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SNEAK PEEK: The making of Star Magic Studios’ launching film “Connected”

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Bea Kalaw

Gen Z or Zoomers can totally relate to the new Star Magic Studios’ first-ever movie, “Connected”! Based on its trailer, we’ll be seeing <a href="https://ent.abs-cbn.com/pbbs9" target="_blank">Pinoy Big Brother Connect</a> alumni Andi Abaya, Kobie Brown, Gail Banawis, Ralph Malibunas, Amanda Zamora, Chico Alicaya, and Richard Juan dip their toes into acting and tell a relatable story of finding love and connection in life. In this exclusive peek of “The Making of Connected,” released by Star Magic, excited fans are given a glimpse behind-the-scenes of the youth romance of the year. Direk Theodore Boborol, writer Mary Rose Colindres, and the rest of the team explained that the film is about a group Gen Z boys and girls whose stories are “linked through a quaint cafe, youth angst, and a desire to connect to something bigger than themselves”The stars first introduced their respective characters to give audiences an idea of what to expect. Ralph plays Gen, a hardworking delivery boy with dreams of becoming an actor. He’ll eventually cross paths and fall in love with Pin, played by Gail. Gail describes Pin as a Fil-Am that came from New York and aspires to be a successful music producer. Amanda, on the other hand, portrays Sandy — a strong independent woman who fights for what she believes in. She’ll be caught in a cute love triangle between Sky and Rocky. Sky, played by Richard Juan, is Sandy’s childhood friend who is a successful and mature architect. Rocky, on the other hand, is someone Sandy works with in her father’s business. He will be portrayed by Chico, who views Rocky as the ultimate fun and helpful “kuya” figure of the bunch. Blooming loveteam KoDrea (Kobie Brown and Andrea “Andi” Abaya) are also serving some kilig feels together in this film. Andi plays Gabbie, a geeky girl that doesn’t always stick to the usual trends. She goes with her own style, so she doesn’t always fit in the popular crowd. Although, she has a major crush on popular jock Topher, who’s portrayed by Kobie. Topher looks all tough and strong on the outside, but as it turns out, he has silent battles with anxiety and depression. Deep down inside, he just wants to deal with his issues but is still figuring out how. Aside from getting to know this interesting set of characters, we are shown some sweet moments in the film, a look into their costumes and set, and their intense workshops with acting coach Rahyan Carlos.Ralph, who’s been an extra in some shows for a while, feels excited but a bit pressured with this project. He said, “Sobrang dami kong lines dito sa movie na ‘to kaya sobrang nakaka-pressure. Pero sobrang sayang experience po talaga.”For Amanda, what amazed her about this film was the message to connect again with people. She shared that the film’s cafe, CAFE ‘95, has the saying “Talk to each other like it’s 1995” and a no WiFi-zone area to eliminate all distractions when conversing with other people. The rest of the cast also took time to express their appreciation for Direk Ted, a skilled director who made other fan-favorite romcoms such as “Just The Way You Are,” “Vince &amp; Kath &amp; James,” and “Finally Found Someone.”“He will take you to different emotions. If kailangan ko ng certain trigger, he’ll bring it out,” Gail said while describing how Direk Ted was so easy and fun to work with. Kobie, who has a handful of emotionally-charged scenes in the film, praised the skills of Direk Ted as he made sure to make him feel safe and ready during every take. The whole experience really did make the cast feel “connected” to each other not just professionally, but also personally. While they knew each other as housemates, the making of this film allowed them to break down their walls and open up to each other more. Be “Connected” too, by watching the premiere on July 22, available on KTX.PH, <a href="https://iwanttfc.com" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a>, TFC IPTV Video on Demand, and Sky Cable Pay-Per-View!

Andi Abaya, Kobie Brown, Gail Banawis, Ralph Malibunas, Amanda Zamora, Chico Alicaya, and Richard Juan share their memorable experiences in filming “Connected.”