The Woman King is the remarkable story of the Agojie, the all-female unit of warriors who protected the African Kingdom of Dahomey in the 1800s with skills and a fierceness unlike anything the world has ever seen. Inspired by true events, The Woman King follows the emotionally epic journey of General Nanisca (Oscar®-winner Viola Davis) as she trains the next generation of recruits and readies them for battle against an enemy determined to destroy their way of life. Some things are worth fighting for…
The Agojie warriors were made up of women with varied backgrounds from villages across the region, who came together to form an unbreakable sisterhood. As director Gina Prince-Bythewood prepared to shoot in South Africa, she sought to mirror that in her cast. “I wanted to build an ensemble that represented the incredible diversity of our Diaspora,” she says. “We have Thuso Mbedu, who is from South Africa; Lashana Lynch, who’s Jamaican; and Sheila Atim, who comes from the UK, but is also Ugandan. We have women from West Africa, and African American women. That was all intentional, to bring us all together to tell the story of us. I love the energy that it brought to set.”
Viola Davis & John Boyega (Courtesy of Columbia Pictures)
Viola Davis is Nanisca, the Agojie general. “Nanisca is the leader, the grizzled warrior, the woman who has quietly risen in the ranks to a level of power. She understands how to play the political game in her world,” explains producer Dana Stevens. “She has the job to train younger warriors to come up under her to protect those young women as well to train them in a way that they can protect themselves on the battlefield.”
Thuso Mbedu is Nawi. In a village outside the walls of the palace is Nawi, a young, orphaned girl who has had to learn self-sufficiency, she has resisted all of her adoptive father’s attempts to have her married off. When he realizes that her fate is to never marry or have children, he delivers her to the palace, where she is handed over to the Agojie.
Thuso Mbedu, Lashana Lynch & Sheila Atim (Courtesy of Columbia Pictures)
Lashana Lynch is Izogie. At the palace, Nawi meets Izogie, an Agojie lieutenant who also had entered the sisterhood under troubled circumstances, and – identifying with Nawi – nurtures and mentors the young girl. “In order for a Black woman to be strong – it comes from something,” says Lynch. “It comes from vulnerability, it comes from pain, it comes from trauma – and I think they did such a great job in balancing this real, strong, fierce, skilled woman, with a woman who has to advocate for herself once she’s empowered by her chosen family.”
Sheila Atim is Amenza. Once Nanisca’s captive servant, Amenza is now the general’s right hand in the Agojie army. As a result of their long-standing friendship, Amenza and Nanisca share a strong bond and a deep secret.
‘The Woman King’ Ensemble (Courtesy of Columbia Pictures)
John Boyega is King Ghezo. Having recently staged a successful coup – with the help of the Agojie warriors – which deposed his brother from his reign, Ghezo is new to the throne. “He is a conflicted young king who is dealing with the variance of decisions,” says Boyega. “This is a very complicated time in his history. After a controversial rise to the throne, he’s at a point where leadership and decision-making is going to mean everything for the future of the Dahomey people.”
The Woman King is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Connect with the hashtag #TheWomanKing
When Harry Styles had his first musical fame, he could have made a smooth transition into Hollywood leading man roles. But he’s never had any interest in doing things the easy way. Instead, he made his film debut as a character actor, with a supporting role in 2017’s “Dunkirk,” the Oscar-nominated World War II drama from Christopher Nolan.
Styles says of the film, “I think, in general, this is about relationships, and trust, and betrayal, and love, and passion, and sex, and the sun, and… Palm Springs.”
Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
In “Don’t Worry Darling,” Alice (Florence Pugh) and Jack (Styles) are lucky to be living in the idealized community of Victory, the experimental company town housing the men who work for the top-secret Victory Project and their families. The 1950’s societal optimism espoused by their CEO, Frank (Chris Pine) anchors every aspect of daily life in the tight-knit desert utopia. But when cracks in their idyllic life begin to appear, exposing flashes of something much more sinister lurking beneath the attractive façade, Alice can’t help questioning exactly what they’re doing in Victory, and why.
Director Olivia Wilde says, “Casting Jack was really tricky, because we wanted to find someone who would be a worthy scene partner to Florence Pugh. We also wanted someone who wasn’t what we might typically identify as a 1950s traditional man. We wanted their relationship to seem singular. That he wasn’t a stereotypical ‘master of the house,’ that their love seemed genuine, authentic and warm—you’d immediately recognize it to be special within Victory. Jack and Alice are different.”
Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Having seen “Dunkirk” and been impressed with the performance of Harry Styles, Wilde inquired after his availability for the project. “I thought, here was someone who has tremendous presence, intelligence, and honestly, fearlessness.”
After meeting with filmmakers, Styles signed on to play the role, with mutual excitement between Styles and Pugh to inhabit the couple at the center of the movie.
Styles explains, “Jack Chambers is a husband. He loves his wife, and he wants to go to work and then come home and hang out with Alice. In that way, he’s pretty run-of-the-mill. It’s the very traditional stereotype of an old-school, perfect marriage. While he works, she’s at home, cleaning and cooking. But, he loves his wife more than anything in the world. I think they’re obsessed with each other. It’s kind of an ‘us against the world’ relationship.”
Photo Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
For Styles, that world is one of both lulling, seductive beauty and an opportunity cost: “Victory represents the sheltered kind of life that allows you to stay in your ultimate comfort zone. You can ignore all the problems in the world, and some people are okay with that. I think for everyone, it’s a safe, easy, comfortable little bubble. They think everything’s perfect, but the world isn’t like that. It has consequences. People inside those kind of bubbles, they don’t want to know about the consequences. I think that’s what Victory represents—a willingness to be ignorant to the rest of the world.”
A New Line Cinema presentation, “Don’t Worry Darling” is distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures and is set to open in cinemas across the Philippines on September 28. Join the conversation online and use the hashtag #DontWorryDarling
At the center of “Where the Crawdads Sing“ is Kya Clark (Daisy Edgar-Jones) – “the marsh girl” – about whom little is known and much is assumed. When Chase Andrews, once the town’s star quarterback and now heir apparent to a successful auto shop, is found dead in the marsh, most of the townspeople are quick to blame Kya. As local defense attorney Tom Milton tries to save Kya’s life, Kya slowly reveals her mysteries – abandoned by her family and left to make a life for herself in the marsh… the two loves that shaped her past… and the lengths that creatures of nature will go to survive.
“The main thing I love about Kya is how resilient she is,” says Daisy Edgar-Jones. “Her relationship with Chase ends on bad terms. When Chase is found dead in the marsh, Kya goes on trial for his murder. All eyes are on her during the trial, yet she continues to show incredible resilience and strength, and maintains her quiet curiosity and connection with the natural world.”
Photo Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
“Kya says there’s no dark side to nature, just inventive ways to endure,” adds Edgar-Jones. “For Kya, having suffered so much abuse from her family and people leaving her, the one thing that always stuck was nature. It always there for her and I think it became her family.”
“Daisy Edgar-Jones is a once-in-a-lifetime talent,” says producer Reese Witherspoon. “She can morph herself into so many different characters. You feel her vulnerability and her ferocity in this performance. Daisy and [director] Olivia Newman worked together to create a performance that sometimes is very, very small and internal, and other times is rage-filled and ferocious. There’s no artifice, there’s no lying, she just becomes the character. And I have to say, I’m pretty tough on Southern accents, and Daisy just fell into it so beautifully, with a real respect for the language and the way that Delia wrote.”
Photo Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
To prepare for the role, Edgar-Jones – a Londoner by birth – would have to remake herself into Kya Clark: her physical strength, her experience boating in the marsh, her talent for drawing and painting, and, of course, her Carolina accent.
“I read the book over and over and over,” Edgar-Jones says. “When I got the script, I went through every scene I had, and I wrote out the key parts of the chapter next to the script page, which was really helpful. I learned a lot about boating and the marsh – the wildlife and the landscape.”
Photo Courtesy of Columbia Pictures
Edgar-Jones worked with dialect coach Francie Brown to hide her London accent and to speak like a mid-century American woman living on the North Carolina coast. “I love working in accents, because acting in my own voice makes me very self-conscious,” says Edgar-Jones. “Because I play Kya as she ages over several years, it was important to express the subtleties of Kya’s voice as she ages from a higher register at 15 to 20 to 23. That was a real access point for me because there’s a kind of special softness to Kya’s voice that’s different from mine, which was also a really good way to separate myself from the character.”
