You won’t see John Lloyd Cruz’s indie movie “Honor Thy Father” at this year’s Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), but the actor and the entire production team are happy that it will be shown at the Toronto International Film Festival instead.
Directed by Erik Matti and produced by Dondon Monteverde of Reality Entertainment, the dark-themed movie is different from the usual MMFF fare of romantic comedies, slapstick, action, horror, and fantasy flicks. These movies follow a tried-and-true formula that producers rely on year after year to churn out box-office hits.
Cruz took a giant leap when he veered away from the usual formula and his efforts are slowly paying off. Being invited to an international film festival is already a big honor for him and fans are equally excited and curious how foreign critics will react to Cruz’s latest movie. By far, the biggest challenge is whether local viewers will embrace the movie and its unique story.
Whatever happens, Monteverde is proud of “Honor Thy Father” and expressed his joy on Facebook.
“To the cast, staff, and crew who worked super hard to do this film, I’m proud to share that we made it to the Toronto International Film Festival! Thank you and congratulations to everyone! Cheers!” he said.
Here’s a screenshot of Monteverde’s message on Facebook:
In “Honor Thy Father”, Cruz plays a man with a dark past who tries to raise a family. Unfortunately, the ghost of his past catches up with him and Cruz is forced to face what he had buried years ago.
Watch the trailer here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1MwgB4Jk8j0
Even if it did not make it to this year’s MMFF, “Honor Thy Father” has a good chance of getting more positive reviews both here and abroad, and the people behind the movie are confident that it will.
What do you think? Are Filipinos ready to break away from the MMFF formula and try new movies? Will “Honor Thy Father” change the local movie industry? Only time will tell.
