Popular young actor Sam Milby has expressed excitement over his very first dramatic movie “And I Love You So” which teams him up with Bea Alonzo, which is also another first for the actor. The Star Cinema presentation which marks director Laurenti Dyogi’s return to movie directing, opened yesterday in theaters nationwide.

Sam, who plays his most challenging role to date via the movie, also said he felt very nervous as the playdate of the movie got near. “Actually, a lot of people say that they are pressured, that they feel nervous. Of course I feel nervous about it being my first drama movie na I’ve never done before. Lahat ng movies na ginawa ko dati light comedy-romance lang. So this is my first drama, and my first love team-up with Bea. With a new team-up you really get nervous about it. But I feel confident that people will enjoy our movie, that people will love it. That a lot of people can relate to it,” Sam said.

Derek Ramsay, who also stars in “Ang I Love You So,” is also very excited about the movie. Derek, who is doing well in the soap “The Wedding” with Anne Curtis and Zanjoe Marudo, said, “Na-miss ko mag-movie. Ang dami kong ginagawang soaps ngayon, and I’ve been wanting to do a really big, big film this year. That’s one of my goals. Now that I’ve done one, I’m able to tick it off in one of the things I want to do. Habang ginagawa namin itong movie na ito, I’m happy with the outcome.”

In the movie, Bea plays her most mature role to date. She plays Lara, a pre-school teacher who lost her husband of five months. She didn’t think she could go on living, much less love again. Seven months later, Lara is still in mourning. Her business has also taken a nosedive. She is also in dire financial trouble, unable to pay her condo and car mortgages.

So what will be Sam and Derek’s roles in her life? Watch the movie and find it out by yourselves.
The movie, by the way, will also be shown in San Francisco, Las Vegas and San Diego on Aug. 14-20;  Guam (Aug. 15-21); Honolulu (Aug. 28-Sept. 3); Seattle (Aug. 28-Sept. 3); Los Angeles (Aug. 21-27); Chicago (Sept. 11-17); Searborough, Canada (Aug. 21-Sept. 3); Mississauga, Canada (Sept. 4-18);  Dubai (Aug. 27-29); Abu Dhabi (Aug. 27-29); Qatar (Sept. 3-5); and Bahrain (Sept. 4-5).
For tickets, log on to www.abs-cbnglobalmovies.com.

Sam’s album reloaded

Meanwhile, Sam’s album under Star Records, “A Little Too Perfect” has been reloaded with new songs that will surely delight his listeners. In fact, the album has turned gold and is now only an inch away from turning platinum.

With the reloaded album, Sam’s audience can re-live the theme songs of the top teleseryes in ABS-CBN like “Only You,” “Can’t Help Falling In Love,” theme song of “The Wedding.”  And of course, the theme song of “And I Love You So.”

So keep yourselves in a good tune and grab your own copy of “A Little Too Perfect Reloaded,” available in record bars nationwide, under Star Records.

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Cinemalaya now accepting entries to the 2010 festival

The Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival is now accepting entries to its 2010 festival. Dealine of submission is Sept. 1, 2009.

Only Filipino filmmakers who have not yet directed more than three full-length commercial feature films are eligible to join the full-length feature category of the festival.  For this category, interested parties must submit a duly completed application form, a one-page synopsis and a sequence treatment in Filipino or English, a brief resume with two 2x2 photos, and samples of previous film/video work in CD/DVD or VHS.

A committee will select 10 finalists by Dec. 1.  These 10 finalists will each receive a P500,000 seed grant from the Cinemalaya Foundation, Inc. as investment for the production.

For the short film feature category, the deadline for submission of entries will be on  Feb. 16, 2010.
Interested applicants to the short film feature category must submit the final work in DVD format, a duly completed application form, synopsis in Filipino or English, a brief resumé and two 2x2 photos.  The 10 best short films will be selected on April 30, 2010.

For both categories, all works must be narrative features in digital format.  All