In cinemas across the Philippines starting September 14, Where the Crawdads Sing is distributed by Columbia Pictures, local office of Sony Pictures Releasing International. Connect with the hashtag #CrawdadsMovie
Academy-award winning actress Tilda Swinton and the multi-talented Idris Elba star in “Three Thousand Years of Longing”, directed by George Miller, the film is a sweeping fantasy romantic adventure that trails the adventures of a solitary academic and the magical genie-in-a-bottle.
Swinton and Elba in “Three Years of Longing”
Swinton plays narratologist Dr. Alithea Binnie, someone who studies stories through the ages while Elba takes on the role of Djinn aka Genie. Their worlds intertwine as Dr. Binnie unknowingly picks up a magical bottle from a pile of relics to bring home from her trip. Once settled in her room, she eventually unleashes a genie from the bottle who offers her three wishes in exchange for her freedom. Desperate to gain her trust for his freedom, Djinn takes Dr. Binnie on an epic adventure recalling his 3000 years being in and out of the bottle.
To see the film in a cinema is the filmmakers’ greatest hope for audiences. “When we go into the cinema, it’s a kind of public dreaming,” says Miller. “You are invited into the story, and hopefully caught up in it. Sharing dreams with strangers, on the big screen. We worked so hard on the images and sounds, making them congruent. We tried to tell a story that keeps you leaning forward in your seat and, if it’s any good, to follow you out of the cinema.”
Tilda Swinton as Dr. Binnie in “Three Years of Longing”
“Three Thousand Years of Longing” is not just giving us a good story, it’s also about the importance of stories,” adds Elba. “I’m hoping that we continue to find ingenious ways to engage an audience in a story. You could quite easily sit around the tree, or a fire and tell the story of Alithea meeting the Djinn, and it would still be compelling, but with what George and our team created around it, visually, sonically, is amazing.”
For Tilda Swinton, “even though George wanted to make this film years ago, there’s never been a better time to make this film and for audiences to reconsider how important narrative is in our lives. What happened to us with the pandemic, and other global forces, there’s been a threat to the possibility of us being able to create narratives. We’re getting used to finding a way to renegotiate how we create narratives. Being story-less is not a good place for human beings to be. It is a threat to our mental health. This film is a real opportunity for people to re-evaluate and re-worship story as an essential part of how we work. So, bring on Three Thousand Years of Longing, to reboot the narrative drive in our systems.”
Swinton, Miller & Elba in “Three Years of Longing”
From Go Asia Entertainment, experience wonder in cinemas once again when Three Thousand Years of Longing opens September 14.
The Walt Disney Studios turned up the volume in Hall D23 at the Anaheim Convention Center where thousands of fans gathered at D23 Expo 2022 to be the first to hear big announcements, new details and future plans for Disney Live Action, Pixar and Walt Disney Animation Studios. The showcase began in true Disney style with a look back at special moments in Studio history and Cynthia Erivo’s breathtaking performance of the classic Disney song “When You Wish Upon a Star.”
“What a way to kick off the show,” said Alan Bergman, chairman of The Walt Disney Studios. “Of course, ‘When You Wish Upon a Star’ was first heard in the animated film ‘Pinocchio’ in 1940. It’s a motto about dreaming big, dreaming the impossible and making those dreams come true. And that’s something we try to do each and every day at the studio.”
Fans in Hall D23 were among the first to see a brand-new logo introduction of the iconic Disney castle—now platinum in honor of Disney’s 100 Years of Wonder celebration. Created by Disney Studios and Industrial Light & Magic, and featuring an all-new arrangement of “When You Wish Upon a Star” by award-winning composer Christophe Beck (“Frozen,” “WandaVision”), the new Disney castle introduction will play in front of all Disney theatrical and streaming releases starting this fall.
Bergman called on Sean Bailey, president of Walt Disney Studios Motion Picture Production (Disney Live Action); Pete Docter, chief creative officer of Pixar Animation Studios; and Jennifer Lee, chief creative officer of Walt Disney Animation Studios to walk fans through a powerful lineup of streaming and theatrical titles. The event included the following theatrical titles’ highlights.
