Nilalang or Sonzai-sha (Entity, 存在者) is a 2015 Filipino action horror film directed by Pedring Lopez starring Cesar Montano and Maria Ozawa.[1] It is an official entry to the 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival and was released on December 25, 2015.[2] Nilalang is about a local forensic expert who teams up with an heiress to a transnational organized crime syndicate originating from Japan.
| Nilalang | |
|---|---|
 One of the theatrical film poster of Nilalang | |
| Directed by | Pedring Lopez |
| Screenplay by |
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| Story by | Pedring Lopez |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Pao Orendain |
| Edited by | Jason Cahapay |
| Music by | Jesse Lasaten |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Viva Films |
Release date |
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Running time | 90 minutes |
| Country | Philippines |
| Languages | Filipino English Japanese |
Plot edit
NBI special crimes division agent Tony (Cesar Montano) encounters an evil entity which is bent on killing and torturing beautiful women, one of which was his girlfriend, years after he thought to have killed the malevolent spirit. People close to Tony is in danger, including his partner Jane (Meg Imperial), who has romantic interest towards him with everyone in the agency aware of this fact except for Tony.[3]
The spirit, who has killed many people in Japan, is thought to be targeting women from a certain clan of samurai. In Manila, Miyuki (Maria Ozawa) takes care of the family business while her younger sister is taking care of their aging father. Miyuki is later forced to help in the investigation regarding the murders after Akane went missing and their father was found dead to put a stop to the evil entity's killing spree.[3]
Cast edit
Main cast edit
- Cesar Montano as Tony
- Maria Ozawa as Miyuki
Supporting cast edit
- Meg Imperial as Jane
- Yam Concepcion as Akane
- Cholo Barretto as Totoy
- Dido de la Paz as Col. Guevarra
- Kiko Matos as Mark
- Aubrey Miles as Tin (Tonyˈs Girlfriend)
- Alexandre Charlet as Jean-Luc Lamy (French Interpol Agent)
- Sonny Sison as Lord Ishijuki
- Jeff Centauri as Miyuki's Yakuza Bodyguard
- Khalil Ramos as Teenage Mark
Production edit
Casting edit
Robin Padilla was supposed to be Ozawa's leading man in this film but due to his wife Mariel Rodriguez's delicate pregnancy, he decided to back out to take care of his wife.[4]
Release edit
Nilalang released its official trailer on October 12, 2015.[5]
The film was released in the Philippines on December 25, 2015, Christmas Day, as part of the annual Metro Manila Film Festival.
Awards edit
The film won 5 awards during the 41st Metro Manila Film Festival including Best Cinematography , Best Visual Effects , Best Editing , Best Musical Score and Best Sound Engineering.
| Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
|---|---|---|---|
| 41st Metro Manila Film Festival[6] | Best Supporting Actor | Dido de la Paz | Nominated |
| Best Cinematography | Pao Orendain | Won | |
| Best Editing | Jason Cahapay | Won | |
| Best Visual Effects | Pedro Chuidian & Rommel Pambid | Won | |
| Best Production Design | Mimi Sanson Viola | Nominated | |
| Best Make-up Artist | Richard Carvajal & Alice Soro Collara | Nominated | |
| Best Original Theme Song | "Greyhoundz Lions" | Nominated | |
| Best Musical Score | Jessie Lasaten | Won | |
| Best Sound Engineering | Ditoy Aguila | Won |
Controversy edit
Pullout from cinemas edit
After a day of screening, some cinemas started pulling out the film in favor of the two other blockbuster hit entries of the festival, My Bebe Love and Beauty and the Bestie. From a total of 40 theatres, the number of cinemas showing Nilalang went down to five. Because of this, the producers appealed to moviegoers and theatre owners to support the independent film the same way that they support the mainstream films of the festival. After this, the hashtag #DemandForNilalang became a trending topic on social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, as interested movie goers urged cinema owners to screen the said film. After a few days, many theatre owners started including the film in their cinema line-up to give way to the public's request.[citation needed]
References edit
- ^ "Maria Ozawa to star in MMFF entry 'Nilalang' with Robin Padilla". Philippines: GMA News. June 23, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
- ^ "MMDA announces revised list of MMFF 2015 movies". GMA News. September 13, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
- ^ a b "Nilalang: Supernatural, dark and creepy". Adobo Magazine. Sanserif, Inc. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
- ^ "Cesar Montano replaces Robin Padilla in 'Nilalang' with Maria Ozawa". Rappler. September 16, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
- ^ "Nilalang Trailer - Metro Manila Film Festival 2015 Official Entry". YouTube. October 12, 2015. Retrieved October 22, 2015.
- ^ Smith, Chuck. "Winners: 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival awards night". Philippine Star. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
