When the world is crumbling around you, love may just find you a new trail.
Lakbay2Love is a coming of age film set against the backdrop of environmental protection and biking. It chronicles the blossoming of love and friendship between three characters portrayed by biker-actors Dennis Trillo, Solenn Heussaff and Kit Thompson.
Directed & Produced By: Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil
Screenplay By: Layeta Bucoy & Elle Marfil
is a coming of age film that will make you
fall in love again. It chronicles the development of love and friendship between three characters portrayed by biker-actors Solenn Heussaff, Dennis Trillo and Kit Thompson.
Listen to the Official Lakbay2Love Soundtrack:
EVENTS
Environmental Protection
Shot in La Mesa Dam Ecopark and Timberland, San Mateo, the film features the beauty and destruction of nature as a call to action against illegal logging and support towards reforestation.
A percentage from all mainstream ticket sales will go to fund bike-to-forest activities of the Cordillera Conservation Trust and other bike groups involved in the filming of Lakbay2Love.
Advocacies
The Bicycle
Lakbay2Love believes that the bicycle is one of the most effective solutions to traffic congestion in Metro Manila. The film supports MMDA’s biking program and has taken part in various biking events such as the Tour of the Fireflies and 7Eleven Trail1600 as part of the film’s advocacy towards transport mobility.
TRIP: Lakbay2Love
Thank you Rappler for these really amazing photos of our outdoor green carpet premiere in partnership with UP Bike Share and Firefly Brigade-Philippines!
Lakbay2Love in cinemas February 3 The first bike movie in the Philippines!
Romancing My Stars
Romancing My Stars.
Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil
Since “Lakbay2love” is about biking, the environment and falling in love and we found locations to die for, I am lucky to have found the perfect stars to die for as well — Dennis Trillo, Kit Thompson, and Solenn Huessaff. . As any filmmaker would tell you, casting is one of the most challenging tasks of making a movie. Get the right cast and more than half the work is done.
Not only are all three beautiful, talented and lovable to work with, they are competent in biking and willing to endure the rigors of pedalling along rough and hilly terrain. Most of all, they had great chemisty.
As I look back on my seven-month journey that is the making of “Lakbay2Love,” I can’t help but feel so grateful for my stars. I wish to thank them in a special way through these fond recollections.
Ninety-nine percent of the men who heard that my lead star is Solenn Heussaff formed an “o” with their lips and their eyes widened and they asked me if they could attend the shoot. With many young girls, they flashed smiles of idolatry and one , studying to be a doctor, even offered to work for free to be able to wipe off the goddess’ sweat!
There are exceptions though. With older women, some gave me the questioning look, “Why her?” Nothing really negative but perhaps because she is known more as a celebrity, a fashionista, a glamorous, sexy icon- an image of sophistication.
Initially ,I myself had not seen her movies and knew her generally as an actress whose roles were that of sexy femme fatales. I did not know that she had done comedies which attempted to break her “ foreignness” , half-french that she is ,to make her more reachable. I didn’t know she had already been twice nominated as best supporting actress for Regal’s Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow.
ACertainly she was famous and I knew she was athletic, and as this was a bike movie- when her name was recommended to me, I immediately went to see her work in Peque Gallaga’s “Tiyanak” and saw that she exuded sincerity and simplicity in acting. So I got an appointment ..
I was surprised to see a different image from the fully-made-up, fully-dressed-up sweet young thing that I met many years ago when she was just starting out at Regal. She came in blue polo, straight hair, without make-up, without airs, without affectations. She was reserved,not overly-chummy, but not intimidating either.
She had read the script and I asked her what drew her to it. And that’s where female bonding sort of ensued- how women sometimes make their boyfriends the center of their lives and how they get devastated when the relationships fail, especially when they’re young.. She was no exception. In short, she grew up conditioned just like many of us girls.
Next, I invited best supporting actress Ruby Ruiz of “Extra” fame, to give her a one-day workshop.
The script for Lakbay2love underwent many revisions, and at that early stage, we revised it to suit her background and persona- half-French, half-Pinay, past College and living on her own. At that time, many of my staff had complained that they could not empathize with the character of “Lianne” which she was to portray.
At the workshop, Ruby just asked her to write a biodata of her character , based on the script she read, with instructions to write about how she felt growing up and, her relationships with family ,neighbors, boyfriends. She wrote a one-page thing. But as Ruby interviewed her as Lianne , while together with my cameraman, we videographed her from various angles, she just went on and on, very casually, without any pretense, without drama and amazingly during the break – Ruby and I would find out that we both sort of teared up- feeling the loneliness of childhood which she casually dismissed with all kinds of excuses in trying to understand her parents who were both away and had families of their own.
Solenn: “sexy photo that she posted on IG, a seeming contradiction to the girl-next-door persona that director Ellen Marfil got to know.
