CinemaBravo

In his second QCinema International Film Festival Circle Competition piece, filmmaker Prime Cruz gives a human face to the winged monster called the “manananggal”.

“Ang Manananggal Sa Unit 23B” is one of the films funded by the Quezon City Film Development Commission (QCFDC), the organizers of QCinema.

In this film, Cruz will show a monster capable of loving others, redefining the usual portrayal of manananggal as a heartless and cruel creature.

The movie will focus on Jewel, played by Ryza Cenon, a mysterious woman by day and a manananggal at night who lives alone in the city. She leads a lonely life until she meets Nico, played by Martin Del Rosario, a broken-hearted, down-and-out guy who also feels unlovable like she does.

Moments of introspection will come into play as Jewel decides between loving Nico and wanting to save him from herself.

In Philippine folklore, a manananggal is an alluring woman at day and a devious man-eating and blood-sucking monster by night. Cruz says that his fascination for monsters, particularly the manananggal, inspired him to tell the story of Jewel.

Works

Cruz’s first feature film, “Sleepless”, won the NETPAC Jury Prize for Best Picture at the 2015 QCinema International Film Festival.

His short film, “Kung ang Ulan ay Gawa sa Tsokolate”, was awarded as the Best Short Film at the 2016 CineFilipino Film Festival.

Cruz has worked for various media giants including, ABS-CBN Corp. and TV5 Network Inc. He currently writes and directs for television for The IdeaFirst Company.

QCinema Schedule

QCinema 2016 will take place from October 13 to 22, 2016 at four mall venues namely, Ayala Trinoma, Gateway Cinemas, Robinsons Galleria, and UP Town Center. Its film seminars will be held at the QCX, the new museum complex at the Quezon Memorial Circle.

For more information, see our QCinema 2016 guide here.