Richard Somes, a Bacolod filmmaker, seemed to have found his best actor – Arjo Atayde, a multi-award-winning artist from his generation.
More than their working relationship, Somes became a close friend of the Atayde family, including Sylvia Sanchez and other family members.
Somes, Atayde, and Sanchez are promoting their Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) 2024 entry, "Topakk," in which all three play key roles. Somes directed, Atayde played the lead, and Sanchez produced.
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Filmmaker Richard Somes greets guests Wednesday night at the “Topakk” grand media launch in Quezon City. Photo courtesy of Nathan Studios
During their grand media launch, Somes was in full motion, complimenting his star actor.
“He introduced a whole new level of intensity and layers of depth to his role, providing a true and real representation of someone who is dealing with a lot of complications in his life. Arjo Atayde surprised me on many different levels,” he told ABS-CBN News.
Praising Atayde, the action director added, “He’s one of the best in our country. I was looking for someone with enormous depth and emotion, as well as the ability to cope with his character mentally, physically, and emotionally, and I think I found it in Arjo Atayde.”
At the media event attended by the entire cast, including Kapamilya stars Julia Montes and Enchong Dee, Somes stated that his goal is to bring back the glory days of action films, which he believes fans will see in his MMFF entry, produced by Nathan Studios, Fusee, and Strawdogs.
“We don't often get to do action films in the Philippines. So when we do, why not go all the way back to the heyday of action? We wanted to make it more visceral, raw. We wanted to give the viewers something they will truly feel,” he said.
“Topakk” follows the story of a former special forces officer suffering from PTSD who crosses paths with a brother and sister on the run from criminals.
It explores issues of redemption, mental health, and corruption through intense action scenes and emotional depth.
Showing in cinemas on December 25, it stars Arjo Atayde, Julia Montes, Sid Lucero, Enchong Dee, Kokoy de Santos, Levy Ignacio, Bernard Palanca, Paolo Paraiso, Vin Abrenica, Cholo Barretto, Julio De Leon, Ivan Carapiet, Jeffrey Tam, Gerard Acao, Michael Roy, Maureen Mauricio, Elora Espano, Claire Ruiz, Anne Feo, Bong Cabrera, Manu Respall, Rosh Barman, Victor Medina, Ivan Rivera, Ian Lee, Nico Dans, Yian Gabriel, Raquel Pareno, Precious Laingo, Kayley Carrigan, and Geli Bulaong.
“It's always been my dream to make an action film about an ex-military special forces character,” Somes ended.
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