The moment Director Jourdan Sebastian first witnessed KZ Tandingan bring great depths of emotion to the UDD hit “Tadhana” aboard the Wish Bus, he knew that she would best embody the lead character of the movie he was hatching.
On August 28, Tandingan, Sebastian, and leading actor Epy Quizon, dropped by the Wish 107.5 FM booth to talk about their upcoming movie — “The Art of Ligaw” — Asia’s Soul Supreme’s first-ever major big-screen project.
The story revolves around Jake (Epy Quizon), a Manileño who’s fond of casual flings and ephemeral love affairs, and Carisse (KZ Tandingan), a lady from Davao who has had her fair share of heartbreaks from past relationships.
Searching for something much deeper than the usual fleeting romances, Jake becomes drawn to Carisse’s feisty nature, ultimately causing a great shift in his perception of what love is.
The rom-com, which is set to debut in movie houses in October, chronicles the different meanings of the Filipino word “ligaw” — first, to court or woo someone, and second, to get lost.
“I feel that love in its purest sense has the form of courtship and at the same time, [of] being lost. Only because it is in being lost that you truly find yourself,” Sebastian expounded.
Apart from the hugot-inducing throw of lines, the movie aims to show young audiences about what couples go through during the courtship stage.
Times may have changed it as a social rule — from the harana of the olden days to the modern ways of this day and age — but the two lead stars think that there’s something magical about courtship, regardless of how it’s done.
What’s beautiful about courtship is knowing if you are meant to be together ahead of time. Even if you don’t end up together, the courtship can still be considered successful because you already know that it won’t work,” KZ enthused.
Epy gave his thoughts about love and courting being a never-ending art project. “Courtship should never stop. When you find the right person, you [should] court her for the rest of her life,” he remarked.
Blessing the music industry with her unabashed musical prowess for about seven years, KZ professed her enthusiasm to her newest endeavor — acting.
“I’m currently in the process of absorbing and embracing the role. This is very nerve-wracking but I feel excited and at the same time pressured because it’s a huge responsibility given to me,” KZ said.
From her Wishclusives, concerts, and musical competitions, the thing that is undeniably constant in KZ Tandingan’s performances, according to Sebastian, is her supreme form of storytelling.
“It was at that moment that I watched the viral Wish Bus rendition of “Tadhana” that really made me realize that this artist is a storyteller. As an actor, that’s what you [should] really do. Your skillset, as an artist, should primarily be about storytelling. From that moment, I knew [that] this lady had potential,” the “Art of Ligaw” director raved.
Apart from playing the role of Carisse, KZ also performs the tracks featured in the film. She performed two of which during their Roadshow guesting at the Wish FM booth — a pop track off Martina San Diego’s Vispop 1.0 album, “Balay ni Mayang,” and her originally-penned sensational piece “Walang Hiyang Pag-ibig.”
The latter articulates Epy’s personal views about the project which he shared with the twenty-seven-year-old Davaoeña on their quick exchange of thoughts during their look test.
“This is one of my favorite songs of all time. It’s melancholy. This is my kind of music, the one that puts me in a trance,” shared Quizon.
The official soundtrack of the film “Quicksand,” a heartbreaking track that was penned by KZ herself, debuted today on Spotify, Apple Music, iTunes, and YouTube.
“The Art of Ligaw,” which premieres in October, features Epy Quizon, KZ Tandingan, Roxanne Barcelo, Mercedes Cabral, Archie Alemania, Cuckooh Calsado, and Long Mejia. The film is presented by CoreMinds and produced by Mfi Creatives in collaboration with Gward, Inc., Hit Productions, Wish 107.5, and CMB Film Services. For more updates about the film, follow their official Facebook page.
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