MANILA, Philippines?A huge crowd gathers in a corner of a dumpsite to watch an old woman help deliver a child. The people applaud and cheer when they hear the newborn cry.

It was the scene being filmed when Inquirer Entertainment dropped by the set of ?Adela,? Adolf Alix Jr.?s latest movie, inside Bernabe Compound in Las Piñas City.

The old woman is Adela, portrayed by veteran actress Anita Linda.

?This film is our tribute to Tita Anita. She is a great actress. It?s about time she became the center of attention once again,? said Arleen Cuevas, who co-produced the film with Noel Ferrer. (See short interview with Anita Linda on page D4.)

?Adela? is about an old woman whose children and grandchildren fail to visit her on her 80th birthday. Alix co-wrote the film with Nick Olanka.

?During lulls in the shoot, Tita Anita would tell us about her experiences working with great directors like Lino Brocka and Gerry de Leon,? Alix said during a break. ?She says that, at 83, she still wants to make movies, and that acting is her life.?

Enlightening

Playing the baby?s father, PJ, is Jason Abalos. He said working with Alix and Linda for the first time was very enlightening. ?I learned a lot from them. But I also noticed that they?re very easy to work with. ?Di mo iisiping humakot na sila ng maraming awards,? said Jason. The young actor recently bagged his first acting trophy from the Young Critic?s Circle, for ?Endo.?

Joem Bascon, who plays a snatcher and drug addict, said he got excited when Alix offered the role to him. ?Gusto ko talaga ng character role,? he explained. Joem was in the cast of Alix?s ?Batanes.?

Co-producer Ferrer, who first worked with Alix in the gay movie, ?Daybreak,? said he was putting the money he earned from his previous film into the production of ?Adela.?

?Tita Anita is very grateful for that,? said Ferrer. ?While making this movie, I witnessed first-hand how dedicated she was to her craft. She even brought her own wardrobe to this shoot.?

(Email mcruz@inquirer.com.ph)