QUEZON CITY, PHILIPPINES—Finding the right love at the wrong time, this seems to be the case in the love story of Lovi Poe and Zanjoe Marudo in the latest iWant Originals film “Malaya,” which is now streaming in countries outside the Philippines via Pay Per View on TFC Online and TFC IPTV, and in the Philippines via iWant.
Aside from the deep love shared by the lead characters, the film also takes a look at the lives of the overseas Filipinos who endure the loneliness in a foreign land and being away from their children to provide them a better future. While at the same time, left-behind children suffer the emotional and social impact of the separation, and that pain lingers even when children become reunited with parents over the years.
Director Concepcion Macatuno, the director of the film “Glorious”, reveals that “I realize how being away from their OFW parent has pained them in a way that they refuse to think about it because they know they can no longer reclaim that period of time when they were apart. They try to move on, to make up for a lost time, but it still hurts.”
“Malaya” is the first movie together of Lovi and Zanjoe, where they portray the characters of Malaya and Iago, second-generation overseas Filipinos who are ready to gamble with fate, willing to seize opportunities to achieve more in Italy.
Malaya (Lovi) just moved to Italy, hopeful and determined to take control of her life and help her mother who has been working for years in the country. She meets the hardworking and resourceful Iago (Zanjoe), a Filipino who grew up in Italy.
Although they connect instantly, their priorities and ambitions draw them apart. Their encounter after many years away leads Malaya to hope for a chance of being finally together, only to be crushed after learning of Iago’s new life.
Another focus of the film is family. Family is a universal cornerstone of life and Macatuno underscores its importance saying, “I retained what is important to us Filipinos: our families. Even if it means sacrificing our happiness, we will do that as long as we put them first.”
Meanwhile, Zanjoe also calls attention to the visual allure of the movie. “I did not realize you could fall in love with a movie just by looking at the setting, even without actors in the frame.” Macatuno adds that “the texture of the buildings and the environment added to the atmosphere that matched the emotions required in the development of the characters in the film.”
The film was shot entirely in the picturesque spots of Bari, Matera, Polignano, Alberobello, and Ostuni in the region of Puglia, and Macatuno’s team was fortunate to finish production before Italy went on lockdown due to COVID-19.
Macatuno is grateful to everyone they met while filming, and she dedicates “Malaya” to all those who opened their hearts and homes and supported them until they finished the movie. Together with actors Lovi and Zanjoe, Director Macatuno encourages everyone to continue praying that the world finally gets through the pandemic.
Did the right time finally arrive for Malaya and Iago?Or is it too late for their love to sail?
Produced by Dreamscape Entertainment and Sisu, catch “Malaya” now in countries outside the Philippines via Pay Per View (PPV) on TFC Online and TFC IPTV. For those in the Philippines, catch it via iWant.
Join the conversation about the film by following @iwant, @dreamscapeph, and @KapamilyaTFC on Twitter, and on facebook.com/iWant and facebook.com/KapamilyaTFC.
