Kuan, puhon.

Believe me or not, I wanted to be an actor when I was in Grade 6 (hahaha). Although what I really wanted back then was to be an Archaeologist or Scientist, there was a part of me that wanted to perform on stage or on camera. I started to realize this when I joined a theatre workshop in the summer of 2009. I was eleven at that time, and theatre performers from Manila/Zamboanga offered to teach us the basics of theatre arts. I had fun doing all the activities, we were tasked to create a play for the culmination of the workshop and we decided to make a fantasy story and was set in a kingdom where 'engkanto' lived and prospered.  I was cast as the King of the engkantos, together with me were high school students and some faculty members. By the end of the program I was awarded 'Best Actor”, it was the first time that I felt so fulfilled about something.

I continued this newfound passion until high school and although I can't really tell if I'm good or not, at least I was doing something that I love. I wanted to perform on stage, I'm not a good dancer nor a singer so I try to be a good actor. When I finished high school and entered college, the passion that I had back then was slowly faded away with the passage of time. I was too focused on passing my major subjects and handling organizations that I forgot about the passion that I used to have. So in the summer of 2018 when I was offered to be cast in a summer theatre play, I didn't hesitate and quickly accepted it. It was awkward at first, but I managed to deliver the lines and follow what the director wanted me to do.

Back in July, I was messaged by someone to audition for a short film, the story was about two struggling artists talking about their fading gifts from aliens. The two artists used to have a thing for each other, but it didn't work out for the both of them because one had to chase their dream and the other wanted to be in the comforts of the place they call 'home'. There were a lot of challenges in shooting the film, but luckily we were able to pull off the 20-minute short film. It was fun working with Mayumi, Kent, Ella, Cyril, Grant, Alex, Mary, Alexa, and the rest of the team.

The short film is going to be premiered tonight at 6 PM. I'm inviting everyone to watch 'Kuan, Puhon'. It's going to be streamed live on the Lutas Film Festival Facebook page. And it is now free to watch at the FDCP website at https://fdcpchannel.ph/basic/watch/1471