Focus on the Philippines: Brillante Mendoza to direct Rodrigo Duterte’s first national address

Plus: Game of Thrones actor to star in Philippine drama; Pinoy Big Brother relocates to Vietnam; Honour Thy Father wins in Switzerland.

Renowned Filipino director Brillante Mendoza. Clemens Bilan / Getty Images

After competing at the Cannes Film Festival in May with his family drama Ma' Rosa, acclaimed Filipino director Brillante Mendoza's next project will feature the newly elected Philippine president, Rodrigo Duterte.

Mendoza revealed he was approached to direct the leader’s first State of the Nation Address on July 27. Duterte assumed office on June 30 after a landslide election victory.

“We want to make it very real, very sincere,” says Mendoza about his plans for the tone of the much-anticipated speech. “We want it to be natural because we want to show how he regularly talks to ordinary people. There will be no embellishment – very straight to the point.”

Mendoza will also produce video presentations that will be shown during Duterte’s speech.

“But it’s not a TV show,” he says. “We will communicate directly to the people. I think that’s how he wants it.” Martin Andanar, the presidential communications secretary, said Duterte has also asked Mendoza for advice on how to help local independent filmmakers, in an attempt to improve the country’s film industry.

“I can only give suggestions,” Mendoza said. “I can share my experiences abroad – how foreign governments take care of their artists.”

Mendoza, 56, is one of the most renowned contemporary Filipino filmmakers. His movies have won acclaim and awards at international festivals, including the Best Director prize at the 2009 Cannes Film Festival for the crime thriller Kinatay (Butchered). Jaclyn Jose, the star of Ma' Rosa, won the Best Actress award at Cannes this year for her performance in the film.

Game of Thrones star lands Philippines role

Australian actor Conan Stevens, best known for his role as Gregor "The Mountain" Clegane on smash-hit HBO TV series Game of Thrones, will appear in the upcoming Filipino fantasy series Encantadia – a sequel to the popular 2005 series of the same name.

Stevens was spotted on set of with actor Rocco Nacino and director Mark Reyes.

"I can't talk about it – but I can say that I tend to get typecast," Stevens told the news programme 24 Oras. "So you can probably expect more of the same: big, imposing – I tend to get those roles."

Stevens also said he recently visited the International Academy of Film and Television, in the central Philippine province of Cebu, to share his professional experiences with students.

“I like Cebu. I felt relaxed there and the food was more different, fresher,” he says. “I enjoyed that. I have some friends down there now.”

Nacino, who plays a leading role in the series, had only good things to say about working with Stevens.

“He looks scary, but he’s so nice, very warm and accommodating,” he says.

Scheduled to begin on Monday in the Philippines, Encantadia stars Glaiza de Castro, Kylie Padilla, Gabbie Garcia and Sanya Lopez.

Pinoy Big Brother relocates to Vietnam

The latest edition of the reality-TV contest Pinoy Big Brother began on Monday with a big twist: for the first time in the show's 11-year history, the location is not the Big Brother house in Manila. Instead, this season takes place in the Big Brother house in Vietnam.

The nine celebrity contestants are: radio presenter DJ Chacha, actresses Yassi Pressman and Elisse Joson, comic Nonong Ballinan, model Hideo Muraoka, South Korean presenter Jinri Park, teenage pop-star JK Labajo, and dancers Nikko Natividad and McCoy de Leon.

This week the housemates had to deal with several challenges, including dealing with the Vietnamese version of Big Brother, as well as three guests from the country, all of whom only communicate to them in Vietnamese.

More contestants are expected to enter the competition in the coming weeks. The show's most-recent edition featured 26 housemates, including celebrities, ordinary people and teenagers. Now on its 13th season, Pinoy Big Brother remains one of the most-popular programmes in the Philippines. The first edition of the new season trended worldwide on Twitter.

Honour Thy Father wins in Switzerland

Filipino crime thriller Honour Thy Father was awarded the Best Asian Film prize at last week's Neuchatel International Fantastic Film Festival in Switzerland.

Directed by Erik Matti, the film, which had its debut at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, tells the story of a family dealing with a financial scandal. It stars John Lloyd Cruz, Meryll Soriano and Tirso Cruz III.

This month, Cruz received the Star Asia Award at the New York Asian Film Festival for his performance in the movie.