AJ Raval stars in short film set for international release

AJ Raval will lead the cast of “The Flickering Bonfire,” a short film about abuse and trauma that is set for international release later this year.

The 20-minute movie is being eyed as an entry to a number of prestigious film festivals abroad, such as the Sundance and Toronto International Film Festival, but with the possibility of being developed as a full-length film for 2027.

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Joining Raval in the cast are former Pinoy Big Brother housemate Hasna Cabral and actor Alex Medina, who will play Raval’s mother and antagonist in the film.

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At a press conference and cast reveal held earlier this month, Raval said she is grateful, but also excited to start filming for a project for an international audience.

“Malaking bagay ang film na ito sa career shift ko, and also syempre may gagampanan tayo dito na totoong story ng isang tao. Kailangan nating ibigay ang best natin para mabigyan ng justice yung story nya,” she said.

“I am very grateful. Masaya ako na nakuha ko itong project. Syempre, it’s also about bringing awareness sa mga tao sa ibang bansa, na Filipino people are deeply relatable. Kumbaga, maraming mga nangyayari dito na di natin gusto, and unfortunately nangyayari talaga sya,” she further said.

Cabral, who has appeared in a couple of international films herself, said she is taking the movie project as a challenge to be at par with other Filipino talents who made waves internationally. She hoped this would open more doors for more global projects for Filipino actors.

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“Hopefully mabigyan ko po ng justice yung talent ng Filipinos internationally. It’s also a big thing for me because since I got out of PBB house, I did a lot of local TV series and movies. It’s a dream come true for me for someone who has so much respect sa Filipino talent and skills to be able to have a chance na mapanood tayo sa ibang bansa,” she said.

For his part, Medina said that, having worked on other independent films in the past, he has to carefully study his role to bring out the many layers of his character, just as what Hollywood actors do.

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“I’m just looking at it and meron tayong sariling bubble minsan whether you’re acting on TV so you have to do TV acting, or indie acting. But ultimately, gusto ko lang gawin yung tamang acting, when it feels right, it feels right. Yun ang hinahanap ko ngayon at this point, yung ganong level ng acting,” he said.

The indie actor said that he has been observing Hollywood movies and he realized that there are a certain nuance in the actors’ portrayals.

“I realize that there are a certain nuance in Hollywood movies. Maganda rin inject-an this movie na may something that I can give, aside from what I can give in local acting.

Intended for the Western gaze

The true-to-life movie is to be directed by American Matthew Rusling, who co-founded FilAmericana Productions, along with Filipino producer Sarah Cinco.

Without going into details about the film, the movie follows the story of Princess, who suffered abuse at the hands of her mother’s live-in partner.

While the movie follows a seemingly simple storyline, the cast and the production team said they wanted to approach the subject matter with sensitivity.

Rusling, a former White House journalist said they chose the story of Princess as subject of their movie project because of its relatability, genuineness, and general appeal to the western audience, who are always looking out for fresh film materials.

Emotionally touching encounter

Raval also had a chance to meet Phoebe, the woman whose story of survival and trauma inspired the movie. Her emotionally touching encounter with Phoebe also triggered a memory about a past incident that made her fear for her life and that of her siblings.

“Actually nung nakita ko sya (Phoebe), niyakap ko sya agad. Gusto kong umiyak pero nahihiya ako kase alam ko yung mga pinagdaanan nya as a woman, tapos bata lang sya,” said Raval.

“Hindi ko mako-compare yung na-experience ko sa na-experience nya… Andami na nyang pinagdaanan. Ang lakas ng loob nya. Parang sya yung definition ko ng strong woman,” she further said.

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Raval then recalled that a few years ago, she and her younger siblings faced an intruder who appeared to be under the influence of drugs and threatened them. While they were not harmed, she said the incident caused her so much trauma that would still haunt her even with the passage of years.