The Lease, a paranormal thriller that features Garie Concepcion in her first leading role was supposed to have its commercial release last month but things happen and the stars and directors just want to move forward since they are finally going to get the screens they need to share their film with the local audience.
The film, directed by Italian Paolo Bertola and produced by publishing magnate Mario Alaman, is screening today along with some of the biggest releases including Sarah Geronimo’s Miss Granny, Crazy Rich Asians and Hotel Transylvania 3: A Monster Vacation. But Bertola isn’t worried about the competition as they target a different market and has a different story to tell.
The paranormal film tells the story of the family of half-Filipino and half-Italian engineer Romano Gonzales (played by Ruben Maria Soriquez), who moved to the Philippines with his family for a big project. They found a beautiful villa online, which captured the heart of the family.
However, on their first day in the villa, they immediately realize that they’re not alone. They start seeing things that even puzzled their house help. Their beautiful home turned into a living nightmare as each and every one of them is haunted by the unknown. The family will uncover a terrifying secret that will change their lives.
“Horror is not my genre but the producer presented a very nice script. It’s not the normal horror film you see these days so I agreed to do the film. Now we are planning to have an international release. We want to show the film in Italy and in Asia. We are talking to some of the people who can distribute the film in different parts of Asia,” Bertola told MS Entertainment in an interview.
The director further said that it’s his first time to direct a film with an all-Filipino cast but very much familiar with how local actors and talents work as he’s had a few film projects where he was part of the production team including a television series starring Derek Ramsay and a horror film under Regal Films.
“We had to control the acting since most Filipino actors tend to be very dramatic but other than that I don’t have any challenges, generally it’s good to work with Filipino actors since language is not a problem. Garie, in particular, is a good actress. She’s able to memorize her lines easily,” Bertola shared.
Meanwhile, Garie revealed that starring in The Lease is a dream come true for her.
“This is my first horror film and my first lead role in a film. And I’m very excited and at the same time nervous. I love horror films and I always dreamt of being part of a horror film. So, with this film, it is a dream come true,” she stated.
Garie further said that she knew about the film and the call for auditions only on social media. She just tried her luck and felt lucky to get the part.
“I just found out the call for auditions on Facebook. I auditioned on the third day, and luckily I got the part. This project is really different because it’s a horror. It’s scary but there’s also a heart in the film. The movie is family-oriented too,” she said.
