As a filmmaker, what you choose not to put in the final cut is often as crucial as what stays in. These photos are from a scene in "Call Me Mother"that we spent weeks planning and an entire day shooting. It was a massive parkour sequence: Twinkle, in a desperate dash to get her child to the hospital, runs out of the shower in nothing but a towel. Trapped in a narrow alley packed with cars caught in traffic, she realizes that her only way forward is to bypass the pavement entirely, launching into incredible parkour stunts and mid-air flips over the traffic below.
It was a logistical beast. While we were filming inside the house, parkour rehearsals were happening simultaneously outside to ensure the choreography aligned with our storyboards, plan the camera angles, and prioritize the safety of Meme. We had a huge setup: VFX teams, stunt directors, additional safety officers, and a high-end 3-camera rig. Through it all, Meme was a total trooper, wearing a harness and running on car roofs even as the rain began to pour.
It was visually spectacular. Everyone was excited to see Twinkle doing "impossible" parkour while perfectly balancing a towel on her head. But in the end I cut it. It wasn't easy. I wanted to honor the hard work of my cast and crew and the investment of my producers, but while the scene worked on paper and was technically impressive, it felt tonally out of place once edited into the sequence. The absurdity was just too high, it risked derailing the grounded comedy we needed to make the eventual shift into heavy drama feel seamless.
From cutting Mara’s "Squid Game" style pageant training to removing the PBB cast’s samurai confrontation, my editor Ben Tolentino and I were relentless. Ultimately, filmmaking isn't about flexing the spectacle or showing off your technical range as a director. It’s about honoring the story above all else, even if that means leaving your most ambitious work on the cutting room floor.
Watch Call Me Mother in cinemas nationwide!
Thank you VIUs and to the fans of Ms. Nadine for joining our blockscreening today with @NadineLBdayClub! It was nice meeting all of you!
@StarCinema@teamvicePH@vicegandako
VICEDINE AWARDWINNING
#ViceGanda | #CallMeMotherDay4
When Nadine won her URIAN, FAMAS, YCC, MMFF, etc best actress awards HINDI SIYA UMIYAK. Hindi rin siya iyakin.
Pero shet Nadine Lustre crying for Vice Ganda's MMFF BEST ACTOR win. Now you know WHY WE LOVE HER. She is so sincere & generous talaga.
Congrats Meme Vice Ganda!!!!
Nalutang, nataranta, natulala hanggang sa nalasing nako kagabi kaya’t di na ko nakapagpasalamat sa inyo. MARAMING MARAMING SALAMAT MADLANG PEOPLE AND MY LITTLE PONIES!!!! Alam kong ginusto nyo to para sakin. At inilaban nyo ko. At alam kong masayang masaya kayo.
WE won!
MY GAWDD this is for benjamin, for girlie, for peter, for mark, for panying, for bambi, for bernice, for erika, for natalia, for arci, for gandarra, for petra, and for every character she played sa mmff! 😭
“Kanina nung nakita ko yung jury kinabahan ako… puro lalaki yung jurors tapos may pari. Pero salamat po nakita niyo po ako, salamat po dahil kinilala niyo po ako.
It’s really 2025 and it is really possible and it is real. Queer people can be best actor. A QUEER PERSON IN A GOWN CAN BE BEST ACTOR THIS 2025! It’s about damn time!”
LOUDER MEME VICE!!!! 😭👏🏳️🌈 #MMFF51GabiNgParangal