Young director excels at film academy

MANILA, Philippines - “Promising” is the best word to describe young filmmaker Ernest Talusan (photo) after recently graduating with awards at the International Academy of Film and Television (IAFT) in Cebu City. For his 11-minute short film Tsuper Hero, he won the Best Thesis and Technical Excellence awards, besting in both categories an elite class of around 30 composed mostly of foreign students.

“I am a hands-on, dedicated individual who has a great deal of interest to develop a career in the film industry,” Ernest said, proudly clutching his trophies.

The ceremony was held at the said school last October — the culmination of a 10-month-long course on filmmaking. He is back in Manila, ready to pursue a career in indie filmmaking. 

Asked why he wants to pursue indie, he shared, “I idolize the likes of Brillante Mendoza and Quentin Tarantino. There’s more artistic freedom in doing indies.”

The 24-year-old Ernest, who plays musical instruments and had been in a performing band, is into drama and suspense as a film enthusiast, with significant background in car and landscape photography. He attended workshops conducted by Jim Paredes and award-winning lensman George Tapan. Early on in college, he was able to put up his own photography business called Zomething Zpecial, and do music videos of car events. All these triggered his interests as he went beyond photography and pursued filmmaking.

For him, the essence of filmmaking lies in the “visual storytelling.” He added, “I carefully play with the feelings ng tao.”

Tsuper Hero, which Ernest plans to showcase in various film festivals, tells the tale of a jeepney driver who raises his daughter despite the odds. For the title role, he cast real-life driver Radfol Pilones — a move that earned him praises from legit Hollywood mentors, with one even stating that he “turned a non-actor into an actor.”

“In the future, I want to start my own production. Sobrang happy po ako that I was able to take home both awards,” said Ernest who finished Entrepreneur Management at the University of Asia and the Pacific.

Other directorial works of Ernest are Rubik’s Cube and Franco. He also has experience in editing, post-audio sound design, scriptwriting and other technical aspects of doing movies.