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Interview with Filipino director Mike Meily by film critic
Lalit Rao during 9th IFFK 2004 (10th-17th Dec 2004 )
Lalit Rao: It is not so often that comedies from Philippines are
shown in International film festivals. Your film "Crying
Ladies" is a hilarious comedy. How different is it from
other films from Philippines ?
Mike Meily :Most of comedy films made in Philippines are very
physical. A lot of these comedies are shot to make people laugh.
This does not apply to serious cinema. In such films gags as well
as jokes are repeated off and on. In a way my film "Crying
Ladies" is a pure slapstick comedy. Satirical comedies have
been made in Philippines. One good example of such movies is
"Is your heart beating" a film made by Mike de Leon in
1979.
Lalit Rao: What was your idea behind making "Crying
Ladies"?
Mike Meily: During late 80s,I saw a documentary about funeral
practices in Philippines. I was quite fascinated by such a work.
This work enabled me to imagine different kind of ironies about a
crying woman. One could wonder if a crying lady cries a whole
day, would she be laughing the next day? Would a crying lady hire
professional mourners when one of her family members dies? These
are some of the questions I thought while writing the script of
this film. Everything started for me when I won a script writing
competition. It was my own project. My career got a boost as I
got a scholarship from French cultural attaché to study cinema
at ESEC in Paris for eight months. I studied in France and after
the completion of my course, I went back to Philippines. I
started working as a producer for T.V. commercials. All this
happened in 1991. This is the manner in which I came into cinema.
Apart from making films I still do T.V. commercials.
Lalit Rao : What is the current state of cinema in Philippines?
Mike Meily: It is sad to hear often that Filipino cinema is dead.
I personally feel that it is always important to consider quality
than quantity. We could be producing 25 good festival films which
is more important than just making 100 films. Ten years ago 200
films used to be made in Philippines. As far as this year is
concerned, we would be lucky in Philippines if our annual
production output touches a figure of 60 films. The audience in
Philippines is more focused on watching big films as well as T.V.
Lalit Rao :Tell us more about the representation of various
characters in your film "Crying Ladies"?
Mike Meily: There are five key characters in my film. It is true
that mourning is a key element of this film but these characters
are mourning for different reasons. For example: The son of the
old man is mourning as his father has died and it is his duty to
do so. There is also an actress of yesteryears who is portraying
a crying woman but she is mourning as she feels that by doing
such an act she would be able to make people recognize her. There
is a character who is shown having numerous affairs. For her
mourning is an act of charity as it cleanses her soul. There is a
character of old widow who mourns as she is feeling the loss of a
loved one. My film has numerous sub themes. One key element is
the question of identity. The Chinese young man living in
Philippines is ashamed of being chinese. He feels that he does
not relate to that image. He believes that being Chinese is like
being traditional. There is a common belief that such people have
to confront numerous prejudices. He is also embarassed due to the
fact that his father was a womanizer. That is precisely why he
does not want to do anything with his father. This film has also
portrayed the great desire among many Filipino people to go
abroad. This is a convenient escape from the harsh realities of
life. A lot of Filipino women go to Japan to work as maids. It is
a noble idea to go abroad to work but problems arise when a lot
of children are left without parents. In Philippines many doctors
go abroad to work as nurses. This is extremely sad. What many
earn is not enough. These are some of the ugly facets of Filipino
social life which have been depicted in my film.
Lalit Rao: What has been the response to your film in
Philippines?
Mike Meily: It was a very successful film for the year 2004. This
film earned more than $ 1 million even while being a critical
success. In Philippines, it won major film awards. According to
Filipino cinema evaluation board films produced in Philippines
are evaluated and entertainment tax is fixed according to various
ratings. If a film gets "A" rating it does not have to
pay taxes. In 2004 only two films out of 70 received this rating
and my film was one such film. In this manner "Crying
Ladies" was exempted from paying taxes. This film was also
shown in U.S.A. where it got good reviews from New York Times,
Village Voice, Los Angeles Times etc. My film was also shown in
the Asian cinema category at Montreal world film festival
2004.Despite the fact that it was not so well promoted it managed
to have four full house shows.
Lalit Rao : Could you tell us more about your next film project?
Mike Meily: I am currently working on a film called
"Passion". This film talks of Jesus Christ, America and
contemporary society in Philippines. The reason why I have
decided to make this film is that for many Filipino people the
ultimate goal in life is either to possess an American visa or to
be able to go to America. Many people feel that America visa is
of immense value. There is a character in my film who works on a
travel show. He offers himself to be crucified in exchage for a
visa. All this happens during lent season. My primary motive
behind this film is the fact that U.S.A. plays an important role
in the life of Filipino people. It is also true that Christianity
enjoys immense popularity in Philippines. We were even colonised
by Spain which makes us different. So naturally there is a
question of loss of identity. I want to portray all these aspects
in my next films.
Film critic Lalit Rao interviewed Mike Meily in Thiruvanathapuram
on 14/12/2004 during 9th International Film Festival of Kerala
2004
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