MANILA, Philippines?Just like the characters of the indie film ?Endo,? which he wrote and directed, Jade Castro knows only too well the uncertainties of being a contractual worker.

?I?ve always been a contractual worker in the entertainment industry. I?ve never been a regular employee; I just wait for the next project,? Castro told Inquirer Entertainment. ?That?s how I could relate to the situation of my friends who are?or were? also contractual workers in the service sector, and to the Filipino laborers I met during a strike. That?s how the inspiration for ?Endo? came to me.?

?Endo? is slang for ?End of Contract,? or what contractual workers call their last day of work. The movie tells the story of Leo, who hops from one job to the next.

His relationships with women are similarly fleeting, but when he meets the spirited dreamer Tanya, he is suddenly faced with the promise of a better future. But he doesn?t seem prepared to handle it.

Castro pointed out that his film has two main layers: love/relationship and work. ?There?s more,? Castro stressed, ?but they?re hard to separate because they?re interlocked. I?ve always imagined ?Endo? to be a character study first. Leo is in this particular situation in life, with these character traits, and one informs the other.?

Jason Abalos plays the role of Leo. Ina Feleo, daughter of actor Johnny Delgado and filmmaker Laurice Guillen, portrays Tanya.

?Endo,? rated ?A? by the Cinema Evaluation Board, took home the Grand Jury Prize in last year?s Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival. Ina also won her first Best Actress trophy and JD Domingo his Best Editor award for this film.

Did Jason and Ina audition for the roles? How long did you shoot? Can you share some interesting anecdotes that happened while filming?

They both auditioned. Jason was the very first actor on our list when we were thinking of who could play Leo. After many auditions with many actors, we still picked him. Ina auditioned at the CCP during the mass casting call for all Cinemalaya movies. I immediately liked her, and liked her even more when I reviewed the tapes. We also had an audition for our top choices to test their chemistry. We shot the movie for 13 days spread over three months.

A director whose film was also shown during the Cinemalaya film fest said he was close to quitting due to lack of funds. Did that happen to your production? How did you manage?

I don?t know how we managed. Most of the funds came from UFO Pictures? account, a little of the earnings left from ?Ang Pagdadalaga Ni Maximo Oliveros,? which were not much to begin with. But it helped us get by, especially since the Cinemalaya tranches came late. But the budget was very tight, with zero allotment for locations and close to zero for equipment. We did want to pay staff and crew fairly, so that was the bulk of the budget. Michicko Yamamoto and Ned Trespeces, the main producers for ?Endo,? did an amazing job.

What?s next for ?Endo?? Any invitations from international festivals? What?s next for you?

A commercial run starts at the SM Cinemas, Glorietta, and Gateway starting Feb. 13 (today). I hope many people get to see it. It?s a tribute to the many hardworking Filipinos. It?s a movie designed to entertain but also one that leads to reflection. We?ve had several invitations from different international festivals since Cinemalaya last year, but we?ve accepted only one?Nantes in France.

I?m currently directing a movie for Star Cinema called ?My Big Love,? starring Toni Gonzaga, Sam Milby, and Kristine Hermosa. I have several dream movies.

Who among the local actors do you wish to work with? Why?

No one in particular. But it would be great to work with living legends.