There is a quiet power that surges behind the best of Philippine entertainment today. And it doesn’t flash across the screen with celebrity allure or roll up dramatically in the end credits. Instead, it happens behind the camera, just out of frame, and — most powerfully — at the helm of the vision.
Mae Cruz-Alviar, sharing a roundtable with lead actor Joshua Garcia, returns to television with the emotionally rich Filipino adaptation of ‘It’s Okay Not to Be Okay.’ TMT PHOTO PHOTO
Such is the case with ABS-CBN’s steady stream of massive, genre-defining hits. What truly links these successes isn’t just the platform they air on or the stars they feature—it’s the creative force steering the story from behind the scenes.
Director Lester Pimentel Ong — here with Ian Veneracion while shooting in Japan — brings Filipino action drama to new heights in the hit primetime series ‘Incognito.’ PHOTO FROM INSTAGRAM/ DIREKLESTER
We see this most clearly in the work of directors Lester Pimentel Ong and Mae Cruz-Alviar. As “Incognito,” the action epic under Ong’s direction, nears its finale on July 18 after a high-octane 128-episode run, Cruz-Alviar prepares to unveil the much-buzzed-about Filipino adaptation of the hit Koreanovela, “It’s Okay Not to Be Okay.” on July 21. Different in genre, temperament, and lens, the two directors have something profoundly compelling in common: the ability to shape something bold, moving, and altogether Filipino—not just from ambition but from a deep well of passion, vision, discipline, and unwavering creative belief.
Be the first to comment