MANILA, Philippines ? Dante Mendoza, whose film ?Serbis? has been included for competition in the prestigious Cannes International Film Festival in France, will be up against renowned American filmmakers Clint Eastwood, Charlie Kaufman and Steven Soderbergh.

?Serbis,? whose plot follows the story of a family forced to run a prostitution business inside a theater, will compete with 19 other films from around the globe. The list includes films from two other Asian countries??My Magic? by Singapore?s Eric Khoo and ?24 City? by China?s Jia Zhangke.

Mendoza is only the second Filipino director to compete in Cannes. ?Orapronobis,? by the late legendary filmmaker Lino Brocka, was included in the festival in 1984.

?We heard the news from (festival selector) Christian Jeune on Monday night,? Mendoza told Inquirer Entertainment on Friday. ?I had given up hope of making the list. Organizers usually inform competing directors months ahead.?

With the final register of films competing for the Palme d?Or uploaded on the Cannes IFF official site, Mendoza said he?s feeling the pressure. The film is only 90 percent finished. ?I?m rushing. The screener I sent to France was very rough?it had no sound and no effects,? he said. ?But I?ll deliver. It?s just a matter of putting everything together.?

On Tuesday night, Mendoza confirmed that Fortissimo Films is now the world sales agent of ?Serbis.? The Amsterdam-based outfit, chaired by Wouter Barendrecht, also carries such titles as Wong Kar Wai?s ?Chungking Express,? ?2046?; Zhang Yuan?s ?East Palace, West Palace?; Nonzee Nimibutr?s ?Jan Dara and Nang Nak?; Mira Nair?s ?Salaam Bombay?; Tsai Ming-liang?s ?What Time Is it?? and ?Vive L?Amour?; and Mel Chionglo?s ?Sibak? and ?Burlesk King.?

Some of the characters in ?Serbis? are loosely based on people living inside the Family Theater in Angeles City, where much of the film was shot. The movie is also about boys who offer sex inside movie houses.

The cast and crew had been working for eight straight days when Inquirer Entertainment visited the set in Barangay San Nicolas. Most of them, including lead actress Jaclyn Jose, slept at a nearby hotel.

?I?ve done a lot of indie films, pero jackpot ?pag napasali ka sa ganito,? said Jaclyn, who last worked with Mendoza on ?Masahista.?

Director?s quirks

Jaclyn said she had to adjust to Mendoza?s quirks just for this project. ?He told me not to pluck my eyebrows, not to use cologne or brush my teeth,? she related. ?I had to live my character, stop acting for the camera and forget all my previous training.?

Coco Martin, who plays a billboard painter, had to learn the craft to make his portrayal believable. The film also required him to smoke cigarettes and wear fake blisters on his back.

?I trust Direk Dante. I don?t care if he gives me obscure roles. What?s important is that I?m in his film,? said Martin, who was also a cast member of Mendoza?s ?Masahista,? ?Tirador,? and ?Foster Child.?

Martin added: ?I wasn?t in the original cast of ?Foster,? but I hung around the set. When he saw me there, he made me drive a pedicab in one of the scenes. I had no lines, but I felt really proud.?

?Foster Child? became the Philippine representative to the 2007 Director?s Fortnight in France and has won four international awards.

According to creative producer Amado ?Bing? Lao, ?Serbis? was initially a tribute to theater houses, whose audience eventually trooped to cineplexes. It was while researching that his team discovered the four-level Family Theater, which has been operating since the early 1980s.

?I don?t think you?ll find a theater house in Manila as beautiful as this,? Lao said. ?Out of the research and interviews we had here, the new story emerged.?

The film is top-billed by multi-awarded actress Gina Pareño who plays Flor, the matriarch who owns the theater house. Also in the cast are Dan Alvaro, Julio Diaz, Kristoffer King, Mercedes Cabral, Roxanne Jordan and Bobby Jerome Go.

?Serbis? is set for local screenings starting June 18.

E-mail mcruz@inquirer.com.ph