SUCCESSFUL ang ginanap na “Yellow Rose” Philippine premiere kagabi sa pamamagitan ng KTX.ph.
Ilang kilalang artista, direktor, producer at politiko ang nakapanood ng pelikula bukod siyempre sa mga bida ng pelikula sa pangunguna nina Lea Salonga, Princess Punzalan, Liam Booth at Eva Noblezada, ang direktor na si Diane Paragas at isa sa producer na si Jeremiah Abraham.
Hindi na bago ang kuwento ng “Yellow Rose” na tumatalakay sa mga Pinoy na naninirahan sa Amerika ng walang kaukulang papel, pero mas gusto pa rin nilang manirahan doon dahil nakasanayan na nila ang pamumuhay doon.
At marahil ay nag-eenjoy din sila sa palipat-lipat ng tirahan at state para hindi mahuli ng immigration officers.
Ang ganda ng visual ng pelikula, ang gaganda ng mga kanta, ang ganda ng tunog na kahit sa laptop namin ito pinanood na nilagyan namin ng soundbar with surround speaker’s kaya para na rin kaming nasa loob ng sinehan at nakaiwas pa sa banta ng COVID-19.
Anyway, pansin namin na tila may pagkakahawig ang boses nina Eva at Lea habang kinakanta ng una ang “Square Peg”, mas malaki lang ang boses ng una.
Samantala, bago pa ang premiere night ay pinasalamatan nang husto ni direk Diane ang ABS-CBN dahil sa pagpapalabas nito sa streaming platforms tulad ng KTX.ph, iWantTFC, Cignan at SkyCable.
Aniya, “I’ve been waiting for this day for a long time. As much as it is an American film, it definitely is a Filipino film and I’m just really excited for people to see it there. It’s been many, many years trying to get this thing made so this is a big moment for me to have this film come out to our Filipino people and it feels like coming home.
“It’s a story of hope. It’s a story of perseverance and it’s a story about music. So it’s a quintessential American story and a quintessential independent film that has a Filipino cast so we hope you give it a chance,” aniya pa.
Isa rin sa nagtulak sa kanyang sulatin ang kuwento ni Rose (karakter ni Eva) ay base na rin sa experience niya habang lumalaki siya sa Amerika bilang anak ng immigrants.
“It was a difficult upbringing. I grew up in a small Texas town where the story came from and I definitely felt like I didn’t belong. I had different forms of racism growing up but ultimately I do love America. It’s where I grew up and that’s kind of the whole point of the film. It’s what I know and yet I love the Philippines.
“My brother lives there and has raised his children there. He moved to the Philippines to work for Dick Gordon and married Ali Gordon who is my sister-in-law. So he did the opposite.
“We were raised with a lot of pride for being Filipino and we were raised to never forget where we came from and to always be proud of it. I think the film is a reflection of that. So I don’t think so (mag-stay sa Pilipinas). I think I would stay here and have more of a connection back home which I do. I go back a lot,” pahayag pa niya.
Dagdag pa, “I am so thrilled. My brother and my sister-in-law and my nephews live there and so many of my relatives there. Everyone’s really been waiting for this film to come out. But my goal in making this film was making a Filipino-American film and so it really is a film that lives in between these two worlds and in its own world where those two meet.
“I think it’s just very exciting to present the film in the Philippines and I hope people will find some sympathy for those relatives and for those friends who are abroad and gain a little bit of insight into what’s going on with them there.
“There’s maybe, sometimes an idealized version of what it’s like when you come to America and there is that experience. But for many, I almost might say most, it’s not what you think.
“But at the same time I want to keep stressing that the film is a family film, it’s an uplifting film, it’s a film that talks about the power of music and the power of empathy and the power of a community to come around somebody.”
Palabas na ngayong araw ang “Yellow Rose” sa KTX.ph.