Mara Isabela Lopez, daughter of actress and former beauty titlist Maria Isabel Lopez, lands on a special role in the movie "Following Rosa," which is an entry to the 2007 Sundance Film Festival.

During the audition for the character Sel (a poor urban lass in "Following Rosa" who was exposed to the evils of the streets of Metro Manila at a tender age), Mara’s performance won the nod of the film’s British producer, Louise Lovegrove, to cast her in the said movie.

"Mara’s life and Sel’s are totally different but Mara was able to put herself into that character. Apart from that, she speaks good English and could understand directions from our director. We thought of her as one of the best among those who auditioned," Louise told Manila Bulletin in a recent interview.

According to "Following Rosa’s" production team, there were many other Filipino actresses who appeared for the audition. Among them were Danica Sotto, the girls of GMA-7’s "Starstruck" and a number of Jojo Veloso’s talents.

"’Following Rosa’ is my first international film and I feel so excited and happy to be part of it. It has been great working with director Ron because he knows how to motivate his actors. I also realized it pays idolizing big actors because it helps one get closer to her dream. I’ve always been an avid fan of Angelina Jolie, Robert de Niro, Sean Penn, Heart Evangelista, and of course my ultimate idol is my mom. She’s always been there to guide me and teach me techniques on effective acting," Mara said during the last shooting day of "Following Rosa" in Sta. Mesa.

Mara hopes after people see her in "Following Rosa" they would start recognizing her as a serious actress. For it’s only then that she could see herself being tasked to do more serious dramatic films.

"Since ‘Following Rosa’ is a full-length dramatic movie, I hope people will see here my talent in acting. It’s always been my dream to do international movies, sana magtuloy–tuloy na ito. But before looking far into the future, I want to first hear what the public has to say about my performance in this movie so feel free to text MARA__YES__<your name> and send it to 2366," Mara said.

In "Following Rosa," Mara shares heavy emotions-driven scenes with "Carlito’s Way" actor Jaime Terelli, Lynn Sherman, Jacob Shalov, Angie Pero, and another Filipino actor Pierro Rodriguez.

All the scenes in this film were shot in the Philippines, particularly in areas of Quiapo, Sta. Mesa and Tandang Sora, Quezon City, since its plot focuses on a Filipino going back to the roots of his national identity after practically living one fourth of his life in the US.

"’Following Rosa’ is Ron’s original idea. It’s a story about how he feels whenever he comes back here in the Philippines. This movie is not based on truth but on feelings," shared Louise.

Although he was born in the US, 27-year-old Ron Morales was raised by his parents in a very traditional Filipino way, instilling in him the values and culture that every Filipino should live by.

"I come back here every two to three years. The only difference now is that I know more Tagalog words and I have a clearer sense of the places and the people here because of this fortunate experience of shooting a film here," Ron expressed.

Before "Following Rosa" was conceptualized, Ron has worked on 25 films that were shot in different parts of Asia. Two of his works entitled "Name, Age and Occupation" and "Girl from Mile 9" won awards for directing and writing. The young director’s intense passion for photography was responsible in opening his door to a greater love which is filmmaking.

After working on the post production of "Following Rosa," Ron and Louise plan to start shooting another Asian-American film which they personally designed for Pierro Rodriguez whose talent in acting they describe as superb. Pierro was among the cast of Gil Portes’s award–winning movie titled "Mga Munting Tinig" which was shown four years ago.