Filipino families will finally have the chance to watch at the comfort of their own homes Lav Diaz’s much-talked about opus “Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis” as it airs exclusively on SKY Pay-Per-View Critics’ Choice for the whole month of July.
SKY subscribers will have more flexibility in taking part in the ‘Hele’ experience as they get to catch it first at home on SKY for a commercial-free seven-day continuous viewing in high definition since Sky Cable aims to bring a wide array of premium content closer to Filipino families that they can conveniently watch using multiple devices.
Here are seven facts that you probably don’t know about ‘Hele’ that will make you want to catch this rare cinematic treat on pay-per-view.
1. IT’S THE LONGEST FILM TO COMPETE IN THE 66TH BERLIN INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL.
“Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis” is an eight hour epic directed and written by award-winning director Lav Diaz. In fact, moviegoers during the Berlin film fest sat through the eight-hour movie with just one break but praised and cheered Diaz’s masterpiece in the end.
If you want to catch it but are daunted by the epic scale of the movie, just catch the film on any device anytime, anywhere through SKY On Demand, SKY’s video-on-demand platform exclusive to all SKY postpaid subscribers using a SKYbroadband or a SKYmobi (mobile internet) connection. The good thing about SKY On Demand is that subscribers have the power to pause and rewind while watching ‘Hele,’ making the experience more convenient.
Optimized for a flexible viewing, ‘Hele’ on SKY Pay-Per-View Critics’ Choice will air it in three parts and marathon style. Catch parts 1, 2, and 3 at 8PM on Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, respectively. Meanwhile, tune in on Sundays for a marathon viewing.
2. ‘HELE’ HAS A DIFFERENT INTERNATIONAL TITLE.
The international title of ‘Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis’ is the equally poetic ‘A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery.’ After its Berlin film fest run where it won the coveted Silver Bear: Alfred Bauer Prize, it was distributed for cinematic release in the Philippines last March by Star Cinema.
3. PIOLO PASCUAL AND JOHN LLOYD CRUZ PLAY FICTIONAL CHARACTERS IN JOSE RIZAL’S NOVELS.
Piolo plays Simoun/Crisostomo Ibarra, while John Lloyd takes on the role of Isagani, characters from Jose Rizal’s Noli Me Tangere and El Filibusterismo. The movie is not a 100% retelling of historical events as it masterfully combines history, myth, and folklore.
4. THE FILM IS DIVIDED INTO TWO STORIES.
One story in ‘Hele’ recalls Gregoria de Jesus’ search for the body of her slain husband, Andres Bonfacio, while the other follows the journey of a wounded Crisostomo Ibarra/Simoun and a character named Isagani through the jungle as they search for treatment.
5. PIOLO DELIVERS A 17-MINUTE MONOLOGUE AS SIMOUN.
In an interview in “Tonight with Boy Abunda,” Piolo shared that his 17-minute monologue was filled with ‘poetic’ and ‘beautiful’ lines from Lav Diaz. He remarked, “It’s a sin if you change the lines. It’s better to go verbatim because there’s so much –iyong laman ng script, laman ng eksena, iyong mga sinasabi ni Lav are profound. Malalim siya. There’s so much substance to it.”
6. JOHN LLOYD SAYS THE FILM DOESN’T JUST REVOLVE AROUND ANDRES BONIFACIO.
John Lloyd said in an interview with ABS-CBN News that there’s more to the film than just searching for the body of Andres Bonifacio.
“Tinuturuan ka niya how to become a more responsible Filipino when it comes to your own history. The real magic and the real campaign of Lav why he did this film, he really wants change and real change only happens individually — ikaw, ako, isa-isa tayo.”
7. THE CAST IS STAR-STUDDED.
The ‘Hele’ cast is composed of some of the best and critically acclaimed artists in the country. Aside from Piolo and John Lloyd, ‘Hele’ also stars Hazel Orencio, Alessandra de Rossi, Susan Africa, Joel Saracho, Bernardo Bernardo, Cherie Gil, Angel Aquino, Sid Lucero, Ely Buendia, Bart Guingona, Menggie Cobarrubias, Ronnie Lazaro, Karenina Haniel, and Paul Jake Paule.
Don’t miss “Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis” on SKY Pay-Per-View Critics’ Choice and be part of the Lav Diaz magical experience that will open your eyes to Philippine history. Subscribe until July 24 by visiting mysky.com.ph/hele, texting HELE <space> 9-digit account number to 23662 or calling your local SKY office.
‘Hele’ is available to SKY and Destiny Cable subscribers in Metro Manila, CAMANAVA, Rizal Cavite, Laguna, Bulacan, Cebu, Baguio, Iloilo, Bacolod, Davao, Dumaguete, and General Santos for only P199 for standard definition (SD) or high definition (HD) viewing.
