“Bilyarista”, a billiards drama starring Venice Film Festival Best Actor winner John Arcilla and featuring legendary billiards players Efren “Bata” Reyes and Francisco “Django” Bustamante, is making its world premiere at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.
The feature film, directed by Phil Giordano, follows Aya (Loisa Andalio), a young girl from the slums of Manila who dreams of becoming a world billiards champion but is manipulated by her con artist uncle Itoy, played by Arcilla, into participating in dangerous underground gambling after the murder of her father.
Giordano, an Italian-American filmmaker who previously directed Arcilla in the short film “Supot” (2016), was drawn to the project nearly a decade ago after discovering the Philippines’ underground swimming pool culture during street casting for that previous work.
“I was street casting for actors, and one of the kids we cast couldn’t read or write and he was homeless at the time,” Giordano says. “I saw him walk into a pool hall, and he was like 12 years old, but he was fantastic. He beat this guy like a 40-year-old guy, and he had this expensive pool cue. And I was just fascinated by this world that exists.”
This fascination led Giordano to discover that the Philippines has produced more world billiards champions than any other country, with Reyes widely considered the greatest player of all time. “There’s this whole culture where, because of the climate, the tables, the humidity, the air and the pressure, it’s no coincidence that all the best players in the world are from here,” he says.
Arcilla, who won the Volpi Cup for acting at the 2021 Venice Film Festival for “On the Job: The Missing 8,” describes how he approached the morally complex character.
“Even until the last minute, he feels no guilt,” Arcilla says of his character. “My interpretation was supposed to be that he wasn’t that guilty. He always thought he was helping his niece. Being unfair to that niece towards him is my right, because I run the company.”
The actor draws on universal experiences to inhabit the role. “We all have experiences as human beings where we’re not always positive about things. Sometimes we get angry at anything, at something that annoys us,” he explains.
Giordano emphasizes his immersive research approach. “I like meeting a lot of people and asking a lot of questions, learning about people’s lives and hearing stories,” he says. “When I was doing my research, I started meeting these characters like the manager, and seeing how the ecosystem works, all the details of the game and everything, without judging the characters and learning how the hierarchy and everything actually plays out.”
The production brought together an international team, with New York-based cinematographer Adam McDaid, whose credits include HBO’s “Single Drunk Female” and Netflix’s “Everything’s Trash,” and cameraman Aaron Brown, who has worked on “Mr. & Mrs. Smith,” “Smile 2” and “Past Lives.” Filipino editor Lawrence Ang, who edited Sundance Special Jury Prize winner “Leonore Will Never Die,” handled post-production.
The film is produced by Gale Osorio and Shreyom Ghosh through Leesan OPC Productions Philippines, in association with Terminal Six Post Philippines and Tasia Films Hong Kong. Ghosh, based in Hong Kong after earning an MFA at NYU Tisch School of the Arts, explains his attraction to the project.
“What I really like is an outside perspective in a place you’re not from,” Ghosh says. “Phil, as an Italian-American director, has lived in the Philippines for almost four years. He’s no stranger to the place, but he always brings a perspective that other Filipino directors won’t bring.”
The appearance of pool legends Reyes and Bustamante adds authenticity to the film’s universe. “It was everyone’s dream to be like them,” Giordano says. “When John is there and Loisa, there are so many fans. And then when Efren and Django come, there’s a whole different breed of fans. It was really generous of them to join the movie, and it meant everything.”
Arcilla notes the thematic significance of the cameos. “It highlights that there are other avenues that your prodigies can go to. There are other options rather than just using them as your pawns,” he says. “You don’t even have to go about what you’re doing. There is a more respectable way, and that was underlined by the presence of the big two.”
Ghosh emphasizes the film’s grounding in reality. “Because it’s a coming-of-age sports drama, about aspiration, and seeing them in that position and breaking free of that, it makes it real,” he says. “When people see, ‘Oh look, Efren is here,’ that’s what we’re talking about. That’s what we do and it’s to give people hope.”
The film features an original song by Filipino-American rapper Alex Bruce, signed to Sony Music Philippines. Partnerships include ABS-CBN Entertainment and Sony Music. Color grading was done at Company3, the facility behind “The White Lotus,” “Deadpool & Wolverine” and “Paddington in Peru.”
After its world premiere at IFFI Goa, the film is expected to be released at festivals, in theaters and possibly distributed via streaming.
