Key Points
- 'Puppy, Brown, Male' was conceptualised with Filipino actors Alfred Nicdao and Tamara Bailey in mind as lead actors .
- The film is written by Rex Paragas and directed by Keshi Sacdalan.
- The puppy was written into the script when Rex's family got a puppy during lockdown.
'Puppy, Brown, Male' is Keshi Sacdalan's directorial debut after university.
Her earlier films, 'A Family's Dream' and 'Aswang' were produced while she was completing university.
Sacdalan admits that working with veteran Filipino actor Alfred Nicdao was daunting at first.
"I was a bit nervous with me just finishing university and he is of course Alfred Nicdao!. He is very nice and the whole project was completed with everyone's input. It was very collaborative," she shares.
Alfred Nicdao with Yachi (Logan in the film). In the film the male character develops a close relationship with Logan (Yachi) Credit: Lukas Yannoutsos
Writer Rex Paragas adds, "I showed Alfred the initial script and he found it too French and gave insights as to how I could make it more Filipino."
Sharing that the story came together after the second draft, Paragas adds, the story evolved "from a selfish man wanting to keep his neighbour's puppy to a story about relationships between families and neighbours."
Sacdalan believes that it was important to have Filipinos in front of and behind the camera, sharing, "To be able to watch a film that you can not only relate to and made by Filipinos to be watched by many is something so important not just for me but us Filipinos."
Tamara Bailey with Yachi. The conflict begins when Tamara shares her plans of moving to a new home. Credit: Lukas Yannoutsos
'Puppy, Brown, Male' screens from November 14 to December 12 online as part of The Judges' Select Shorts Program at The Melbourne Lift-Off Film Festival.
