Film Director Victor Villanueva Says He's a Sellout

The Meet-Cute

It’s rare to come across a creative who admits they’ve had a goal of “selling out.” Then again, not everyone is Victor Villanueva, who said that he wanted to make a career out of whatever art he intended to do. I guess this way of putting it is softer and less polarizing. But isn’t that the dream? To make money out of your passion? This is the reason he chose Advertising as his major in college, which would contribute a lot to his future career by enabling him to be a jack of all trades.

Although the love for filmmaking was always there, it was further developed when Victor had a subject called TV arts. Victor shared, “My batch was known as that filmmaking batch, and we were so enthralled in the art of the video format. Back then, it was uncharted territory; tech was limited and we had to hack out ways on how to make stories.” He went on to say that workshops weren’t free then, but that Bigfoot Studios and The International Academy of Film and Television (IAFT) fortunately opened, which is where he learned a lot.

Favorite Friends a.k.a. Mentors

Being in the film industry for a decade, Victor has gotten by with a little from his friends, namely, Moira Lang (formerly Raymond Lee) and her Origin8 team, Jerrold Tarog, and Ruel Antipuesto. These names are well respected in the industry and are certainly a nice set of allies to have.

While helping out Moira Lang and the Origin8 team with marketing and distribution for local films like Kimmy Dora, Iloilo, and Zombadings, Victor said he was able to acquire a wider lens on a different aspect of the Philippine film industry. They liked the fact that he was thoughtful and intentional. As Victor would recall, they would say, “Kasi nag-iisip ka, Vic!”

“I guess it’s worth pointing out that when you do good work, you get referred. And people who I only saw on TV and read interviews on, I get to work and drink with now.”

Meanwhile, Jerrold Tarog was one of many who encouraged him to direct because he had a lot of wild ideas. He saw Victor’s potential while filming his first feature film Confessional, which was shot in Cebu and Victor co-produced. Victor confessed (pun intended) that he never saw himself as a director. Despite that, Ruel Antipuesto was also supportive in helping Victor realize his flair for telling stories.

Looking back, Victor said he was always proactive and constructive in approaching projects with creativity and honesty. His sense of intent and truth are what made him stand out in the industry in the years to come.

“I guess it’s worth pointing out that when you do good work, you get referred. And people who I only saw on TV and read interviews on, I get to work and drink with now.” Exchanging stories over below-zero – or not – bottles of beer with your idols is a pretty good benchmark that you’re doing well professionally.

The Stories He’s Told So Far

Victor has three shorts: Saranghae My Tutor, Abot-kamay, Ang Nanay ni Justin Barber, and When Mary Met Guido, a stupidly funny wedding video of his friends, which only Cebuanos can truly appreciate. Unfortunately, it can’t be watched on YouTube anymore—I am so thankful I got to see it when it was still available!

On the other hand, he has four feature lengths under his belt thus far: My Paranormal Romance, Patay na si Hesus, Kusina Kings (his first mainstream studio film), and Lucid. He also has an iWant original series called Jhon en Martian.

“My job as a director is to capture those lightning-in-a-bottle moments.”

While Mary Met Guido proved that he can do comedy well due its unexpectedly positive reviews, Victor believes he might have beaten his sophomore slump with Patay na si Hesus. Because of its success, it’s become easier for him to enter a room to pitch; there’s no longer a need to double the effort. As for the controversial title, Victor said it wasn’t intentional at all. The initial titles were Lubong ni Hesus, Libing Things, and The Last Suffer–I can’t decide what my favorite is between the last two. They finally decided on the title we know now because it was the first line of Jaclyn Jose in the movie. It couldn’t have been premeditated, since they thought it would only be released in indie film fests. However, the violent reactions somehow helped in the promotion of the film. It was a classic example of, “All publicity is good publicity.”

Victor as a Filmmaker

I can only imagine the hurdles a filmmaker has to go through in our country. Victor shared with apparent frustration that “it’s always the budget” that’s the constant challenge. As it decreases, concepts are getting safer as well, and sometimes, the vision is compromised. Amidst this conundrum, Victor applauds producers who are willing to take risks in pursing something new and different.