DISNEY LIVE ACTION
· “HAUNTED MANSION” director Justin Simien—who actually used to work at Disneyland—joined Bailey to discuss the ghostly adventure. Inspired by the classic theme park attraction, “Haunted Mansion” is about a woman and her son who enlist a motley crew of so-called spiritual experts to help rid their home of supernatural squatters. They shared a sneak peek of the film exclusively with the D23 Expo crowd, then welcomed the queen of scary movies, Jamie Lee Curtis, who made an unforgettable entrance aboard a Haunted Mansion doom buggy. Curtis plays Madame Leota in the film, which releases next year.
· “MUFASA: THE LION KING,” a prequel to “The Lion King,” won’t release until 2024, but director Barry Jenkins was on hand to show a never-before-seen sneak peek and share a little about the film, which is currently in production. Told in flashbacks—Rafiki, Timon and Pumbaa tell the story of Mufasa to a young lion cub—“Mufasa” reveals the rise of one of the greatest kings of the Pride Lands.
· “SNOW WHITE” is a live-action reimagining of the classic tale starring Rachel Zegler in the title role and Gal Gadot as Snow White’s Stepmother, The Queen. The film’s two stars joined Bailey to talk about their roles and to share a very early glimpse at the iconic characters in the 2024 film, which is directed by Marc Webb, produced by Marc Platt and features new songs by Tony®-, Grammy®- and Oscar®-winning songwriters Pasek and Paul.
· “THE LITTLE MERMAID” director Rob Marshall took a break from post-production under the sea to share more about the live-action version of the beloved tale. He played the “Part of Your World” sequence for fans in Hall D23 and invited on stage Ariel herself, Halle Bailey, who shared her excitement about her new role. Marshall concluded by introducing the new teaser trailer, available worldwide today. Featuring fan-favorite songs plus four new songs penned by Alan Menken and Lin-Manuel Miranda, the feature film also stars Melissa McCarthy as Ursula and Javier Bardem as Triton. “The Little Mermaid” swims onto the big screen next summer.
PIXAR ANIMATION STUDIOS
Pixar’s Pete Docter was excited to share the upcoming slate for the Emeryville-based animation studio. “These last few years have been a time of great change in the world,” said Docter. “And it’s led us at Pixar to think about the future. Or, if I’m channeling my inner Joe from ‘Soul,’ I’d ask: ‘Why are we here? What’s our purpose?’ Well, for us, it’s to tell great animated stories. Whether those are theatrical feature films, streaming series or shorts, we think telling stories is foundational to who we are as people. They really define us. And we believe in the power of animation to capture and reflect the stories of our own lives.”
First up, filmmakers Peter Sohn and Denise Ream joined Docter on stageto discuss “ELEMENTAL,” an all-new, original feature film releasing in June 2023. Sohn, who directs the film, shared the personal inspiration behind the film—a story of immigrants pursuing dreams in beautiful neighborhoods where language and cultures come together. Filmmakers introduced the characters in “Elemental,” which is set in a city where fire-, water-, land- and air-residents live together. Ember is a tough and fiery young woman, and Wade is a fun, sappy, go-with-the-flow guy. Helping bring them to life are Leah Lewis and Mamoudou Athie, who were warmly welcomed to the Hall D23 stage. Audience members got an exclusive look at the film and received a mini-poster featuring Ember and Wade.
Before Docter could wrap Pixar’s portion of the show, he heard a voice from inside his head. Fortunately, it was actually the voice of Joy, Amy Poehler, who arrived on stage to huge applause—especially when she informed the audience that “INSIDE OUT 2” is in the works at Pixar. Director Kelsey Mann, producer Mark Nielsen and writer Meg LeFauve are hard at work on the all-new adventure inside the head of now-teenager Riley—who may or may not be feeling all kinds of new Emotions. “Inside Out 2,”the follow-up to 2015’s Oscar®- and Golden Globe®-winning feature film, is slated for release Summer 2024.
WALT DISNEY ANIMATION STUDIOS
Walt Disney Animation Studios’ Chief Creative Officer Jennifer Lee received a warm welcome from fans who were delighted to hear details about the studio’s plans for the yearlong 100-year anniversary celebration. “At Walt Disney Animation Studios, the studio that started it all, on the eve of our 100th anniversary, we see today as a moment of privilege and promise,” said Lee. “A privilege to be stewards of a studio and a dream that Walt and his brother, Roy, started a century ago. And a promise to continue to take risks in our storytelling—and to explore and expand and turn the possible into the actual, just as Walt did.”
