Sylvia Sanchez will never forget her experience at the 2025 Cannes Film Festival, where she finally walked the red carpet—not just as an actress, but as a proud co-producer of Renoir, a Japanese film she helped bring to life alongside Alemberg Ang and other producers from Singapore, France, and Japan.
“Tuwang-tuwa kami ni Alem, smile lang kami nang smile. Sulit na sulit, na may nakakatabi kaming mga Hollywood stars. I mean, bilang artista rin, siyempre isa rin ‘yon sa magpapasaya sa iyo, na makita mo ang mga idol mo,” she shared joyfully.
Sylvia had her fair share of fangirl moments. “Ang una kong nakita, galing ako ng banyo, nakita ko si Cate Blanchett. Natulala ako. Kuha ako ng fone, wala na, nakalampas na siya. Siyempre si Cate ‘yon, idol mo, ang galing na artista, pinapanood mo lang,” she recalled.
Still buzzing with excitement, she added, “Then, nag-banyo ako ulit, tapos paglabas ko, nakita ko si Halle Berry. Halos katabi ko talaga.”
But it was her unexpected encounter with James Franco that left a lasting impression. “Bumilib talaga ako kay James Franco… may kausap ako, tapos may isang lalake na nakatalikod, tapos sabi noong kausap ko, ‘James’? Tapos ako naman, eh, lumampas na siya, sabi ko, ‘James Franco’? Humarap siya sa akin, tapos nag-sign siya ng parang peace… After 5 minutes, bumalik siya… noong nakita niya ako, tinawag na niya ako, at nag-picture kami. Sabi ko, ‘Oh my God, Hollywood actor ito, bumalik siya para sa picture’. Sabi ko lang, ‘Thank you, thank you James’.”
For Sylvia, being able to walk the red carpet wasn’t just a personal milestone—it was a breakthrough for her company, Nathan Studios. “Natutuwa ako na bilang producer, ang bilis ng pag-level up ng Nathan Films, na nakapag-red carpet na agad. At sa tulong ‘yon ni Alemberg. How I wish na marami pang producer na tulad niya, na hindi madamot!”
She also expressed admiration for Alemberg, even recalling their first meeting: “Sabi ko in case gusto niya ng producer, puwede ako.”
Alemberg, for his part, was initially surprised by Sylvia’s enthusiasm. “Unang pagkakilala pa lang niya sa akin sabi niya, ‘hanapan mo ako ng pelikulang pupunta (mapapasali) sa Cannes,’” he shared.
The film ‘Renoir’, written and directed by Chie Hayakawa, stars Yui Suzuki, Lily Franky, Hikari Ishida, and Ayumu Nakajima. It had its world premiere at the 78th Cannes Film Festival on May 17. It is scheduled for release in Japan on June 20, in France by August, and in the Philippines in November for the QCinema International Film Festival.
Looking back at her Cannes journey, Sylvia couldn’t help but reflect on how far Nathan Studios has come in just a few years. “Ang Cannes Film Festival ang pinakamalaking festival sa buong mundo… Ako red-carpet lang okay na ako. Kaya noong i-offer sa akin itong Renoir, why not baka makapag-red carpet ako, di ba?… so, ‘yun ang umpisa namin sa red carpet, sana next year magkaro’n ulit.” (with reports from Jen Maslang)
