Travel has been a constant companion to internationally acclaimed filmmaker Brillante Ma. Mendoza, the 2009 Palme d’Or Best Director for the film “Kinatay (The Butchered)” at the prestigious Cannes International Film Festival in France.
Since his early filmmaking days in the 1980s as a production designer for a lot of films like “Takaw-Tukso,” “Gabriela,” “Private Show,” “Olongapo The Great American Dream” etc., Brillante has been travelling in and out of the country.
Even when he was actively doing broadcast advertisements in the 1990s and in the millennium, he had devoted more time touring a lot of places as part of his job.
Being a world renowned film artist at this time except during the COVID-19 pandemic, Mendoza has exceeded his travels more than the usual schedules because of impromptu out of the country trips like pressing invitations as jury or speaker in international film events.
In 2020, though, when the pandemic was declared nationally in March, he just stayed home and did all film works by himself.
This year, though, Brillante got a surprise call from Russia to sit as the chief of the panel of judges for the in-person gathering of the 2021 Moscow International Film Festival in Moscow.
Without much ado with all the health protocols spread out in Moscow, he flew to the Soviet capital. “Kaya lang, nagmadali rin ako no’n dahil may (Although he was in haste because someone was) nag-positive sa COVID among the delegates,” he chuckled when he ran through the experience in a recent conversation at his garden in Mandaluyong City.
But Dante Mendoza’s current trip to Pola, Oriental Mindoro is one of the most memorable out-of-town sprees in his life.
“Ibang klase pala sa Pola. Parang nasa ibang bayan ka talaga. Kahit na nasa Pilipinas siya, maraming iba. (Pola is a different kind. You’re like in other places even if it’s within the Philippines because there are various scenery not seen in other communities),” observed Brillante.
From his place in Mandaluyong City, Mendoza got to Batangas City Pier to get his boat ride to Calapan City, the central seaport of the Province of Oriental Mindoro. “Sa sea travel na lang, ibang klase rin. Nag-enjoy ako (Sea travel was different altogether. I enjoyed it),” he said.
From Calapan City, he was whisked away to a car going to Pola. “Magandang bayan ang Pola. Tagaroon si Noli de Castro. May bahay pa siya roon (Pola is a beautiful town. Noli de Castro is from there. He still has a house there),” he shared.
He was to meet up with his stars Coco Martin, Julia Montes, Raymart Santiago and a host of other members of the cast.
Once Dante was able to gather and talk to his cast (for a film which until now has no title yet), he was ready to roll the cameras the following day. The shooting calendars consumed were fourteen days.
“Nakapag-swimming din ako sa Pola. Ang ganda ng dagat nila (I was also able to go swimming in Pola in our lull period. The water was nice),” Mendoza commented.