Being a Cebuano director in the Philippine industry has its obstacles as well. Victor expressed that it takes guts to be on this path. He added that his “being Cebuano,” which I assume would allude to being isog, drove him to push for his crazy ideas. One of which was releasing the first Cebuano film on Netflix, referring to Patay na si Hesus. Victor said, “You gotta take those big swings and listen to Tito Bong Joon-Ho about discovering amazing films by overcoming the 1-inch-tall barrier of subtitles.”

Having some success in comedy with his natural quick wit and humor, Victor has a very fluid approach in directing his entertaining features. As he puts it, one can’t write every funny detail or line in a comedy. He allows his actors to improvise as long as they don’t deviate from the core of the message. He said, “My job as a director is to capture those lightning-in-a-bottle moments.”

Apart from comedy, Victor would like to explore other genres as well, like horror and action. His film Lucid, which starred Alessandra de Rossi and JM de Guzman, was, according to Victor, his attempt at a more “somber and nuanced drama with a fantastical element.” He added, “I think it depends on what’s honest with your emotional truth at the moment.”

Victor’s participation in the unique and wildly popular Trese marketing campaign also proves his versatility as a storyteller. He directed the faux CCTV leaked videos featuring supernatural beings destroying Trese posters for GIGIL, the out-of-the-box agency behind the campaign. (GIGIL is responsible for that weird ass RC Cola commercial that got a lot of people shookt.)

At present, Victor has a few movie and series projects in the pipeline, one of which is sci-fi. Other genres of his ongoing projects are comedy, drama, and horror. He’s also been the second unit director with Mikhail Red of HBO’s Halfworlds season three.

Like other creative creatures, Victor also experiences impostor syndrome during moments of doubt and extreme self-criticism. He admitted that he cries over bad comments and reviews, and that it takes a million years for him to finish a script because wants the first run through to be perfect, resulting in major delays. All of this sounds a bit too familiar.

Despite the woes, Victor continues to blaze on because he simply loves what he does. He feels fulfilled when viewers resonate and relate with his stories, imparting a piece of himself to them.

The Other Victor

As an Advertising major, Victor is also busy with other ventures outside films. Aside from currently helping produce an animation project and develop a series about gaming, he is also a creative consultant for various projects, including commercials. A day in his life is filled with reading scripts, reviewing concept decks, and working on creative collaborations. He also emphasized how reading stories about life in general online or through books can be a great source of inspiration, so that there’s “emotional truth” in whatever you do.

When I asked what he would tell his 18-year-old self, he answered, “Ma pul-an ra ka’g Dragon Ball Z.”

Apart from that, he’ll be doing a lot of workshops soon, as well as possible apprenticeships with adherence to production protocols, of course. He also spends time watching anime and playing video games, which he streams sometimes on Facebook as @exgangleadergame. He loves video games so much that he feels like he makes films just to buy his video games. Travel is another thing he enjoys doing, but with the pandemic, “Hala kutob nalang ko Valorant ug Valheim travel ani. LOL!” he expresses.

Victor is a naturally funny dude who has a knack for telling stories that sell. He masterfully treads the mainstream landscape with his unusual ideas, marrying practical and passionate seamlessly. Personally, I’m grateful to him for putting the Cebuano identity at the forefront of the film community, and showing the rest of the country how gut-wrenchingly funny Cebuano humor is. One thing we can learn from Victor is not to take things too seriously. When I asked what he would tell his 18-year-old self, he answered, “Ma pul-an ra ka’g Dragon Ball Z.” This is the confident nonchalance I aspire of having.

Quick Facts

Directors Victor Looks Up To:

Joyce Bernal and the late Wenn Deramas for how they capture the pulse of Filipino comedy
Erik Matti for the way he crafts his films and his ambition in telling unique stories
Mel Brooks for his deadpan and satirical comedic style. Victor adds, “Please watch History of the World; it’s hilarious.”
Quentin Tarantino whom he met during the 2010 Cinemanila International Film Festival for his dialogue writing for his dialogue writing
Tetsuya Nakashima and Takashi Miike for their ability to transition between different genres and styles
Hideaki Anno for his influence on Victor’s “darker side”

Actors Victor Wants to Work with:

Lady Gaga
BrightWin
Park Seo-joon
Jun Ji-hyun
Love teams like Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla, and Liza Soberano and Enrique Gil
Rising possible comedians because comedic timing is rare

Dream Projects: