Inspired by the Lopez brothers' wartime ordeal, Marty Lopez makes his debut as filmmaker
MANILA, Philippines - When 23-year-old Marty Lopez was thinking of what story to turn into a movie for his thesis film at New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts, he came across the story of his grandfather, Oscar Lopez, patriarch of the Lopez family, and the ordeal he and his brothers went through during World War II.
“During the Japanese invasion my lolo and his brothers were forced to walk for days from Baguio to Batangas. I found that story quite interesting so I decided to come up with a story about three brothers and their unusual journey during the war,” says Lopez.
The result is Diego and His Brothers, a war drama that is loosely based on his Lolo Diego’s experience. The film focuses on how the war and the situations they were forced into affected the brothers, their relationship with each other, and how each of them tried to cope.
When the Japanese invaded the northern part of the Philippines, Diego, a nine-year-old boy and his two older brothers Anton and Tomas are forced to flee from home. The three brothers go on a quest to find an aircraft that would take them to safety and to their parents who live away from home.
As the story unfolds, so too does the relationship among the three brothers as they tried to overcome various factors that keep them from getting to their destination.
“Diego and His Brothers is part coming of age story and part war drama about brotherhood and doing whatever needs to be done in order to protect what is dearest to oneself. For the eldest brother, Tomas, it is in his interest to protect his youngest brother, Diego, from the severity of the situation. Anton, the middle brother, on the other hand, has strong reservations about concealing the reality of their current state,” explains Lopez. The movie stars Julijo Pisk, Enrique Gil and Pica Lozano.
Marty’s interest in filmmaking can be traced back to his early childhood. His frequent visits to ABS-CBN to visit his Dad exposed him to the magic of media. Witnessing the wonders that went behind the production of television shows, Marty was inspired to direct.
His enthusiasm for the medium grew as he entered high school at the International School Manila (ISM) where he took every opportunity to experiment and find his voice as a filmmaker. Through several short films and commercials, he was able to hone his skills primarily as an editor. Later on, he was appointed director of Bamboo Television (BTV), ISM’s bi-weekly news program.
After high school, Marty began attending Chapman University’s Dodge College of Film and Media Arts in Orange, California. A year later, he transferred to the prestigious NYU Tisch School of the Arts as a film and television major. He graduated last May as an honors scholar.
Aside from directing, Marty is also an active producer for student films at NYU. He counts among his major influences Michel Gandry, the director of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. Among local filmmakers he likes the works of Paolo Villaluna and Olivia Lamasan.
Together with five crewmembers from NYU and 20 local staff, Lopez finished making the movie in time for submission to international film festivals by the fourth quarter of the year.
“We might have a short commercial run in Manila by the end of August or early September depending on terms that would be set by the festivals we are planning to join,” Lopez says.
The young director plans to work and further hone his craft in Los Angeles, California before returning home to pursue a career in the local film industry. Rather than relying solely on his family’s foothold in the local film and TV industry, Lopez, just like Diego and his brothers, plans to make his journey to filmmaking success on his own. “You earn more respect when people know you’ve worked and honed your craft abroad,” he adds.
