MANILA — Young actress Krystal Mejes said shooting the film "Matapang" made her more socially aware, especially about the poverty situation in the Philippines.

In "Matapang," Mejes plays the role of Mary Ann, a daughter of sex worker (Alessandra de Rossi), looking for her real father. She recently won best actress at the Paris Film Awards for her performance in the movie.

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"‘Yong tito ko do’n, parang he wants me to do things para lang mabigay sa akin ‘yong identity ng father ko, which is hindi ko ginawa. My mom there po is Alessandra De Rossi, she’s so fun to work with po actually. ‘Yon po talaga ‘yong role ko there, may pinapagawa sa akin ‘yong tito ko which is nagpasok sa mom ko sa gano’ng industry," Mejes described.

"Ang sabi ko I can use this opportunity na lang to find my father so parang he gave me a camera and then I filmed myself. Kumuha ako ng mga French words from a magazine tapos sabi ko ‘hi papa,’ nag-ho-hope lang talaga ako na makilala ‘yong father ko," she added.

Mejes said the short film conveys a lot of emotions as it tackles the problems of sex tourism and poverty.

"It’s also a big challenge for me because it talks a lot about substantial things like sex tourism... It also talks about poverty and ‘yong identity ni Mary Ann, kasi she grew up, wala siyang father, she’s just with her mom. And at the same, her life being poor," Mejes said.

"But amidst all the challenges, mga pagsubok na napagdaanan niya, she’s very very brave. That’s why the film is called ‘Matapang’ kasi lahat sinubok niya, lahat kinonquer niya just to know her father. Para malaman niya kung sino ‘yong kalahati ng pagkatao niya. It’s really provoking," she added.

Asked why she took on the role, the actress said she wanted to challenge herself.

"I always like to give myself challenges, I’m really open to a lot of possibilities, a lot of new beginnings and nag-audition po kasi ano no’n before pandemic pa, so ilang taon na'ng nakalipas. Akala ko nga po hindi na po siya magko-continue kasi nga pandemic, I think it’s also because I felt really comfortable with the people I’m going to be working with, especially my director which I call my ate. She’s so compassionate, she’s a kind person, she’s so caring," Mejes said.

"I also knew that this is going to lead a lot of doors in the future. And it’s international, it’s a really big deal. Of course, pinag-isipan namin ni mommy ‘yon kung tatanggapin namin. We thought about it tapos ang sabi ko ‘ma, I’m open and I’m willing’," she added.

The actress said she learned a lot from her character and how she navigated her journey.

"I think it’s really important to be aware na lang kung saan ba tayo nanggaling, kung sino nga ba ‘yong nagpalaki sa atin, kung sino ako as a person kasi syempre po ‘yon nga, my character she grew up without knowing who her real father is so parang may part sa kaniya na ‘I don’t know the real me’, ‘hindi ko alam kung ano ‘yong personality ko because I don’t even know who my father is, I don’t even know my apelyido.’ Sa film parang sabi niya, ‘nay, just give me the apelyido of my dad,’ and namimilit na ako parang gano’n," she said.

"I think it’s really important to give ourselves the freedom and choice of whether to put ourselves in certain situations na alam mong makakapagpabigat sa atin, situations na mahirap harapin especially at a young age," she added.

Mejes admitted that the life of Mary Ann is something that she's not used to and this helped open her eyes to the challenges faced by a lot of Filipinos.

"It talks about a lot of issues din in the Philippines. And habang nagshu-shoot nga po kami, ang dami kong realizations kasi nag-shoot po talaga kami sa slums so madaming kabataan," the actress said.

"Nakikita ko ‘yong paligid ko is different from where I’m accustomed to and for that I felt so privileged, I felt so grateful for what I have. Na-open po talaga ‘yong mind ko while shooting ‘Matapang'," she added.

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