The film ‘Breakaway’ (2012) by the breakout director Ian Loreños is a gripping and heart-wrenching story about the love of a father for his son. Told in a succinct and seamless narrative, this is a real-like ‘Taken’ story about trafficking in modern day Manila, Philippines. 'Robert Lim' (Jericho Rosales) is a frustrated and anxious, albeit loving, father raising his motherless son 'Brian' alone. Despite a genuine love for his son, Robert is beset by the psychological pressures of poverty, which cause him constantly fluctuating mood swings- between verbal abuse and guilt-ridden affection- directed towards his son.

While Brian always dreams of far off places, Robert brings him back to their limited impoverished reality that will seemingly never change. One day, however, their reality becomes stranger and worse than any fiction; while shopping at a local market, Brian leaves Robert to use the bathroom and never returns. This begins a desperate father’s lifetime search for his son. Brian becomes Robert’s Holy Grail and finding him again, his life’s purpose. This is a story about the natural and instinctive unconditional love between parent and child that, despite all hardship, stands the test of time. -by Vanessa McMahon

‘Breakaway’ held its World Premier at the Busan International Film Festival last October and it's North American premier at the 24th Palm Springs International Film Festival. It most recently screened at the Newport Beach Film Festival.

Read an interview between director Ian Loreños and I here:

ME: 'Breakaway' is your 2nd feature film. How and when did you become a director?

IAN: Yes, that is correct, it's my second feature film. I consider myself as an accidental filmmaker. I was a Commerce student and never thought of doing films back then. But the birth of fire started back in 2005, when my elder sister KAT who was studying filmmaking suddenly gave me a photocopy of an edition of "The Sight and Sound's Greatest Movies of All Time poll" and told me that I must read it. I was never interested in non-Hollywood films, but there was something in that B&W booklet that attracted me. So I read it, and it instantly hypnotized me. I started to become obsessed with the film titles as I read about them along the way. Then later on I began researching and tried to watch all those films that were mentioned in the polls. Then it just hit me… I wanted to be a filmmaker...

IAN CONT'D: It was nice to think of that the universe has been kind to me along my journey of filmmaking. My first attempt at filmmaking was not a disappointing one. I submitted a work in progress of my first feature screenplay, "The Leaving" (2010), to the 5th Berlinale Talent Campus (it's a fellowship program by the Berlin film festival). That was in 2007 and I was selected. Later on in 2009, I finished the screenplay and I was fortunate enough to be chosen along with nine other seed grant recipients by a local funding body in the Philippines called Cinemalaya Foundation to start up on producing our screenplay to film. The next thing I knew, I was making my first feature film. I finished the film in 2010.

ME: Can you tell us a bit about the film industry in the Philippines? How hard it is to have a film travel outside of the country?

IAN: Traveling outside the country is always an enjoyment for me, especially when I'm traveling with a purpose (my films). I's always cool to mix work with pleasure. It's great to know that some film festivals are generous enough to provide filmmakers travel accommodation perks to attend their festival and to promote their respective films, although most film festivals don't. It's a "chicken and egg" thing that's happening now in the Philippines. It's quite difficult for Filipino filmmakers to promote their films and to receive funding from the Government, unless you are already an established filmmaker, but the question is how about the new and young filmmakers? So you see, we don't have a choice but to learn how to find ways on our own.

IAN CONT'D: Although I am somehow optimistic about the trend that's going on, annual film production keeps increasing. One big factor is that Filipino films keep gaining international recognition. But what's happening now with the Philippine Cinema is kind of ironic. Films that gain international praise that were reaping awards are the ones that almost never gained local commercial success. My thoughts are dwelling on the fact that generally, we are still immature as a film audience because we wouldn't like to watch something that is not usual to our eyes. You can't just show Apichatpong Weerasethakul’s films in local theaters and expect people will watch it. We aren't there yet in a point wherein we see films as an experience, not just a means of entertainment. Maybe one big factor is the Hollywood films' conditioning in our culture as an audience. It'll take time but I'm sure we'll get there.

ME: Can you tell us about this extraordinary film, 'Breakaway', and what inspired you to write this?

IAN: Thanks by the way for describing it positively. The idea of "Breakaway" sprang to me while I was on the process of finishing my first feature film, ‘The Leaving’. I had tons of challenges during the production that I needed a break from. So, I went back and walked around to my hometown in Chinatown, Manila. You know, to de-stress those production woes. I do a lot of walking every time I need to reboot myself. But instead of being de-stressed, I was instead agitated upon seeing a poster of a missing child on a messed-up wall in a street in Chinatown. Then suddenly, I recalled an infamous urban legend about a missing boy in Chinatown, Manila during the 1990's that scared the crap out of everyone. I realized it would be a good subject for my next film.

ME: So the story is based on real events?

IAN: It's actually a fiction but as I said it was inspired from a popular urban legend. It's about the disappearance of a young Chinese-Filipino in a shopping mall in Manila. I don't want to give away some spoilers about the urban legend, because I might also giving away some critical elements in the film. I was hoping it stay an urban legend, but I've been hearing a lot of similar horrible stories in real life that has happened recently from acquaintances.

ME: How long did it take to execute the making of this film from conception to realization on a shoestring budget?

IAN: Independent films and "shoestring budget” are always a pair in the Philippines. Yes we had a very minimal budget so we were very careful not to make critical mistakes during production, because we don't have any cushion in case things go wrong. I started the script back in 2010 and had a final cut on October 2012, but I can't exactly point out the time I spent on finishing the film since I had idle moments during the process (especially waiting for Jericho Rosales' management's green light) we waited more or less six months before they said "yes" to us. We shot the film entirely on 10 shooting days (including the Hong Kong shoots) but the ten days are spread out several months apart (due to Jericho's schedule). And the post- production and mastering took around three months to finish.

ME: How long did it take you to find such a phenomenal cast? Both the Bugoy and Jericho are incredible!

IAN: When I'm developing a film concept, I always start with the character. When I was conceptualizing the character of ROBERT LIM (father in the film) I needed an image model, a vision of a person on how the character would look and the nuances about his character. The first actor that came to my mind was Jericho Rosales, as he has this quirky but gritty look that fits exactly for the role. So I immediately wanted him, and it was such a blessing when he fell in love with the project and said yes right away. Choosing Bugoy (the kid) was Jericho’s and my idea. I saw Bugoy as a cute mischievous looking kid, but Jericho knew how talented this kid is. He knew this kid could act since they had already worked together before on another project.

IAN CONT'D: Yes they are indeed incredible! Choosing these two guys is a no brainer for me. Until now I'm still amazed with their performance. Even though I knew all the ins and outs out of the film, there are still some surprises that I see every time I preview their scenes. Jericho and Bugoy are quite big celebrities in the Philippines. At age nine (he is ten now), Bugoy was already one of the most famous child actors in the Philippines. He's a great dancer as well. Jericho is already a multi award-winning actor and he is very famous, not just in the Philippines but around Southeast Asia as well. Some people call him the "Brad Pitt" of the Philippines. But for me he's more like a Philippine version of Ryan Gosling; Brad Pitt is too old for him. They both have regular gigs in a famous Sunday noontime variety TV show in the Philippines called "ASAP", so they see each other there a lot. It was just genius of Jericho to start working on building a bond with Bugoy (the kid) even before we started pre production, and he continued on during the set. So building their relationship was not an issue while filming because they already were very close to one another. By the way, all of their dialogue in the film was improvised.

ME: Can you speak about kidnapping and child labor in your film that inspired this story? What and why is this happening?

IAN: Growing up and living in a third-world country, these horrible facts aren't new to me. It's one of the biggest problems in our country that needs to be given attention, and of course solved. It's really disturbing to hear those horror stories of such inhumane crimes. I just can't imagine how unbelievable people are to exploit children, innocent children just for the sake of money. I wanted to create a film that will somehow change my audience that will somehow look back on their family and realize how fortunate they are that it didn't happen to them, and at the same time be awakened about these realities around us. It's all about money and it's one big underground industry that has become a cash-cow of crime syndicates, and even some politicians are involved.

