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Pelikula Q&A: Ligo Na U, Lapit Na Me
Jansen Musico with executive producer Noel Ferrer

Pelikula: The obvious question here is, why adapt Eros Atalia’s book into a film? Who decided that?
Noel: It was my good friend and Palanca Award-winning writer Jerry Gracio and I who decided to adapt Eros Atalia’s book into film. We thought that it’s about time that Cinemalaya has a book-based film in their roster, and since Ligo Na U has such a huge cult following as a novel, we felt it was the right material to mount as a film.

Pelikula: All three of you (Noel, Erick, and Jerry) are from different branches of communication arts (broadcast, academe, and literature). What made you three decide to team up and do this?
Noel: It has always been our objective to work with people of different backgrounds, and it has always worked well because we are able to bring out the expertise in different fields. There are better insights and we are able to validate or debunk certain views.

Pelikula: Has Eros seen the film? What did he have to say about it?
Noel: Eros was part of the production process. He even went to the shoot and was happy with the output. He was particularly ecstatic and proud when we saw the first teaser. We were, too! We thought we connected to the audience with the reaction on YouTube, the website, and the affirming applause of those who saw it.

Pelikula: Given that it’s an adaptation, what changes can the audience expect when comparing the film to its source material?
Noel: The novel had a lot of details and descriptions and is very introspective. Our writer had to be faithful to the text as much as possible. It was a great challenge to our actors, Edgar Allan Guzman and Mercedes Cabral, to bring into the big screen all the emotions and thoughts of the main characters.