Honor Thy Father Erik Matti

Honor Thy Father (originally titled as Con-Man) is a 2015 Filipino thriller crime drama film directed by Erik Matti and starring John Lloyd Cruz. It was screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival. It was an official entry to the 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival.

The film is about a family who find themselves in a Ponzi scheme.[1] Edgar (John Lloyd Cruz) and Kaye (Meryll Soriano) seek to pay their family's debt to Kaye's co-parishioners. The couple fears that the parishioners may hurt their daughter.[2]

• John Lloyd Cruz as Edgar[3]
• Meryll Soriano as Kaye
• Dan Fernandez as Manny
• Tirso Cruz III as Bishop Tony
• Perla Bautista as Nanang
• Yayo Aguila as Jessica
• Khalil Ramos as Emil
• William Martinez as Pastor Obet
• Krystal Brimner as Angel
• Lander Vera Perez as Cedric
• Boom Labrusca as Erwin

Development

The film was directed by Erik Matti. The film's lead actor, John Lloyd Cruz alongside Dondon Monteverde are producers of the film.[4][5] Agosto Dos Pictures, was originally planned to be co-producer of the film along with Reality Entertainment. The film was originally titled Ponzi.[6]

Casting

John Lloyd Cruz was chosen to portray the lead character of the film. The actor shaved his head for the role despite warnings from his big studio handlers that he might lose endorsement contracts, especially for a certain shampoo product. The actor sought to break away from the leading man role that people are familiar with in his mainstream films and also explained that his acting work isn't confined to his home television network, ABS-CBN, stating that he "refuses to be typecast". He sought to project a different image from the one audiences have gotten accustomed to by playing a lead role in an indie film.[7]

Originally, Dingdong Dantes was also offered to portray John Lloyd's role but it was the latter that ultimately played the role.[6]

Filming

The film was shot in Macabebe, Pampanga, Baguio and nearby towns. About 16 hours of shooting was spent inside the mines of Camp 6 along Kennon Road.[1]

Honor thy Father was first screened in the Contemporary World Cinema section of the 2015 Toronto International Film Festival.[7][8] It was also screened in the Cinema One Originals Film Festival in November 2015.[4] The film was accepted as an official entrant to the 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival after Hermano Puli, a historical biopic directed by Gil Portes, withdrew from the festival on October.[4]

At the 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival, the film was subsequently disqualified from the Best Picture category led to controversy, sued against the festival's officials by Lloyd Cruz and the film's crew.[9] One of the film's producers said: “We complied with all the MMFF’s requirements; we did not commit any non-disclosure of any kind; no MMFF rule was ever violated by Honor Thy Father.”[10]

1. ^ a b "John Lloyd starrer 'Honor Thy Father' wraps up 'bloody Baguio shoot'". Star Cinema. March 18, 2015. Archived from the original on September 18, 2015. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
2. ^ "MMFF 2015 clarifies 'Honor Thy Father' disqualification". Rappler. December 27, 2015. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
3. ^ "John Lloyd Cruz wins acting trophy in NYC". SunStar. July 5, 2016. Retrieved July 6, 2016.
4. ^ a b c Sallan, Edwin (December 25, 2015). "'Honor Thy Father,' '#WalangForever' touted as favorites in MMFF awards race". InterAksyon.com. Archived from the original on December 27, 2015. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
5. ^ Villano, Alexa (December 24, 2015). "MMFF 2015: 5 things to know about 'Honor Thy Father'". Rappler. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
6. ^ a b Llanera, Melba (May 23, 2015). "John Lloyd Cruz on replacing Dingdong Dantes in Honor Thy Father: "Naku, 'di ko alam na nai-offer din sa kanya." (John Lloyd Cruz on replacing Dingdong Dantes in Honor Thy Father: "Oh, I didn't know it was also offered to them.")". Philippine Entertainment Portal (in English and Tagalog). Philippine Entertainment Portal Inc. Retrieved December 27, 2015.
7. ^ a b "Erik Matti's 'Honor Thy Father' premieres in Toronto". Inquirer. August 20, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
8. ^ "Sandra Bullock's 'Our Brand Is Crisis,' Robert Redford's 'Truth' to Premiere at Toronto". Variety. August 18, 2015. Retrieved August 23, 2015.
9. ^ Tantuco, Vernise (December 27, 2015). "MMFF 2015 clarifies 'Honor Thy Father' disqualification". RAPPLER. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
10. ^ Tantuco, Vernise (December 26, 2015). "'Honor Thy Father' disqualified from MMFF 2015 Awards Best Picture category". RAPPLER. Retrieved August 7, 2024.
11. ^ Smith, Chuck. "Winners: 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival awards night". Philippine Star. Retrieved December 28, 2015.
12. ^ "FULL LIST: Winners, PMPC Star Awards for Movies 2016". Rappler. March 7, 2016. Retrieved March 12, 2016.

• Honor Thy Father at IMDb