- Khalil Ramos and Andi Eigenmann were recently announced to star in an indie film tackling extrajudicial killings in the Philippines.
- The indie film entitled “Saturno” has already started their production.
Khalil Ramos and Andi Eigenmann have already started shooting the indie film “Saturno”, under the direction of Bianca Catbagan. The two actors were announced to star in the indie production last Jan 15, 2018, in the film’s Indiegogo page. The indie film was fully funded with donations made by generous people through the said crowdfunding website. The film has already earned $13,085 USD raised by 273 backers, which is equivalent to more than half a million in Philippine peso.
https://www.facebook.com/saturno.film/photos/a.1952460455022080.1073741828.1792651244336336/1987967721471353/?type=3&theater
Saturno follows Luna (played by Andi Eigenmann) whose brother, Marco (Khalil Ramos) was killed in a drug bust operation. Now, she must find a way to give her brother a proper burial.The film, set in the near-future Philippines where extrajudicial killings have reached a breaking point, is director Bianca Catbagan’s answer to the extrajudicial killings happening around the country. Through the film, she poses the question to her fellow Filipinos: how did we get to this point? Why have we lost sight of the humanity of other people for the sake of our personal “safety?”
Both Khalil Ramos and Andi Eigenmann are both familiar with the indie scene. Andi Eigenmann played Raquel in the film Brillante Mendoza’s Ma’ Rosa, which was selected to compete for the Palme d’Or at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. Khalil Ramos, on the other hand, played Felix, the lead of the film 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten, which won Best Picture at the 2016 Cinema One Originals Film Festival.
Bianca Catbagan graduated from the University of the Philippines in 2010 with a BA in Film and Audio-Visual Communication where her thesis film received a Special Award for Excellence for Narrative. A few months later, her film Suntok sa Buwan was awarded seed money of $10,000 and was later screened in major theaters nationwide. Catbagan later worked for a commercial production house as a junior director, spearheading the production of television and web-based commercials. Before she left to pursue her MFA at Columbia University, she directed a documentary called Letters to the Future, a personal project that chronicles what it’s like to be young in Manila in 2014. Her short film Paraluman screened at the Reykjavík International Film Festival where it was selected as part of the Golden Egg Category. Most recently, her film Supermodel was awarded a grant by the Cinematografo International Film Festival and screened to a sold-out audience in San Francisco.
According to her, this film is very important to director Bianca Catbagan. “I wrote this story because I see many Filipinos look away from the violence happening in front of their eyes, refusing to acknowledge that their hands are as blood-stained as the policemen carrying out official orders. Why are their lives more important than the poor men and women being killed on the streets? Who gets to decide who lives?”
For those who are still interested to be a part of their cause, you can send your donations to help in completing the film.
https://www.facebook.com/saturno.film/posts/1967024160232376
