By Janet Susan R. Nepales
Christian Bables is ready to spread his wings internationally as he prepares to attend the 83rd Venice International Film Festival this September with Lav Diaz’s film, “Makikiraan Po” (“Let Us Through, Dear Ancestors”), in which he portrays the character Dungwen.
In an exclusive interview, the 33-year-old actor exclaimed, “I’m really excited because it will be my first time attending the Venice International Film Festival. It’s also my first time working on a Lav Diaz film, so having both happen at the same time makes it even more special. I honestly couldn’t be any prouder or more excited.”
“Makikiraan Po” has been selected to premiere at the prestigious international festival and marks Diaz’s third out-of-competition entry there.
Produced by C’est Lovi Productions, EpicMedia Productions and Sine Olivia Pilipinas, the film is also Diaz’s shortest in 24 years, clocking in at two hours and 27 minutes.
Set during the Spanish colonization of the Philippines, “Makikiraan Po” depicts how churches built in the 17th century through the forced labor of thousands of native Filipinos stand as enduring reminders of the violence, plunder and suffering brought by colonial rule.
It follows Padre Enciso, played by Bart Guingona, a Spanish friar and encomendero tasked with spreading Catholicism while overseeing the construction of a church. He orders his son, Dungwen (Bables), to transport valuable limestone through territories where native communities continue to resist colonial rule.
In a separate exclusive interview, auteur Lav Diaz, the film’s director, cinematographer and editor, recalled how he cast Bables: “Christian was recommended by Hazel Orencio — they’d worked together. Bianca Balbuena, one of our producers, got in touch with him.
“I met up with him in some bourgeois restaurant, and upon seeing him, I told him right then and there that he shall be the actor for the Dungwen character. He actually cried when I told him, but I’m not sure if it’s about him being chosen; there could be just too much chili in his utterly bourgeois food.”
The ensemble cast also includes Bart Guingona (Padre Enciso), Ronnie Lazaro (Himamat), Isabel Sandoval (Babaeng Indimatandog), Yul Servo (Baribari), Rafa Siguion-Reyna (Higante), Bong Cabrera (Mang Tugis), Amado Arjay Babon (Diego), Daniel Palisa (Alejo Smith) and Necias Chaves Pataunia (Tay Oni).
Bables narrated how he landed the coveted part: “It actually happened in a very unexpected way. My ‘Dirty Linen’ co-star Hazel Orencio became a good friend of mine. I didn’t know at the time that she was also Direk Lav’s executive producer at Sine Olivia. She would occasionally message me asking for my availability, and every time I sent my schedule, she’d tell me it didn’t match the project she was currently working on. At that point, I had no idea it was for a Lav Diaz film because I was also juggling several projects here in the Philippines.
“Eventually, one of my available dates matched the production schedule. She offered me the role, and the moment I said yes, that’s when she finally told me it was for Direk Lav Diaz. Little did I know it was actually Direk Sanny (Joaquin), the assistant director, who had been consistently suggesting me for the role. It was such a wonderful surprise.”
Bables, who won Best Actor at the Metro Manila Film Festival in 2021 for “Big Night” and Best Actor at the 5th Hanoi International Film Festival in 2018 for “Signal Rock,” revealed why he said yes to the project.
He said, “I’ve been fortunate enough to work with some of the country’s greatest directors — Chito Roño, Mario J. de los Reyes, Joel Lamangan, Jose Javier Reyes and Jun Robles Lana, among others. Working with Direk Lav Diaz had always been one of my dreams as an actor.
“So, when I found out it was his film, there wasn’t even a second of hesitation. I said yes immediately, without even knowing who my character was. (Laughs.) That’s how much I wanted the experience.”
So how was it working with the illustrious Lav Diaz for the first time, we asked.
“The experience was nothing short of magical,” he gushed.
Bables added, “His process is unlike anything I’ve ever experienced before, but I completely embraced it. Direk Lav has this quiet way of bringing out the best in his actors. He doesn’t need to say much. Just his presence and the trust he gives you somehow make you feel like you can do it. That gave me the confidence to fully step into my character.
“It’s an experience I’ll carry with me for the rest of my career.”
Born in Bacoor, Cavite, the humble and charming actor-model disclosed how filming went.
“To be honest, I eventually stopped counting the shooting days because I was simply enjoying the entire process,” he confessed.
He continued, “We filmed in the mountains, and there were physically demanding scenes, especially because we had to walk barefoot through rough terrain. I actually had an accident during one sequence. Ironically, it wasn’t even my fight scene. My co-actors were having a very intense confrontation, and because I improvised during the moment, I ended up getting injured. A sharp branch pierced my foot, and my hands were covered with tiny thorns.
“I celebrated New Year’s Eve with only one foot functioning. (Laughs.) But despite that, I was genuinely happy because I knew I was part of something very special.”
As for bonding with his castmates, the down-to-earth actor shared, “Most of our bonding happened during cast pickups or while we were waiting inside the tents between setups. We’d exchange stories and laugh together.
“I didn’t really get the chance to spend time with them after shooting because my accommodation was quite far from where the rest of the cast stayed.
“But I really enjoyed getting to know Isabel Sandoval. She has such a warm and welcoming presence, and she’s incredibly insightful. I genuinely loved listening to her stories and hearing about her experiences.”
For the award-winning actor, the most challenging scene was “probably the scene toward the end of the film.
“Without giving too much away, it was one of those moments where I had to carry the emotional weight of the story, literally and figuratively. It’s a scene I’d rather let audiences experience for themselves.”
With this being his first time attending the Venice International Film Festival, Bables said he is excited to represent a Lav Diaz film.
He stressed, “More than anything, I’m looking forward to representing a Lav Diaz film at one of the world’s biggest cinema festivals. It’s such an honor to be part of a festival filled with incredibly talented filmmakers and artists from around the world. As a Filipino actor, being there is already a dream come true.”
Bables, whom we first met in Los Angeles when his comedy film “Broken Hearts Trip,” produced by Benjie M. Cabrera of BMC Films and Omar Tolentino of Smart Films, was shown in Hollywood, has certainly come a long way.
So what’s next for him, we asked.
“I’m grateful to have a lot to look forward to. I’ll be making two local films, and I’m also part of two international productions that I’m very excited about.
Janet Susan R. Nepales is an award-winning journalist and the first Filipina voting member and Associate of the Golden Globe Awards. She has been a member since 2008 and is the first Filipina to be elected to the Advisory Board. She is the author of the coffee table book “FASHION. Filipino. Hollywood. The World” and the co-author of the first FWN book “DISRUPT: Filipina Women: Proud. Loud. Leading Without A Doubt.” A graduate of UST (AB Journalism, cum laude), she is based in Los Angeles and is a Hollywood entertainment journalist and TV correspondent.
