Passion project

BY NESTOR CUARTERO

Producing films has its own psychic rewards.

Yet, one mustn’t overlook the fact that film production is also a business as producers sink big money into a project. The target, of course, is a return on investment, major or at the very least, minimal.

Who knows what’s on TOYM awardee Alfred Vargas’ mind is whenever he produces a film?

Actor and now Quezon City representative Alfred has produced two films on his own, both of them award-winning. Ask him, however, if he has recouped his investment from them.

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In 2020, Alfred produced and starred in a film called Tagpuan under his own company, AV Cinema.

The film was named Best Feature Film in the Chauri Chaura International Film Festival in India.

Because of his efforts in producing films of quality, Alfred was named one of the honorees at recently held FDCP’s 5th Film Ambassadors’ Night. 

The Film Ambassadors’ Night “recognizes Filipino film industry creatives, artists, filmmakers, and the films of various formats that gained recognition from established international film festivals and award giving bodies in the past year”.

Honored, together with Alfred, are the cast of the film: Cherie Gil, Angel Aquino, Ronwaldo Martin.

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“Kaputol, says Alfred, is a passion project.”

“We produced it knowing that the chances of an ROI are almost nil. It was written by Ricky Lee, directed by McArthur Alejandre.”

Kaputol won Best Performance for the entire cast in last year’s Innuendo International Film Festival in Milan, Italy. The film also competed at the Bengaluru International Film Festival in India and the Asian Film Festival in Rome.

Kaputol is a film within a film wherein Alfred and Cherie play actor and director, respectively.