Selda Tres, starring Cesar Montano, Carla Abellana, and JM de Guzman, is one of five full-length entries at the 7th Sinag Maynila Film Festival, which ends today. The film is directed by GB Sampedro.
Produced by Five 2 Seven Entertainment, the film is written by Eric Ramos, with Sampedro and Alex Rodriguez as executive producers.
The story follows a law firm messenger who is wrongly imprisoned after a case of mistaken identity. Behind bars, he befriends three men weighed down by misfortune. After his acquittal, he devotes himself to helping them fight for justice and freedom.
The cast said the movie explores truth, corruption, family, love and sacrifice, and they linked its themes to the country’s political unrest during a recent press conference.
“Injustice happens every day,” Abellana said. “Even if nothing is happening in our country right now, it’s still applicable, relatable anytime. Injustice happens every day, and we should fight for what is right every day.”
Montano praised her remarks. “There’s so much truth in what she was saying. You have to fight for righteousness no matter what happens to you. A very good example of that is Charlie Kirk,” he said, referring to the U.S. conservative activist who was assassinated Sept. 10 in Utah.
“Yes, he was polarizing, of course,” Montano added. “But that’s faith. And righteousness comes from our great God. I was smiling because at the same time, I was learning. I have a lot of growing up to do. Because of them, I’m learning. I’m so happy to learn something new.”
De Guzman said current events have left him uneasy. “What’s happening in our country is kind of triggering,” he said. “Maybe I’m hoping that through our film, we can give a message, and that our audience can take something from it with regards to what’s happening.”
Montano also reflected on Filipinos’ role as voters. “What’s happening now is the product of our kindness,” he said in the vernacular. “Filipinos are kind, but we went too far. We tolerated wrongdoing. Many of our leaders should not be leaders. But who put them there? We did.”
He said vote-buying remains common in the provinces. “If you tell them not to sell their vote but they are offered P10,000, they’ll think, ‘That’s for rice and food.’ Of course, they think about today, not their children’s future. But we should never sell our votes. Hopefully, in the next election, that changes.”
Montano called for national healing, saying that we should humble ourselves and pray together.
“This is the sickness of our nation. We should humble ourselves and pray for healing and for a change in our disposition in life,” he stated.
He also voiced support for protests. “Protests are very important. They show we don’t agree with what’s happening in our country. We’re being robbed. We really need to protest! Even the president himself is supporting the rally. He said it’s right, that what’s happening is wrong. So we should join.”
Selda Tres also features Arron Villaflor, Kier Legaspi, Victor Neri, Isay Alvarez, Perla Bautista, Jeffrey Tam, Tanjo Villoso, and Johnny Revilla.
