Love is an Ocean of Emotions in "Donsol"

There’s nothing like a great love story to inspire us. Love may slip through your fingers but life goes on. There’s always a better promise of things to come. In Bicycle Pictures’ Donsol, love is at the center this moving and powerful film- a heartwarming study of relationships. Hence the tagline, “Love is an ocean of emotions.”

Whalesharks, magnificent creatures of the deep, visit once a year the turquoise waters of Donsol. Daniel, the lonesome Butanding Interaction Officer (BIO) played by Sid Lucero, guides tourists in their interaction with the magnificent whale sharks of Donsol, Sorsogon. He finds himself drawn to Teresa (Angel Aquino), a woman as beautiful and mysterious as the enormous visitors of the sea. Burdened by past heartaches and uncertain of the future, the two find sanctuary in each other as love surfaces anew. As the tide rises and recedes in a cycle of loss and renewal, Donsol provides the breathtaking backdrop to a story of heartbreak, and the healing power of love.

Screenwriter Adolfo Alix, Jr. (Mga Munting Tinig, Homecoming, D’Anothers) describes his directing debut as a poignant love story about two people who may or may not end up together. “Both of them are haunted by their past, so they connected in this seemingly Edenic paradise but they have to face realties. People always come and go in our lives- friends, loved ones but in the end you come out of every experience a better person. The journey is more important than the destination. The whale sharks leave Donsol but there is always a promise that it may come back. If it does not return, the fisherfolk‘s lives have been changed by the visit of the sharks forever,” Alix says.

The film boasts of a powerhouse cast- newcomer Sid Lucero; model/actress Angel Aquino (who won the Cinemalaya Best Actress for her performance as Teresa); acting heavyweights Cherie Gil, Jaclyn Jose, Bembol Roco, Mark Gil; reliable thespians Simon Ibarra, Kenneth Ocampo with rising child star Aaron Junatas.

Also on board are cinematographer Eli Balce, underwater photographers Boy Siojo, Marissa Floirendo and Carina Escudero, editor Tara Illenberger, sound recordist Ari Trofeo, production designer Gessan Enriquez and music composer Jesse Lucas.

“Donsol” debuted in the 2nd Cinemalaya Philippine International Independent Film Festival last July where it won Best Actress for Angel Aquino and Best Cinematography. It also bagged the Special Jury Prize in the Asian Marine Film Festival in Japan and the Jury Prize for Best Low Budget Feature in the recently concluded Fort Lauderdale International Film Festival in Florida, U.S.A. It will also compete in the Monaco International Film Festival this December and will be screened in the Cairo International Film Festival, the Dominican Republic International Film Festival, and the Asian Festival of 1st Films in Singapore this December.

The movie will be released by Star Cinema on November 29 in theaters nationwide. The film is also graded "A" by the Cinema Evaluation Board and classified PG13 by the Movie & Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB). Remastered and transferred to 35mm Technicolor print.

“Donsol” is co-produced by Gilbert Remulla, Joel Villanueva, Florencio “Bembem” Noel, Justin Chipeco, Francis “Chiz” Escudero, Mujiv Hataman, Armando Ilano, Sunil Shah, Roger Matira, N. Catamco and Senedy Que.