Lee then set the tone for Disney Animation’s next feature film, introducing the filmmakers behind “STRANGE WORLD.” Director Don Hall and co-director/ screenwriter Qui Nguyen revealed their personal connections to the film that’s about an incredible family who must get past their differences to save a strange world full of danger and surprises. The audience was treated to an all-new trailer from Disney Animation’s 61st feature film before voice cast members Jake Gyllenhaal (Searcher Clade), Dennis Quaid (Jaeger Clade), Jaboukie Young-White (Ethan Clade) and Lucy Liu (Callisto Mal) joined the festivities. Fans also got a glimpse at an action-packed sequence from the film and received an exclusive poster. Produced by Roy Conli, “Strange World” also features the voice of Gabrielle Union (Meridian). The film opens in theaters Nov. 23, 2022.
In the finale moment of the presentation, Lee returned to the stage to officially unveil Disney Animation’s next original feature film, “WISH,” set to release Fall 2023, during the Studio’s 100th year. A film that could only come from Walt Disney Animation Studios, the epic animated musical is inspired by the legacy of films from the studio and asks the question: “How did the wishing star, upon which so many characters wished, come to be?” Directors Chris Buck and Fawn Veerasunthorn outlined the story, which is set in Rosas, the kingdom of wishes where wishes can literally come true. Attendees were introduced to 17-year-old Asha—an optimist with a sharp wit who cares endlessly about her community. In a moment of desperation, Asha makes an impassioned plea to the stars, which is answered by a cosmic force, a little ball of boundless energy called Star. Together, they face the most formidable of foes to save her community and prove that when the will of one courageous human connects with the magic of the stars, wondrous things can happen. Disney Animation good-luck-charm Alan Tudyk joined filmmakers on stage to share an animation test for his newest character, a goat named Valentino. Buck, Veerasunthorn and Lee then introduced the voice of Asha, actress Ariana DeBose, who brought down the house singing an all-new original song written by Julia Michaels, who’s writing all of the songs for “Wish.” DeBose’s captivating performance of “More for Us” closed the showcase in signature Disney style. Lee is a writer on the film, Peter Del Vecho produces and Juan Pablo Reyes co-produces.
The Max Original series, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin has been renewed for a second season. Co-created by Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Lindsay Calhoon Bring, the ten-episode first season, which debuted in July of this year, is currently available to stream on HBO GO.
From Warner Bros. Television and Alloy Entertainment, Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin has been called “one of the best horror TV shows of the past two decades” by Bloody Disgusting and Collider has praised it as “incredibly thrilling and exciting.” Variety says, “It quickly asserts itself as a visceral nightmare of a teen slasher” and The Wrap notes the show’s “greatest strength, outside of the casting and characterization: it wears its horror roots on its sleeve.”
Sarah Aubrey, Head of Original Content, HBO Max quote: “We are so proud of the incredible response both critically and from fans that Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin has received. Viewers have embraced our new generation of Liars, and Roberto and Lindsay’s brilliantly dark, horror-fueled take on this iconic franchise. Along with Alloy and Warner Bros. Television, we are thrilled to continue the Pretty Little Liars legacy.”
Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa and Lindsay Calhoon Bring quote: “We are beyond excited to continue telling stories with our amazing group of little liars — exploring their friendships, their romances, their secrets, and their status as scream queens supreme! Eternal thanks to the fans who have embraced this new, horror-version of Pretty Little Liars — which we’ll be continuing, of course — as well as our partners at HBO Max, Warner Bros. Television, and Alloy Entertainment. As Tabby would say, “There’s a sequel in the offing!”
Season 1: Twenty years ago, a series of tragic events almost ripped the blue-collar town of Millwood apart. Now, in present day, a disparate group of teen girls — a brand-new set of Little Liars — find themselves tormented by an unknown Assailant and made to pay for the secret sin committed by their parents two decades ago…as well as their own. In the dark, coming-of-age, horror-tinged drama Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin, we find ourselves miles away from Rosewood, but within the existing Pretty Little Liars universe — in a brand-new town, with a new generation of Little Liars.
Season 1 cast: Bailee Madison, Chandler Kinney, Zaria, Malia Pyles, Maia Reficco, Mallory Bechtel, Sharon Leal, Elena Goode, Eric Johnson, Alex Aiono and Lea Salonga.
