MANILA, Philippines?Independent filmmaker Aureaus Solito, in a conversation with Inquirer Entertainment late last year, spoke of the importance of going back to one?s roots. He also discussed the difficulty of explaining Philippine cinema to foreign audiences.

?Pinipilit nilang ganito o ganyan dapat ang Philippine cinema,? he said of people he met in international film fests. ?Lagi ko silang sinasabihan na pwede tayong indigenous, pwede ring iba sa alam nila. Nang mapanood nila ang ?Pisay,? akala nila fiction. They couldn?t believe there is actually a Philippine Science High School. They said, ?Oh, it?s a real school!??

?Pisay? (the school?s ?pet name?) is Solito?s semi-autobiographical tribute to his alma mater. It shows the struggles of eight teenagers studying in the special high school during the politically volatile ?80s.

The movie won for Solito the Best Director award in last year?s Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival. It also copped the Best Production trophy for Martin Masadao, Regie Regalado, Dante Garcia and Hai Balbuena. Recently, ?Pisay? bagged two awards in the 14th Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema in France: the Grand Prix du Jury (Grand Prize of the International Jury) and the Prix du Public (Audience Prize).

Four ?Pisay? actors? Jonathan Neri, 19, Elijah Castillo, 12, EJ Jallorina, 15 and Alfred Labatos, 15, visited the Inquirer recently.

In this interview, find out, as we did, how making ?Pisay? inspired the boys to expand their horizons. EJ said he learned to ?embrace? the arts. Jonathan now dreams of creating a ?great and brilliant? film just like the one he starred in. As for Elijah, the youngest member of the group at 12, he was determined to do well in his last year in grade school (at the time), ?kasi mahirap pala ang mag-high school.?

Paano kayo napasali sa movie?

Jonathan: Through a family friend, I learned that Solito Arts was looking for actors. Pinapunta po ako sa isang office.

Elijah: Hindi po ako dapat kasali. My parents and I brought a friend to the Cinemalaya mass auditions. Nakita ako ni sir Aureaus doon at pinag-audition n?ya ako.

EJ: The moms of the actors in ?Going Bulilit? told my mom about the Cinemalaya auditions. Nagre-register pa lang po ako, lumapit na sa akin si Direk Aureaus at si Kuya Henry, the screenwriter. Pina-try po nila sa akin yung lines ni Minggoy and Matt with another kid. Nakuha ko po yung role ko sa bahay na ni Direk Aureaus, nu?ng last talent screening.

Did you have acting experience before ?Pisay??

Jonathan: Ako po wala.

EJ: ?Going Bulilit? and ?Mga Anghel na Walang Langit.?

Alfred: ?Mila,? ?Going Bulilit.?

Elijah: ?Pepot Artista.?

What were your memorable experiences while filming?

Hai (production manager): It was shot for 18 days, spread over three months. Summer, sobrang init.

Jonathan: ?Yung pinagsuot ako ng bahag (laughs), mga 2 a.m. Memorable ?yun kasi one take lang.

Elijah: ?Yun pong pinakalbo ako. First time ko ?yun. Bagay naman po sa akin.

Ikaw EJ, ganyan ba talaga ang buhok mo?

EJ: Opo. Memorable po sa akin ang film as a whole. It?s my first. Masaya po, kasi I have different hairstyles for every scene. Nagpahaba talaga ako ng buhok para maitaas ko ng sobrang taas. Pero ?yung pinaka- memorable po ay ?yung ginawa namin yung stage play scene. For me, it?s the most colorful part. Ang saya-saya namin.

Alfred: Kahit mainit n?un, tiniis namin. Sa akin po, halos lahat memorable, lalo na pag inaabot kami ng 3 a.m. Tumatambay kami sa canteen.

Hai: Hinihintay kasi naming matapos ang klase bago mag-shoot. Pinagamit sa amin ang buong school.

How easy or how hard was it to relate to your characters? Kasi nangyari ?yan, hindi pa kayo pinapanganak.

EJ: Ako po, medyo nahirapan.

Alfred: Ako po super.

Jonathan: Ako nahirapan talaga. Ang ginawa ko po, sinunod ko na lang utos nila.

Elijah: Ako po nahirapan talaga kasi po Grade 6 pa lang ako nu?n. Ang hirap palang maging high school. Mahirap mag-adjust.

EJ: For me, working in movies is different from working in television?especially this film because it?s based on true events. Tapos ang ibinigay pang role sa ?yo ay ?yung buhay ng director. Medyo na-pressure po ako. ?Yung workshops na ginawa namin before the shooting, nakatulong po talaga sa akin.

Alfred: Medyo nahirapan po. Ang role ko po dito, tahimik lang at gusto laging mapag-isa. Hindi po ako ganu?n. Minsan ako pa ang pasimuno ng gulo. Pero nu?ng tumagal, medyo nasanay na ako sa role ko, unti-unti ring tahimik na lang ako sa isang tabi.

How similar are your characters to your real selves?

Alfred: Hindi po talaga kami magkapareho (laughs).

EJ: Inclined kami sa arts pareho. Active po ako sa arts sa school namin. Lumalaban din po ako ng interschool competition sa poster-making contest.

Elijah: Ang pagsusuot ng salamin lang yata ang pareho namin.

Jonathan: Gusto n?ya maging corps commander. Pareho kaming determined ma-achieve ang mga goals namin. Mahilig din ako sa chemistry. Dapat nga may soccer scene du?n kaya lang hindi na sinama. Sports-minded rin kasi ako.

