately called on local film producers if they could help her show the film to fellow Filipinos.

It was Vic del Rosario of Viva Entertainment who responded at once.

“Vic liked the film so much the first time he viewed it on Vimeo that he immediately scheduled its premiere night and regular showing,” the actress said.

Viva is also buying the TV rights and distributing the film.

As a bonus, Pilapil was also signed up as a new Viva talent together with Morel.

On Dec. 15 at 6 p.m., Leona Calderon will have its premiere showing at the Gateway.