Season 1 credits:Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin is from executive producer/writer Roberto Aguirre-Sacasa (Riverdale, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) and co-executive producer/writer Lindsay Calhoon Bring (Chilling Adventures of Sabrina). The series is produced by Aguirre-Sacasa’s Muckle Man Productions and Alloy Entertainment (Gossip Girl, Pretty Little Liars, The Vampire Diaries) in association with Warner Bros. Television. I. Marlene King (who developed the original Pretty Little Liars), Michael Grassi, Caroline Baron, and Alloy’s Leslie Morgenstein and Gina Girolamo are also executive producers of the series, which is based upon Alloy’s bestselling series of books by Sara Shepard. Jimmy Gibbons serves as a producer for Muckle Man Productions.
Stream or download Season 1 of Pretty Little Liars: Original Sin on HBO GO. All seven seasons of the original Pretty Little Liars are also available on HBO GO. Subscribe to HBO GO online at https://www.hbogoasia.ph/ or the mobile app via the App Store or Play Store. Or access HBO GO via Cignal, Globe and Skycable. HBO GO is also available on Android TV, Apple TV, LG TV and Samsung Smart TV – and comes with AirPlay and Google Cast functionality.
From New Line Cinema, Dwayne Johnson stars in the action adventure “Black Adam.” The first-ever feature film to explore the story of the DC Super Hero comes to the big screen under the direction of Jaume Collet-Serra (“Jungle Cruise”).
Nearly 5,000 years after he was bestowed with the almighty powers of the ancient gods—and imprisoned just as quickly—Black Adam (Dwayne Johnson) is freed from his earthly tomb, ready to unleash his unique form of justice on the modern world.
Poster Courtesy of Warner Bros. Pictures
Johnson stars alongside Aldis Hodge (“City on a Hill,” “One Night in Miami”) as Hawkman, Noah Centineo (“To All the Boys I’ve Loved Before”) as Atom Smasher, Sarah Shahi (“Sex/Life,” “Rush Hour 3”) as Adrianna, Marwan Kenzari (“Murder on the Orient Express,” “The Mummy”) as Ishmael, Quintessa Swindell (“Voyagers,” “Trinkets”) as Cyclone, Bodhi Sabongui (“A Million Little Things”) as Amon, and Pierce Brosnan (the “Mamma Mia!” and James Bond franchises) as Dr. Fate.
Collet-Serra directed from a screenplay by Adam Sztykiel and Rory Haines & Sohrab Noshirvani, screen story by Adam Sztykiel and Rory Haines & Sohrab Noshirvani, based on characters from DC. Black Adam was created by Bill Parker and C.C. Beck. The film’s producers were Beau Flynn, Dwayne Johnson, Hiram Garcia and Dany Garcia, with Richard Brener, Walter Hamada, Dave Neustadter, Chris Pan, Eric McLeod, Geoff Johns and Scott Sheldon
“Black Adam” smashes into theaters and IMAX in the Philippines beginning 19 October 2022. It will be distributed worldwide by Warner Bros. Pictures. Join the conversation online and use the hashtag #BlackAdam
From Working Title, producer of unforgettable and iconic blockbuster rom-coms like Notting Hill, Bridget Jones’s Diary, Love Actually and Four Weddings and a Funeral, Ticket to Paradise is et to bring back those “feels” that had left the audience eager to re-experience the collective excitement of watching a love story in a cinema.
“The world had completely changed when the pandemic hit. I thought about what I wanted to write and work on next, and I landed on writing something that would make people happy—something joyous and optimistic. Romantic comedies bring a large audience together to collectively laugh with each other, and after a few tough years, that seemed like a beautiful thing to bring to the big screen,” shared director Ol Parker.
(from left) David (George Clooney) and Georgia (Julia Roberts) in Ticket to Paradise, directed by Ol Parker. (Photo Credit: Universal Pictures)
It was rich comedic material for Clooney and Roberts to mine, and luckily, they both saw its potential. “Julia and I weren’t actively looking for a project to do together, but, of course, it was easy to say yes to a chance to work on another project with her,” Clooney says. “Ol Parker sent the script to both of us at the same time and said that he had written the parts for Julia and me. So, right after I read it, I called Julia and told her, ‘I’ll do it if you do it,’ and she said, ‘Well, I’ll do it if you will.’ And not long after that, we were heading to Australia.”
