There are a lot of things you can do once you put your mind into it. Diane Ventura can talk about that first-hand.
image: Yahoo News Philippines
Up until she and former partner Ely Buendia (of Eraserheads, of course) parted ways, Diane admitted she never imagined seeing herself saying, “Lights, camera, action!” The pretty UP Diliman Art Studies graduate didn’t know she could strike out on her own. And she surprised even herself that she could.
“When I was with Ely, my focus was on him. But now that we’re just friends, I discovered the artist in me,” says Diane.
Her production company is still involved in his concerts and they still support each other’s respective careers, but that’s all there is to it.
Diane has let go of Ely and would rather focus on her art and the joy it gives her.
“I may sound selfish. But it’s okay. I found out that you must love yourself first because if you do, you’ll have more to give,” she relates.
Loving herself has produced a few firsts for Diane. She’s taking up further studies in film at the New York Foundation for the Arts. She has directed and written the script of the short film “The Rapist,” which was named one of the Top 3 Most Popular Films at the International Film Festival Manhattan (IFFM). The film competed against 42 other short films from the US, Taiwan, Australia, Belgium, Russia, the United Kingdom, South Korea, Italy, France, New Zealand and other countries – a feat for a newbie director.
Not only that, Diane got Cherie Gil’s precious nod to play the lead role of the psychiatrist. And to think the award-winning actress hasn’t met Diane at that time. Diane just sent the script and jumped up and down for joy when Cherie called.
Cherie – Diane’s one and only choice for the role -- must have seen that the film goes beyond the crime of rape. The 15-minute film tells women that they have the power to say no.
“It’s about women empowerment,” Diane says with pride.
The film, which was released last year, follows the story of a rape suspect (played by Marco Morales) who undergoes psychiatric evaluation as he recalls what happened on that fateful day.
One successful film calls for another. Diane is already writing her next film and is preparing for a full-length production.
“I like close-up shots when I have certain messages,” she describes her directorial style Diane adds that she studies camera angles ever so carefully and her work “is not a random thing.”
Her idols -- Stanley Kubrick, Alfred Hitchcock and Mike de Leon – are so up there you know Diane the filmmaker won’t settle for anything less.
Talk about woman empowerment. Diane Ventura not only shows it on screen, she lives and breathes it as well.
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