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How 'Saving Sally' was saved

ABS-CBN News

<figure class="op-interactive"><div style="padding-top:66.375%"><div id="IVS_ABS_Video_Widget_1_Container"><ivs-player id="IVS_ABS_Video_Widget_1" allow="autoplay" data-ivs-key="e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603" data-ivs-spid="3001339" data-ivs-wid="f5fb7bd1-3880"></ivs-player><script src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/js/loader.js"></script></div></div></figure>The 10-year journey to producing the Philippines&#x27; first film that mixes 2D animation with live actors was not a fun adventure.&quot;It was like a turtle climbing a mountain. It was not an adventure. It was a really, really long and maddening journey,&quot; &quot;Saving Sally&quot; director Avid Liongoren said in an interview on ANC&#x27;s &quot;Headstart.&quot;Initial filming began in 2005 but was halted due to lack of funding. In a span of 10 years, they had to switch lead actresses, pour in all the extra money they earned for the concept film, and push back more &quot;practical&quot; life goals like buying a house or putting up a business.&quot;Even if early on we got a grant from the French government, we had some funding from producers, we burned through it,&quot; Liongoren recalled.&quot;We spent it all but didn&#x27;t know how to finish it because nobody was there to guide us on how to finish something like this,&quot; he added.&quot;I couldn&#x27;t buy a house. I couldn&#x27;t buy a car. It was just working on the film. Everything I earned went into it. It&#x27;s not a very practical goal.&quot;The team, composed of five men and two dogs, took the challenge to complete the film day by day.But after being &quot;in limbo for a decade,&quot; Liongoren said finally entering the Metro Manila Film Festival still did not mark the finish line for &quot;Saving Sally.&quot;<ul class="op-related-articles" title="Read">	<li>READ: <a href="http://news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/11/18/16/after-10-years-saving-sally-comes-to-theaters-for-mmff">After 10 years, &#x27;Saving Sally&#x27; comes to theaters for MMFF </a></li></ul>&quot;It&#x27;s like in a video game where you manage to get to into another stage only to deal with a bigger boss,&quot; he said.&quot;The film is just half of the work. Getting it to theaters, promoting it is the other half, which we know nothing about... We&#x27;re the only entry with zero experience in releasing a film,&quot; the director said.&quot;Saving Sally&quot; was initially shown in 53 cinemas nationwide, and after some pleading and petitioning, at least 65 theaters are now screening the film.&quot;Right now, we&#x27;re just fighting it in the cinemas, getting help from the people who want to watch it, calling different theaters to &#x27;Please show our work,&#x27;&quot; he added.When asked about how his team managed their never-say-die ethic and see &quot;Saving Sally&quot; through the end of production, Liongoren said, &quot;I guess the reason we don&#x27;t give up is because we have just a small vision. We are just looking at the challenge in front of us.&quot;

"It was like a turtle climbing a mountain. It was not an adventure. It was a really, really long and maddening journey."

"It was like a turtle climbing a mountain. It was not an adventure. It was a really, really long and maddening journey."