The mystery that is Dennis
She was then asked to imagine receiving the call from the childhood sweetheart who just broke up with her, and she gets to tell him everything she feels. She was also asked to call her French dad where she suddenly becomes the young girl pining for attention. She started crying, getting angry, then starts trying to act adult with her dad, then like a child. And I was stunned. ( See the videos on fb or website ) What I saw in the workshop was a vulnerability, a sincerity and a naturalness that I don’t think the Filipino movie-going public has seen much of…a sense of truth without a note of pretentiousness coupled with real charm and sexiness without trying.
Filmmaking for me has always been tough, even a fantastic material is not enough. I always found my muse in my actors. And Solenn was it! Finally, it was a definite go! We proceeded to revise script to suit her, as I got to know her more.
My staff , many of whom initially hesitated on the material, lacking empathy for the main character, changed their minds after they saw the videos. I asked one staff how come Solenn was able to see through the Lianne character while she didn’t and she said- perhaps because Solenn was 100% committed while she, like many of the staff were in between projects and had not totally absorbed the material.
This is Solenn, not just a pretty face, not just a sexy body, not just a nice girl as so many in showbiz will testify. Talented, yes- she can sing, she can paint, she can host. But indeed, she is a real person and an actress committed to her craft and super- disciplined , we would all discover in the days to come. She was never late, never left her continuity clothes, always , she had read and prepared for the sequences to be taken for the day.
Always, she was worried about her Tagalog so she wanted the script early, but it was an evolving script. We had a reading session. She was worried about crying scenes, specially, when on a set with lots of people. I wasn’t. And true enough, she always delivered..
Throughout shoot, it was perplexing to discover a person different from the image of a vamp, and a goddess- she was as natural as can be, a real woman, child-like even. She was no diva, and had no tempers, never angry, never irritated, not even with her personal staff- to my shame, because I do lose my temper .
I talked to her about this seeming contradiction-what this film was up against because they might be expecting from how they know her to be-superglam and sexy to the max- while here, she is unplugged- similar to how she gained fame in “Survivor”- I asked if she didn’t feel limited by the persona she is known for. . She said it was such a joy to be so comfy without make-up-this happened only maybe the last two years- her fiancée had a hand in that, she said. So I thought, so this is the real Solenn.. That night though, she would pose this very sexy pic on her instagram….as if to defy or confuse me.
"Solenn during the recording of the song "Kilig," one of the songs in the soundtrack of "Lakbay2Love." Direk Ellen on Solenn, "She can be fragile, needing stability in relationships. But she is in control and can put on the sexiest act. In person, she's almost an Audrey Hepburn—she of classic innocence!"
"Solenn sans makeup. The actress who plays Lianne, the videographer in "Lakbay2Love" says, "It feels comfy to be without makeup."
No, what I have seen is just one side of Solenn, something maybe many have not seen. But she is all her images. Upfront, she can be fragile, needing stability in relationships like most of us, but yes, she is in control, softly in control and can put on the sexiest act even, but if you meet her, ---hmm, she is almost an Audrey Hepburn….she of classic innocence.
I was hooked, and every shoot day was a joy. She played the role of a videographer needing to move-on from a devastating relationship with a lightness borne from who she really is combined with the angst of the character she was truly able to internalize thru empathy. Despite her privileged existence, she has enough pain to tap from. Yes, IT girls are human too. Leo Dominguez, her manager, did say, I will love her. True enough, my whole team fell in love with her.
Next challenge was finding the leading man, Jay-r, the forrester. the heartthrob with a mission. We checked various biker-actors and someone brought up Dennis Trillo. He was doing 3 films . His manager, Popoy Caritativo said , he could not commit to any schedule but he is really interested. .I met with them and they showed me his schedule, dotted with shoots except for 2-4 days per month. He was fair-skinned unlike most foresters but I had met exceptions and I did not want to be tied down to stereotypes. What got me was his quiet, reserved, polite sense of humility. I asked him how he can still give me his left-over days when these should be his days of rest. He said, biking is his rest. He started at eight years old, already biking through the mountains of Marikina and his friends called him “Black Hawk”.
Dennis Trillo as forester-biker, clearing trees after a storm.
One final requirement. 7-11’s trail 1500 was in a week’s time and we were able to get some partnership with 7-11 to join the race . I said, let’s not talk about skeds for now but if he could free up that date…and he did. I had found my forester-biker who instead of riding the van to and fro another location would rather bike- downhill, uphill. It didn’t’ matter. He was the real thing.
I asked Dennis how he could still give his free days to shooting my film when these should be his days of rest. To my surprise and pleasure, he replied that biking is his rest.
Feb.22 it was, at 5 am, we rolled out a scene where Solenn , the videographer, would be tying up a small camera on Dennis bike, while he looked at her with desire. And the chemistry was magic. They had a past in the reel world- from a napkin commercial where someone would swear he had a crush on her- to “Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow” and then here, finally in lakbay2love. Actually, of the names I gave her for possible partner, Dennis was her choice. I would read about Solenn admitting in Taste Buddies that of all the showbiz men, Dennis holds the most attraction to her because he is such a mysterious guy. She would share how despite an intimate scene, where he could be looking at her like a real lover and all, how at the end of a kiss, when the director calls a cut, he would revert to the quiet, reserved guy that he is… “It is so refreshing to work with a real pro, who does his role amazingly and after keeps to himself and not make ‘chismis.’” During a break in the shoot, I joined Dennis and his handler Joey for lunch. True to form, Dennis was awfuly quiet. “Lakbay2Love” was finished after seven long months, sometimes having just one shoot per month. After seven months, Dennis remains a charming mystery to me.