ME: How have local Philippine audiences reacted to your film? And international?

IAN: So far we only had two limited special screenings at a local film festival in Manila last December 2012 and it was awesome. I couldn't forget the faces and reactions of the Filipino audience. The tears and the laughter made me realize my film captured them. It's amazing how different countries have different cultures, and it shows on how they react on films. Like in Busan, Korea after they watched "Breakaway" the theater was oh so quiet. I was quite nervous at first thinking the Korean audience might be unhappy with the film, but as I looked at the audience, silently, they were all in tears. I could hear the sniffs, but they had huge smiles as they exited the cinema. In Palm Springs, the reaction of the audience was more expressive. We had loud applauses. I even remember there was one dude who screamed: "Hey I love your film!" and encouraged everyone to applaud more. It was surreal.

ME: Since your premier in Palm Springs you have traveled with the film around he world. Did you ever expect to go this far?

IAN: We had our world premiere at the Busan International Film Festival last October 2012 and we got a great reception there. The film reviews were unbelievably very positive. Since then, the film has been traveling around the festival circuits Including Palm Springs Intl. Film Festival. We will be in Newport Beach Film Festival as well. Honestly one of our goals on this project is to be able to show the film to the global audience since we have an advocacy to relay. So actually, I was hoping that the film would go on tour at film festivals around the world, but at the same time I wasn't expecting it. Everything that has been happening with our little film project has gone far beyond our expectations.

ME: Are there any remake offers yet to make this in other countries? If not, would you ever consider it?

IAN: Well, it will be cool if someone is actually willing to remake my film. It's one indicator that your film definitely got their attention and honestly I might consider it if there was an offer. I'm not entirely against film remakes but there's a part of me that's confused about the whole concept of it. I mean if a film is that good, why would you need to remake it? It's just my opinion though.

ME: What are you working on next?

IAN: Right now I'm working on another feature film about an old woman. It is my little homage to womanhood. It's very different from my previous works, since I'm tackling with a very subtle issue and a very strange concept. And another one I'm also writing is a romantic film noir that I'm hoping will be my 2nd collaboration with Jericho Rosales. Let's see whatever comes first. I'm ready for it.

Interview by Vanessa McMahon

Award updates: - Bugoy Carino (the kid) - Just won the Best Supporting Actor award at the 1st AIFFA (Asean Intl. Film Festival) in Kuching, Malaysia. - "Breakaway" won 5 awards at the concluded 29th PMPC (Philippine Movie press club) star awards for movies. ---> http://www.sunstar.com.ph/breaking-news/2013/03/10/pmpc-star-awards-movies-announces-winners-272298 - Best Indie Film - Best Indie Screenwriter (Ian Loreños) - Best Indie Director (Ian Loreños) - Best Indie Editor (Dempster Samarista) - Best Child Performer (Bugoy Cariño)

Breakaway's FB page = http://www.facebook.com/pages/ALAGWA-movie.../187922704598482

Just a little plug, "Breakaway" will have 2 screenings at the Newport Beach Film Festival this April 25-May 2, 2013. 1. Sunday, April 28, 2013, 4:30PM (The Triangle Square) 2. Tuesday, April 30, 2013, 3:00PM (Fashion Island CInema)

Breakaway Alagwa Philippines, 2012.

DIRECTOR: Ian Loreños Producer: Ian Loreños, Jericho Rosales Editor: Dempster Samarista Screenwriter: Ian Loreños Cinematographer: Rommel Sales Music: Gabriel Valenciano Principal Cast: Jericho Rosales, Bugoy Cariño, Smokey Manaloto Filmography: The Leaving (2010) Print Source: Anakim Media Productions - ianlorenos.tumblr.co