MANILA, Philippines?Fashion stylist-turned-actor Fanny Serrano said he was given freedom to edit love scenes he made for the indie film ?Tarima? by director Neal ?Buboy? Tan.

?Tarima,? Spanish for ?love nest,? refers to an area behind prison bars where inmates are allowed intimate encounters with visiting spouses or lovers.

?The love scene is necessary,? Fanny told Inquirer. ?It is supposed to be a gift from a boyfriend inmate (played by Rocky Salumbides) to me on my 50th birthday. I sat down with the video editor to make sure I could handle what will be seen onscreen.?

Fanny plays Roselo, an abused child who grew up with a cruel grandmother (Gloria Romero). When a friend (Chokoleit) ends up in jail, Serrano starts bringing him food. Roselo catches the attention of a lonely inmate and falls in love with him.

?The story is based on the experiences of people whom our director knew. It?s a gay movie that will touch the hearts even of straight people,? Fanny said.

He spent four days with Manila City Jail inmates while working on this film.

?I was scared at first,? said Fanny. ?I kept thinking, what if a riot broke out? What if someone took me hostage?? But after just a few hours, I felt part of the community. I heard their heartwarming stories. I was shocked to learn that some of them had been there for years because of some minor offense like vagrancy!?

The encounter changed him profoundly, Fanny said. ?Whenever I get stressed with problems in the salon, I think about the inmates. They worry about their next meal, or whether they will ever see their families again.?

Fanny earlier got favorable notice in ?Tulak,? Tan?s advocacy movie about prohibited drugs, where the actor played a single gay man who adopts and cares for wayward youths.

?I used to think indie films were of poor quality?madilim, malabo?and boring,? said Fanny. ?All of that changed when I worked with Neal.?

From an actor?s point of view, he explained, both ?Tulak? and ?Tarima? felt like big mainstream productions. ?We had big cameras, big lights, even an acting coach.?

Fanny requested for Romero and Rustica Carpio to be cast as his friend and confidant. He recalled: ?I told Neal, if we can?t get them on board, we?d have to scrap the whole project.?

Fanny as Roselo interacts with other interesting individuals?Oskar Peralta as a de-glamorized gay inmate, Tia Pusit as a good-humored nanny, Ana Capri as the unfaithful common-law wife.

?Tarima,? also written by Tan, will have its world premiere on Aug. 28, 8 p.m. at the Cultural Center of the Philippines? Nicanor Abelardo Theater (cocktails at 6p.m.). Tan?s earlier works include ?Ataul for Rent? (2007), ?Hilot? (2009) and ?Pasang Krus? (2009).

E-mail: mcruz@inquirer.com.ph