She spent 8 years and her life savings to make a 'grandma action star.' It was worth it
A once-revered filmmaker weighed down by grief wakes up inside her own unfinished screenplay in "Leonor Will Never Die," the audacious debut of Manila-based writer-director Martika Ramirez Escobar. Inspired by the macho Filipino action films of the '70s and '80s and her own beloved grandmother, she wondered: What would a lola do as an action hero, in a tale that blurred the line between fantasy and reality?
"I think life sucks," Escobar, who started writing the film eight years ago and counts the late Agnès Varda among her inspirations, said with a soft smile over video from New York. "And every time I see my grandma, she tends to redeem my disappointment in life. I think that's mainly the reason why I decided to have a grandma action star. She seems to find so much beauty in this sick, sad world, and I'd like to attain that wisdom someday."
Stage veteran Sheila Francisco stars in her first lead film role as Leonor Reyes, whose successful career making popular action yarns stalled years ago with the tragic death of her favorite son. When a falling TV set knocks her unconscious, she is transported into the world of her most personal movie yet as Escobar's bold blend of action, fantasy and family melodrama unfolds into
