INDEPENDENT filmmaker Adolf Alix Jr. churned out a total of 17 films in a short span of four years ? a rare feat.

?I am surprised at the pace myself. If these were children, people would say hindi ako nag-family planning,? Alix quipped. ?But seriously, for one to be considered a filmmaker, he needs to make films. Whenever any opportunity comes that makes me think the story needs to be told, I grab it.?

Alix was at the Philippine Daily Inquirer offices in Makati City recently for a screening of his film ?Kadin,? shot entirely in the windswept province of Batanes. It stars first-time actors Rico Cardona and Monica Joy Camaril, supported by Angel Aquino and Simon Ibarra.

The movie follows two kids around the island as they search for a goat. It premiered at the 2006 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, where it won the awards for Best Musical Scoring and Best Cinematography. It was shown at the 60th Locarno International Film Festival in Switzerland that same year and competed at the 27th Festival International du Film d? Amiens in France.

During the screening, Alix sat with us, occasionally sharing his experiences while filming. Of one scene, he recalled: ?I didn?t have a megaphone; at times I had to scream at the actors from the other side of the mountain.?

What led you to Batanes?

Watching a replay of ?Oprah? one night, I learned that she donated cows to an African community. She would give them livelihood, not money, she said. I had just made ?Donsol? at the time, and figured my next project should be a total departure from that one, which was a love story. I looked for a place in the Philippines na sobrang simple. I found Batanes. I stayed there for a week to research.

How did you know who to talk to?

I stayed in the inn owned by Lydia Roberto, where I held auditions. A hundred kids came. Our boy Rico arrived very late. His story was like Magnifico?s (lead character in a Maryo J. De los Reyes film of the same title). Rico carried a crippled nephew around. I didn?t know this at the time of the auditions. As for Monica Joy, she wasn?t our first choice. She came in days later. I liked her because she reminded me of Alessandra de Rossi.

What was it like working with kids?

First of all, the Ivatan language is very difficult to learn; it sounds like a combination of Ilokano and Chinese. My script in Filipino was translated to Ivatan. It was tough working with non-actors. Sometimes I had to do 30 takes. I worked at their pace. I took three weeks to shoot because the children were going to school. To help them catch up with schoolwork, I sometimes helped with their assignments.

How are the children now?

Both are still in school. I?m in touch with Monica Joy, by SMS. Rico and his nephew were featured in ?Wish Ko Lang? recently. When I went back there to make ?Batanes,? I gave them cameo roles.

What?s the challenge in making a docu-drama like ?Kadin??

The story happens in a day. The kids literally walked around the island looking for the lost goat. The challenge was to create an interesting story, because virtually nothing happens there. Some people sit in one corner all afternoon, till sundown. After school, the kids help in the house, take a nap in the afternoon and wait for night time. They have electricity only in the morning.

People really search for missing goats there.

Tell us about ?Muli,? your new film.

It?s my next (gay) movie after ?Daybreak,? which starred Coco Martin and Paolo Rivera. I told my producer, Noel Ferrer, that I?d do something similar to ?Daybreak,? which was the highest-grossing film in IndieSine, only if the material was good. Last year, when I was a judge for the Palanca Awards with directors Mel Chionglo and Carlo J. Caparas, I came across Jerry Gracio?s work. It won second place. I said if we could find the right actors and producer, we?d film it. Edgar Mangahas, who produced ?Manila? for us, financed this film.

Do you have other films lined up?

I just finished, ?Presa? with Anita Linda. It?s an all-women film that also stars Techie Agbayani, Rosanna Roces, Perla Bautista, Jodi Santamaria and Ina Feleo. It?s about life in a women?s correction center. I visited one and was surprised to see that it could be an alternative community ? may beauty parlor at pool! Anita Linda?s character is based on the story of one of the oldest inmate there, who was convicted for drug-pushing. I shot the film last year.

My other film, ?Chassis,? is about people who live under container vans in Pier 16. They are modern-day nomads. Everyday, they have to move because living under vans is prohibited. Jodi is the lead actress.

I?ll start working on a movie with Jacky Woo soon. It?s about a Japanese soldier who isolated himself by living in the forest. Also being developed is a May-December affair between Anita Linda and Fabio Ide. Another is ?Waiting List,? about people in dialysis centers.

What do you think unifies the films that you make?

I guess it?s the fact that all of my main characters are in search of something. I was a writer before I became a director ? I?m keen on developing characters, more than plots.

Part of promoting an indie film is touring it in international festivals. What have you learned from your travels?

You get exposed to other possibilities in cinema. A filmmaker from Turkey, for example, would deal with the same experience differently, on account of his culture. It also goes without saying that a Filipino film can be appreciated even by people of another culture. I was in Jerusalem last year for ?Adela.? While it is also a Christian country, the audience reacted differently, compared to the audience here. A lot of Jews cried. You get direct reactions when you go to festivals. You learn to balance your personal sensibilities with that of the world?s.