There was one scene, a gathering of bikers, where Dennis (as Jay-R) was asked by the program’s emcee what his biker-friends called him. I planted the question because I knew that Dennis had a nickname in the biking circle. Dennis surprised me by gamely answering, “Black Hawk,” and flapping his arms! I thought, “Nasa loob ang kulo!” Dennis was the perfect Jay-r, he is just like the guy you cannot get…so forever, you are hooked.
Kit, the newcomer na “malakas ang dating”
I told him to smile more often so he can be a matinee idol, because as is, he could be a good kontrabida. I said he is up against one of the most charming actors in showbiz, aside from being one of the best…. Then I asked him if he liked Solenn…and he started blushing and laughing (check that out online). I had found my Macky.
One of his most important scenes is when he comes home from abroad and tries to court back Lianne.
He was so serious, quite hurt and angry because he had just seen Lianne with his bestfriend JR in an intimate position…. He was so tense…I told him, they were childhood sweethearts who bathed naked in the rain perhaps, kissed to exchange saliva without malice, and hid from their parents together. Finally, with Solenn breaking out herself and suddenly improvising lines, he loosens up and is able to improvise in repartee…He was so thankful, and embraced me and said he finally enjoyed the scene and what he was doing. He is now in New York, studying acting. Watch out Philippines! In the next scene we did, he would let out such a boyish laugh, many would probably not believe that is how he really laughs. He is such a boy, Solenn will tell you that.
Finally, the third wheel, the role of Macky, the childhood sweetheart which would tear Lianne apart. Talent manager Ed Instrella, would recommend Kit Thompson but many would disagree- mukhang mayabang- his role as a cono kid in Hashtag Y was perfect for him. In Forevermore, he was an executive, even in his pictures- he didn’t look like the puppy-looking guy I was looking for that a girl is unable to resist despite all his violations. But I checked him out, and at 5’11, in tight white shirt, he exuded the sexy boy-next-door image that would suit Solenn. He looked arrogant though, serious, “malakas ang dating” but when he smiled, he was most charming. I played”Lianne” and tried out a difficult scene with him, at the end of which, he looked at me intensely, held my hand tightly-his hand was awfully warm…and I fell in love. Could I bring this out on-screen?
Kit Thompson as the childhood sweetheart of Lianne, the videographer
Ah, what joy to be in love with the actors you work with…It made the whole journey so light .
I had never been reckless in the past, imagine signing in an actor who could not give a definite schedule except for a first day. This is the first time I would evolve the script based on the actors I had chosen and had fallen in love with. First time I was directing based on intuition, collaborating with all who sometimes knew better than me- my associates in the bike community, my creative staff- and am so thankful that they all stayed despite the length of production at very limited budgets. First time I was directing, just trusting the universe that there’s a reason for this.
The project was inspired seven years ago when my son was learning how to bike and I got enchanted with the forest of La Mesa ecopark. But I found the will to do it only after the Yolanda tragedy- when the feeling was one just had to do something and not feel helpless and scared. So this bike movie, they say the first in the Philippines, was conceived, contextualized within the whole climate issues of the day, but instead of fear, I worked from the joy I felt at the forest, from the biking and the idealism of the young people I am with, my son specially., and believing that to change anything, you have to fall in love first.
Our launch is so near and always, promotion and distribution is the hardest part—especially for someone who is not a major player who doesn’t own any mall, any tv network, radio station, newspaper or magazine. But I am able to relax with the thought, that, no, it’s not me trying to give back. I have been given. I try to go thru all the necessary motions and the labor pains of giving birth but I have been blessed in this journey, there’s so much joy and I just would like to share it to the widest possible.. I don’t know how far this will go. But I just trust the universe and just do what I have to do.
Feb. 16, 2016
We survived one week in the malls with 24 theaters. Not bad for an indie. But after a most exciting first of a kind bikeride-concert and premiere at the UP Diliman last Jan. 29, we are now looking forward to the start of our real lakbay, hopefully, more outdoor green carpet screenings around the country.
A shorter version of this feature came out at Philippine Star, Feb. 5, 2016 and we thank Ricky Lo for giving us space in the Entertainment Section: http://www.philstar.com/entertainment/2016/02/05/1549819/romancing-my-stars
Please standby for screening dates of Lakbay2love in UPLB, Iloilo, Davao, Bohol!
Solenn: “demystifying” the goddess
In this detailed and candid account, director Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil reveals intimate behind-the-scenes stories of “Lakbay2Love” .
Thowing all caution