Very soon a movie directed by a Boholano will be shown in ICM’s Screenville Cinema, entitled “Instant Mommy,” starring box-office and award-winning actress Eugene Domingo. This movie, which is ranked second to “Ekstra” in box office performance at the Cinemalaya Philippine Festival, is directed by a Boholano, Leo Antonio Calceta Abaya (LCA), now based at UP-Dilliman.

Leo Abaya was a student at Divine Word College, where he finished an Economics degree. He went to Manila and pursued his artistic inclination, and now a big success. He won a scholarship grant for a Master’s degree in Fine Arts, at the world-famous Winchester School of Art in London. He is a Painter, Museum Curator, Book Designer, Theater Set Designer, graduate students Thesis Adviser, and Mentor. But it is in film Production Design that he has several awards. He also art-directs TV Commercials and short films. This time, with “Instant Mommy,” he is very much a vital part of the Philippine Movie Industry.

These are excerpts of an interview in “Nangutana Lang” – DYRD-ZD, 6:30-7:00 PM, on August 16, 2013.

LMP:As of now, you are affiliated with the University of the Philippines, as what?

LCA:I am an Associate Professor of the UP-College of Fine Arts. I have been teaching there for 15 years now.

LMP:You are a BS Economics graduate from Divine Word College (now Holy Name University). Was that not a big leap from economics to culture and the arts... directing, and producing films?

LCA:Well, if we try to look into the course, it is quite irrelevant. If you remember, Sir Loy, even if I was an Economic student way back in college, I always involved myself in the artistic activities of the school. For those who know me well, they understand that this is a natural progression on my part.

LMP:What prompted you to go to Manila after you graduated from college?

LCA:Actually, my first two years in college was spent in Manila. I just came back to Bohol to finish my course in Economics. But my plan really, was to take up Arts. Since, we don’t have an Art Academy in Bohol, that was the reason I moved back to Manila.

LMP:You went to UP, and finished Bachelor of Fine Arts.

LCA:Yes. But before that, I was already involved in film-making. In the early 80s, the film program was not yet available at UP, so, I started out at the UP Film Center, where most of the directors now also came from.

LMP:Where did you take up your graduate studies?

LCA:I studied at the Winchester School of Art in the United Kingdom. The focused of my studies was visual arts, specifically on painting.

LMP:What is your specialization when it comes to painting?

LCA:I am into figurative painting as of now. It is more representational and realistic in nature.

LMP:In filmmaking, you are more inclined to Production Design. You have been accorded with so many awards as Production Designer in the past many years. This is one thing, many of our fellow Boholanos don’t know about you. I would like to ask you now, for the benefit of everyone, what is a Production Designer?

LCA:A Production Designer handles all the visual effects that we can see in a movie which are immovable. Like for example, the background, props, sets, costumes, etc. In lighting, I work closely with the Director of Photography in order to create a more convincing scene. In the case of the movie “Rizal,” we had to recreate a 19th century Philippines. I did a thorough research about that for a year.

LMP:I also learned that even before that, you were directing commercials?

LCA:No, I am more of an Art Director for commercials. It is equivalent to a Production Designer of a film.

LMP:Being a Production Designer... is this something allied with painting?

LCA:Well, not directly. But in a sense, it is associated with visual arts. It is related topainting, especially narrative painting, because in making designs for film, you are helping the director to create a story by the use of visuals.

LMP:As a painter, I have learned, you have a lot of exhibits already, here and abroad. What is the feeling?

LCA:I feel honored and grateful. My first solo exhibit was in West Gallery, Manila, that was many years ago. I really felt nervous because the spotlight was on me, and I was not used to it. On the subsequent exhibits here and abroad, I was able to gain confidence already.

LMP:What were the exhibits you made abroad, and in what particular place?

LCA:I had exhibits in the Philippine Center, New York in the 90s, Chelsea Design Center in London, together with a group of Filipino exhibitors, and twice in Singapore.

LMP:In your role as Film Director, where do you obtain your fulfillment?

LCA:A film is a humanistic medium through creating stories about the reality, hoping that the idea resonates to the audience. When we make story about people, especially those who are struggling, it reminds us of our humanity. Touching the lives of the people watching the movie, only means that the film delivers its story. It is already a great accomplishment on my part.

LMP:When you search a subject for film, where do you start?

LCA:Sometimes it started with an image, idea, experience, etc.

LMP:In the case of your movie “Instant Mommy,” where did you begin?

LCA:From my own experience. The film “Instant Mommy” is a story of a wardrobe assistant in a commercial, portrayed by Eugene Domingo. In the hierarchy of making commercials, the said position is one of those in the lower ranks. I have been a Production Designer and Art Director of TV commercials for 15 years, so I know the world very much. I have worked with so many wardrobe assistants, and I can say that I have the credibility to tell their story.