Roberts and Clooney’s history and friendship goes way back, and that friendship comes across in their work. “George and I have always had a good chemistry as friends,” Roberts says. “We approach our work in similar ways as well. I think we also get a lot of joy out of making each other laugh. So, each day was like a search for me to find how I could make George laugh. We both take an immense amount of care in creating an environment where people feel creative and happy at work. It brings out the best in everyone.”
(from left) Wren (Billie Lourd, back to camera), Gede (Maxime Bouttier) and Lily (Kaitlyn Dever) in Ticket to Paradise (Universal Pictures)
Although Ticket to Paradise is principally a comedy, it touches on deeper, universal themes of love, regret and the complex emotions of parenting children as they take their first real steps into adulthood. Unlike most romantic comedies, which are primarily about people in their 20s or early 30s, the film explores love, in all its permutations, and about the sweet surprise of second chances.
Ticket to Paradise opens on October 5 in local cinemas nationwide from Universal Pictures International.
The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) flagship film festival, Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (PPP), returns to the big screen this year featuring award-winning classic films of the new National Artists for Film and Broadcast Arts. The films will be screened for free in TriNoma Cinema in Quezon City and in all Cinematheques Centres nationwide (Manila, Iloilo, Negros, Davao, and Nabunturan) from September 9 to 23.
In line with the month-long celebration of Philippine Film Industry Month this September which aims to recognize the invaluable achievements of all the stakeholders and sectors of the industry, this year’s PPP Classics section consists of films of the three new National Artists for Film: actress Nora Aunor, screenwriter Ricky Lee, and late director Marilou Diaz-Abaya.
Newly-restored film Atsay by Eddie Garcia and Tatlong TaongWalang Diyos by Mario O’Hara, starring “Superstar” Nora Aunor, will have their gala premiere on September 9 in TriNoma Cinema. National Artist Aunor won the Gawad Urian Best Actress awards for Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos in 1977 and Garcia’s Atsay bagged the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) – Best Film award in 1978.
Notable films written by award-winning screenwriter Ricky Lee, Cain at Abel and Gumapang Ka sa Lusak by Lino Brocka, will be screened on September 14. Cain at Abel received the FAMAS Awards Best Picture in 1983, while Gumapang Ka sa Lusak bagged the Best Picture award in Gawad Urian in the same year.
Feature films Brutal and Karnal from the “trilogy” of multi-awarded director Marilou Diaz-Abaya will have their public screening on September 15. Diaz-Abaya bagged the MMFF Best Director award for her film Brutal in 1980 and the MMFF Best Picture prize for Karnal in 1983.
The annual PPP will also be returning to offer fresh perspectives from the youth and the regions, featuring the finalists from Sine Kabataan Short Film Lab and Festival and Sine Isla: LuzViMinda Short Film Competition. PPP Classics will be screened together with the Sine Kabataan and Sine Isla short films starting September 17 to 24 in all Cinematheques Centres (Manila, Iloilo, Davao, Negros and Nabunturan).
The PPP Classics lineup is supported by Solar Films, ABS-CBN’s Sagip Pelikula, and Viva Films.
For more information and updates on PPP 6, follow their official page on Facebook.
We all thought reforestation meant just planting seeds. What we don’t know is that most of the process requires the expertise and constant hard work of forest rangers.
The Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf got a glimpse of the life of a forest ranger when they visited Mt. Balagbag at Ipo Watershed, Rizal. This was made possible by Philippine Parks & Biodiversity and Eco Explorations.
In their visit, they discovered how crucial it is to prioritize Ipo Watershed. 96% of Metro Manila’s water supply comes from Ipo Watershed. Knowing that one of the most densely populated areas in the country is heavily reliant on one area has reinforced that there is a strong need for reforestation.
In the same way that Metro Manila heavily relies on Ipo Watershed, Ipo Watershed’s reforestation also heavily relies on our forest rangers. The work that they do is not only difficult but can also be dangerous.
This is why CBTL focuses on helping and spreading awareness that to attain successful reforestation we must care for the rangers and the work that they do. With their “A Tumbler For Tomorrow” campaign, you are not only purchasing a tumbler, but you are also donating to the cause and helping spread awareness.
Watch this clip to know more about CBTL’s day with the forest rangers of Mt. Balagbag:
Find out more about this campaign by visiting this page:
