SHE turned 50 on Sept. 11, 2008 and decided to ?give back? to the country through some kind of art form, explains Bessie Badilla of her involvement in the award-winning movie, ?Bakal Boys.?

The movie topped the list of most awarded Indie Film for 2009 and received the highest rating from the Cinema Evaluation Board.

Adds Bessie: ?My family dentist in Manila told me her brother, Ralston Jover, who wrote some of my favorite films (?Kubrador,? ?Tirador? and ?Foster Child?) was directing his first film and was looking for a co-producer. Ralston gave me the script, which I read on the plane back to the US, and I fell in love with the story.?

Below are excerpts of SIM?s interview with the model turned independent producer:

What is ?Bakal Boys? about?

It?s based on true stories from a docu and some stories told to Ralston by the ?Bakal Boys? themselves. They?re real life metal divers who plunge into murky Manila Bay in search of scrap metal to sell and exchange for food. Ralston auditioned some 200 boys from Baseco (in Tondo), chose 15, then interviewed and ?trained? them for the actual shoot.

The story is very basic, very simple and yet very endearing. It is the story of a little boy in search of a best friend whom he lost during one of their diving escapades. The story branches out to several sub-plots making the movie a web of day-to-day life events in the Baseco settlement.

Who are in the cast?

Award-winning actress Gina Pareño leads the cast, with real-life children metal divers and a handful of seasoned theater actors.

How did the movie change your life?

When the film was completed, my co-producer Albert Almendralejo felt we could not just abandon the 15 boys in the cast. With the help of his alma mater, San Beda College, he was able to arrange a study grant for the boys, some of whom were illiterate at the start of the filming and had to have their mothers read their lines to them! However, getting them to class was also a problem; after all, they still had to earn a living so they could put food to the table. This is where director Ralston Jover decided to raise funds for the boys.

For each day the boys attend school, they will be rewarded P30, which they can use for food, the same amount they would have earned if they were to dive for a day. This will keep them out of the water, which claims 200 young divers in Baseco each year because of the strong undercurrent in Manila Bay. Ralston donated part of his cash prize from the Cipputti Award he received for Best Film in Torino, Italy to start the foundation. We also decided to give the boys the screening fee that the film receives from international film festivals.

Foreign movie enthusiasts, whose hearts were touched by the plight of the ?Bakal Boys,? have expressed interest not only in offering monetary donations but also by doing community service in Baseco. A group of young Canadian-Filipinos will be teaching in the Baseco community during their summer vacation! They will fly to Manila at their own expense and stay in the community for several weeks.

What awards has ?Bakal Boys? won and in what film festivals has the movie been featured?

?Bakal Boys? competed and won an award in the following film festivals:

1. Cinemalaya?Best Picture NETPAC Award

2. Vancouver IFF?Dragons and Tigers?Special Mention for Best Picture

3. Thessaloniki, Greece?Special Mention for Best Picture

4. Torino, Italy?Cipputti Award for Best Picture

The movie was also invited for special screenings in the following film festivals:

1. Pusan, Korea

2. Stockholm, Sweden

3. Black Nights IFF?Tallin, Estonia

4. Asia House?London, England

5. Palm Springs, CA

6. Prague IFF, The Czech Republic

7. Mumbai, India