LMP:As far as this movie is concerned, you got it from you own experience.

LCA:Yes, and the experience of other professionals like me. I researched it very well, and I assure you, it is a very good movie. (Laughs)

LMP:How is it now? Will you bring it to Bohol for the showing?

LCA:I am very lucky because we were able to get sixty theaters all over the country. I just discovered last week that two of those theaters are from Tagbilaran. I am very excited to share the movie to all Boholanos.

LMP:Will you be around during that time?

LCA:I am hoping to be here when it opens. I still have to check our schedule, because our leading man who is a Japanese actor based in Hollywood, is coming over, and I don’t know yet his itinerary.

LMP:As of now, most of your time is in teaching. What particular subjects is your concentration?

LCA:I am a thesis adviser to the undergrad. I also teach Art Theory at the UP-Graduate School.

LMP:I am just curious, I know how to make an ordinary thesis. How does it differ when it is a thesis about art?

LCA:Our thesis in the College of Fine Arts is not theoretical but practice-based. A student comes up with a proposal to do a major work, or a body of works that deals with a certain subject or theme. He makes a thorough research on thesubject, the historical and theoretical context. It involves a little bit of archival research. The thesis itself is not the writing but the outcome of the creative work.

LMP:So, it is a tough job.

LCA:Yes, it is. But I am very happy because I have helped my graduate students, since I took over the program of the College of Fine Arts in 2008. I am going to give myself three to four years, and after that, there should be a graduate of MFA (Master in Fine Arts) every year. For the past two years, we were able to fulfill that goal.

LMP:You know, I would really be encouraging Boholanos to follow your footsteps. In your case, when you studied in London, was it on a scholarship?

LCA:Yeah, I was a fellow of the University of the Philippines.

LMP:But before you become a fellow, you have to deserve it. What did you do in order for you to be given the scholarship grant?

LCA:Maybe, they have seen my potentials worthy enough to be given the shot.

LMP:Is there a big difference being a Production Designer in movie and in theater?

LCA:Yes, it is very different. Since 2001, I stage-designed for PETA, Tanghalang Filipino, Dulaang UP, and some other theater groups. The discipline in theater is more structured compared to movies which are quite loose because the play is not continuous. In theater, there is no cut, whether the characters make mistakes, the show must go on.

LMP:With all these disciplines you are involved in, which of them you feel most fulfilled?

LCA:All of them. (Laughs) Because each field offers a different kind of experience. I am the type of person who is not satisfied in just one direction alone. I explore new things in order to learn more everyday.

LMP:Is there no possibility that you will spare a little time in Bohol, to teach our young people here on what you know?

LCA:Actually, I have time for that. There was even a plan before, for me to conduct a seminar-workshop for one summer. For some reason, it did not push through. A lot of people know I am very open to things like that. I have been conducting seminars for Star Cinema for two consecutive years already. So, I am not starting fresh if ever Bohol will invite me. I already have a module on how to handle things like that. And, I know from personal knowledge that there are a lot of Boholanos with potential talents in film and arts waiting to be tapped. I remember when we were shooting the movie “Muro Ami,” many of our crew and casts were actually from Bohol. The late Marilou Diaz-Abaya, was also very vocal on her admiration to the talents of the Boholanos.

LMP:Please invite everyone to watch your upcoming movie “Instant Mommy.”

LCA:Yes, I am inviting everyone, my fellow Boholanos, to watch “Instant Mommy,” a comedy-drama movie on August 28, a Wednesday. It stars Eugene Domingo, Yuki Matzusaki, Luis Alandy, Rico J. Puno, Shamaine Buencamino, and many others. I assure everyone, it would be worth the money and the time. The movie will make you laugh, and probably make you cry. It talks about a woman who is challenged about the reality of life, but in the end holds on to her dignity.

Being engrossed in a lot of artistic demands, Leo Abaya seldom comes home, but his heart is always in Bohol. He just joined the ranks of a few Boholano artists who have made it in the national and international scene. In directing, Maryo J. Delos Reyes, RD Alba, and Cesar Montano are names to reckon with. Leo Abaya is the fourth. But as a Production Designer, he is one of the best in the country. He has several Painting Exhibitions in various cities of the world. He had travelled to Singapore, Taiwan, Thailand, China, the US and Europe, including Germany and Russia – to hone his craft.

With the achievements he has made, and the many others forthcoming, he makes the Boholanos proud.

(Website: www.loypalapos.com; email: loy.pal@gmail.com; cellphone: 09498345957)