For each school year segment in the movie, iba-iba ang bida ?di ba? Nakuha n?yo rin ba sila through auditions?

Hai: Yes. Umikot kami sa mga schools. We also tried out actors who were recommended by Peta. While we were completing the cast, lumalaban si Direk abroad for ?Maximo.? When he came back, s?ya na ang humawak ng final audition. After niyang mamili, pinagsasama n?ya ang mga actors to see if there?s chemistry. Kung wala, hanap uli kami. After that, pinag-acting workshop n?ya for two weeks. ?Yung mga gumanap na teachers mga kasamahan ni Direk sa theater; ?yung iba naman, teachers talaga ng Pisay. The actress who portrayed the role of Wena is Robin Padilla?s niece. Tapos ?yung Liway, she was really a Pisay student. Ngayon nasa UP Manila na s?ya, kumukuha ng medicine.

Sinu-sino ang nagpunta sa France for the awards ceremonies? Can you share your experiences?

EJ: Ako po, si Carl (Barrameda), Claudine (Najera), si Kuya Hai at si Direk Aureaus po. Wala po silang escalator at elevator doon so ang ginawa namin kalampagan ng maleta paakyat at pababa ng hagdan. ?Pag half way na ako, bigla nalang gagaan, ?yun pala may mga tumutulong na sa akin na French. Mabait naman po ang mga tao. Pagdating namin sa train station from Paris to Vesoul, sinundo po kami ng festival director.

It?s a small festival. Very close po ang mga tao. Before the first screening, pumunta po kami sa isang high school sa Vesoul. Ininvite po kami ng isang English class para ma-interview about the movie.

Ano?ng tinanong sa inyo?

EJ: Kung mahirap ba raw gumawa ng pelikula, kung mahirap bang maging artista. Kay Direk po, may nagtanong, ?When will you make a film in France?? May mga students din po kasing gusto mag-artista. After that, they surprised us with special cookies. Binigyan din po kami ng French literature books. After that, autograph signing.

Nag-party po kami after the awards show. Medyo weird silang sumayaw. Wild po. Yung music nila, parang Bollywood. Lahat po kami sumasayaw, pati si Direk, nu?ng nagpatugtog na sila ng ?80s music.

Naka-barong Tagalog kami. That was Direk?s idea. Kasi nga daw po delegates kami ng Philippines. Grabe po ang reaksyon ng mga tao. ?Pag bukas pa lang po ng pintuan para sa amin, ?pag baba ng stairs wala na po kaming makita kasi puro flash ng cameras. They were very impressed. That?s why they requested na mag-barong ulit kami sa awards night.

Nagulat ba kayo sa pagkapanalo n?yo?

Hai: Yes. Karamihan sa mga kalaban naka-35mm. Magagaling talaga. ?Yung nanalo ng Best Picture Award is from China, ?Old Barbers.? Napakagaling. Sabi nga namin, a-attend na lang kami with the kids para ma-experience nila ang festival.

Sino pumili ng kids na isasama?

Hai: Si Direk. Hinahati-hati n?ya. Pangatlong festival na ito for ?Pisay??Toronto, Pusan and Vesoul.

What?s next for you after ?Pisay??

Jonathan: Since napasama ako sa ?Pisay,? na-inspire ako to act. Nakagawa na ako ng two short films. The first one, ?Kadenang Liham,? is about a guy who keeps getting mysterious chain letters. The second one is ?Tol,? about two brothers.

Elijah: Kasali po ulit ako sa isang Cinemalaya film, ?Concerto.? Si Paul Morales, choreographer namin sa ?Pisay,? ang director.

Alfred: Kasama ko po si Ms Sharon Cuneta sa next movie ko. Pamangkin po n?ya ako dun. ?Caregiver? ang title.

EJ: Ang second movie ko po ay ?Manay Po 2,? ang sequel ng ?Manay Po? ng Regal Films. Best friend po ako dun ng character ni Jiro Manio. Isa rin po akong manay.

Gay role ulit? ?Di ka ba tinutukso?

EJ: Opo, pero okey lang sa akin. Hindi naman po totoo eh.

May girlfriend ka na ba?

EJ: Naku! Bata pa po ako. Nandyan lang po sa tabi ang nanay ko. Lagot.

May naitulong ba sa inyo ang ?Pisay?? Na-inspire ba kayo?

Jonathan: Sana makagawa rin ako ng great and brilliant movie. Imaginative din po kasi ako. Meanwhile, concentrate po muna ako sa acting.

Elijah: Studies muna po talaga ang concentration ko. Kung may movie offers man, tinitingnan ko po kung pwede sa school schedule ko.

As early as now may gusto ka nang course kunin sa college?

Elijah: Wala pa rin po, although favorite ko po ang math and science subjects.

EJ: Mas in-embrace ko po ang arts because of this movie. Gusto ko na rin po makapunta sa iba?t ibang bansa, watch different films from different countries. Mas nako-compare ko po ang films na nakaka-entertain lang to films that make you think.

Alfred: Being an actor helps me explore things na hindi ko magagawa kung hindi po ako artista. May mga movies na pwede kang lumipad. ?Pag normal ka lang hindi mo mararanasan ?yun. Halimbawa rin, ang role mo mayroong powers, feel mo na ikaw talaga ?yun, na kaya mong tumulong sa mga naaapi.

?Pisay? began its week-long screening at SM Cinemas on Feb. 20.

(Email mcruz@inquirer.com.ph)