Cheyenne Suarez

‘Isang Komedya sa Langit’ finds inspiration in ukay-ukay fashion

Article (news)

Josh Mercado

<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1748303181121image0 (11).jpeg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px" alt="‘Isang Komedya sa Langit’ finds inspiration in ukay-ukay fashion"/></div><div><br/></div><p>In early 2024, Rossana Hwang, an indie film producer and writer, had an idea for a film. Thinking about the lives of the priests Mariano Gomez, Jose Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora, whose executions spurred the 1896 revolution, she wondered, &quot;What if the three were not executed?&quot; What if they were transported into the future? &quot;</p><p>That became the premise of &quot;Isang Komedya sa Langit,&quot; a lighthearted film about three priests from 1872 (Fathers Garcia, Borromeo, and Salas, played by Jaime Fabregas, EA Guzman, and Gene Padilla, respectively), and their adventures in the present, with a seminarian (portrayed by Aki Blanco) and the seminarian&#x27;s entrepreneur-grandmother (Carmi Martin) as guides in the modern world.</p><p>Naty, Martin&#x27;s character, owns a carinderia and an ukay-ukay store where the three priests can exchange their black cassocks for modern attire.</p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1748303207721image2 (5).jpeg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" alt="‘Isang Komedya sa Langit’ finds inspiration in ukay-ukay fashion" style="width:633px"/></div><div><br/></div><p>However, their new clothes are more than simply regular slacks and matching shirts; they are colorful shorts and pants, as well as tees with vibrant motifs. Similarly, the priests&#x27; clothes from 1872 are reinterpreted.</p><p>“We don&#x27;t want to refer to any Catholic order out of respect. The treatment was more caricature or impressionistic than real,&quot; the producer said.</p><p>Hwang, who also served as the film&#x27;s production designer and costume designer, describes the modern fashion as &quot;modern funk meets colonial classic, the type you&#x27;d find in ukay-ukay stores.&quot;</p><p>She added, &quot;This pertains not just to the clothes of the priests but also the dresses of Naty. I purposely looked for prints that were out-of-the-ordinary like clown, Hawaiian, graphic tees.”</p><p>So you&#x27;ve got Lola Naty in a long shirtdress with large hearts, Father Borromeo in co-ords with rubber ducky designs, Father Salas in a statement tee, and Father Garcia in floral puruntong shorts.</p><p>“Carmi Martin&#x27;s vibrant wardrobe and the three priests&#x27; bewildered reactions to ukay-ukay fashion create humorous visuals that perfectly embody the culture shock of time travel,&quot; she emphasized.</p><p>Martin was surprised to be a part of such an interesting project, sharing, “The character (of Lola Naty) was intended for Nova Villa who was not available.”</p><p>“Ni-revise ang script para maging ‘funky’ lola ako. Noong nabasa ko, tuwang-tuwa ako,” she added.</p><p>For Hwang, the mismatched fashion and clashing costumes are symbolic. “It’s a colorful reminder of how history and the present collide in unexpected ways.”</p><div><br/></div><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1748303244864image1 (7).jpeg" class="fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px" alt="‘Isang Komedya sa Langit’ finds inspiration in ukay-ukay fashion"/></div><div><br/></div><p>&quot;Isang Komedya sa Langit,” written by Rossana Hwang, directed by Roi Paolo Calilong, and produced by Kapitana Entertainment Media, opens on May 28 in select SM Cinemas. The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) assigned a rating of PG.</p><div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/movies-series/2025/5/22/jaime-fabregas-denies-his-new-film-mocks-priests-wala-kaming-intensyon-na-mang-insulto-1407" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Jaime Fabregas denies his new film mocks priests: ‘Wala kaming intensyon na mang-insulto’</a></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>RELATED VIDEO:</strong></div><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/VixQXyDLjIs?autoplay=1&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span><br/></div>

<p>For ‘Isang Komedya sa Langit’ producer Rossana Hwang, the film's mismatched fashion and clashing costumes are symbolic.</p>

For ‘Isang Komedya sa Langit’ producer Rossana Hwang, the film's mismatched fashion and clashing costumes are symbolic.