Lily Monteverde keeps promise to movie industry

Regal Films founder and matriarch Mother Lily Monteverde was recently honored by the Feminist Centennial Committee with an award as Feminist Centennial Movie Producer. Accepting the award, Mother Lily spoke of her passion and love for the film industry, which she vowed to continue helping for as along as she was able.

Action speaks louder than words, so they say, and in the upcoming 2005 Metro Manila Film Festival Philippines, Mother Lily has vigorously kept her word by producing or co-producing four of the festival’s entries. This is no small gesture considering what a crisis the industry has been in for the past few years. So even if the odds are against local movies recouping their budgets during their theatrical release, Mother Lily’s Regal Entertainment Inc. continues to produce more local films, confident that the public will patronize quality Filipino movies.

Regal’s four entries to this year’s MMFF derby are as varied in genre as they are in subject matter.

Ako Legal Wife: Mano Po 4? stars Zsa Zsa Padilla, Cherry Pie Picache, and Rufa Mae Quinto as three women who are fighting over the wealthy Elton Chong, played by Jay Manalo. Zsa Zsa is Chona, the legal wife: Cherry Pie is Patty, the lucky wife (so named because she is good in business); while Rufa Mae is Gloria, the youngest, sexiest “latest wife.” The fight over Elton escalates when the wealthy Chinoy figures in a car accident, and the women squabble over who gets to take him home.

Insiders are already predicting that this riotous comedy about a desperate housewife and two equally desperate mistresses will be the comedy sensation of the film festival. Those who have seen early edits of the film say that Zsa Zsa, Cherry Pie, and Rufa Mae are all more than worthy of winning the Best Festival Actress trophy!

Like Ako Legal Wife, the horror-comedy trilogy Shake Rattle & Roll 2K5 also features strong female characters in its three stories about supernatural creatures and ghosts haunting the living. In “Poso,” Gloria Romero is an eccentric millionaire who hires a fake spiritualist played by Ai Ai delas Alas. Her job is to investigate a poso frequented by Romero’s dead grandson, played by Marco Alcaraz.

In “Aquarium,” Ara Mina plays a mother of a young boy (Paul Salas) who is terrorized by an evil creature that is reawakened in an old fish tank. Ara and her husband (Ogie Alcasid) must use all their strength to defeat the creature and save their son.

In “Lihim,” Tanya Garcia is the pregnant wife of Mark Anthony Fernandez, who plays her husband. The newlyweds move into the sleepy rural town of San Joaquin, not knowing that the town’s inhabitants are aswangs who crave the flesh of newborns.

Shake Rattle & Roll 2K5 also stars Elizabeth Oropesa, Noni Buencamino, Wilma Doesnt, Reggie Curley, Rainier Castillo, Jenine Desiderio, and Yasmien Kurdi. It is executive produced by Lily Monteverde, and produced by her son Dondon Monteverde’s Reality Entertainment.

Because it’s been nine years since the last Shake Rattle & Roll movies was shown in the 1996 MMFF, expect this 7th installment to be the biggest, most high-tech chapter in the beloved horror franchise!

Mulawin The Movie is a mega-budgeted fantasy adventure co-produced by Regal Entertainment Inc. and GMA Network Films. Inc. Picking up where the landmark, award-winning telefantasya left off earlier this year, Mulawin The Movie shows how Aguiluz and Alwina’s plan to live a peaceful life as mortals is frustrated by a violent storm which separates them and causes them to lose their memories. Aguiluz (Richard Gutierrez) is adopted by a humble farmer and Alwina (Angel Locsin) becomes the surrogate daughter of a wealthy family and engaged to be married to Gabriel (Dennis Trillo).

But when Ravenum (Michael de Mesa) is resurrected by Pirena (Sunshine Dizon), the fate of the entire Mulawin race is threatened. Will its two greatest champions, Aguiluz and Alwina, remember who they are before it’s too late?

Ako Legal Wife: Mano Po 4?, Shake Rattle & Roll 2K5, and Mulawin The Movie are all official entries of the 2005 Metro Manila Film Festival, and will be shown starting Dec. 25.

Mother Lily’s fourth entry to the MMFF, Blue Moon, will be shown beginning Jan. 1, 2006, two days after a real, astronomically rare blue moon illuminates Philippine skies. Based on a Palanca Award-winning screenplay, Blue Moon is the story of Manuel Pineda (Eddie Garcia) and his search for Corazon, his one true love whom he hasn’t seen in decades. Accompanying Manuel on his search all over the Philippines are his emotionally distant son Rod (Christopher de Leon), and grandson Kyle (Dennis Trillo). During their journey, Rod and Kyle are surprised to find out that Manuel loved two Corazons when he was a young soldier during World War II: The Corazon he married (Jennylyn Mercado), and the Corazon who was his first love (Pauleen Luna). The question is, which Corazon are they searching for now?

Blue Moon also stars Boots Anson-Roa as a present-day Corazon, while the young Manuel Pineda is played by Mark Herras. In strong supporting roles are Polo Ravales, RJ Rosales, January Isaac, Janna Victoria, Jim Pebanco, Reggie Curley, Paolo Paraiso, Tin Arnaldo, and Pinky Amador.

Already, Blue Moon is topping an Internet poll as the likely awards-sweeper of the MMFFP. The romantic dramas deeply moving trailer is also being unanimously praised by those who’ve seen it.

Mother Lily Monteverde believes that each of her four MMFF entries will find its audience. “Ako Legal Wife: Mano Po 4?, Shake Rattle & Roll 2K5, Mulawin The Movie, and Blue Moon were made to appeal to all ages, genders, and sensibilities,” declares the producer who knows the taste of the Pinoy moviegoers better than anyone. “Whether you’re a child or a grown-up, male or female, you will be more than satisfied with any one of the movies made by Regal Entertainment. Of course, I’ll be so much happier if people saw all my films!”

With these varied entries to the 31st MMFFP, Mother Lily is also particularly proud of the accomplishments of two of her children, Roselle Monteverde-Teo and Dondon Monteverde. “I am an extra proud mother this year because two of my kids helped me make my superb MMFF entries,” exclaims Monteverde. “Roselle produced Blue Moon, Mulawin The Movie, and Ako Legal Wife, while Dondon produced Shake Rattle & Roll 2K5. He even produced another movie (Exodus) with Senator Bong Revilla that wasn’t for Regal. But I’m still very proud of him,” she says with a smile.