Mike Tuviera’s “The Janitor” Makes Its Way To Mainstream Cinemas

Star Cinema partners with APT Entertainment Inc. for the mainstream theatrical release of The Janitor. 

The Janitor is directed by Michael “Mike” Tuviera and it was part of the Director’s Showcase category (Full Length Feature) of the 10^th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival or Cinemalaya X which happened last August in Metro Manila. With a script co-written by Mike Tuviera with Aloy Adlawan, The Janitor earned rave reviews in Cinemalaya X as it bagged several major awards from the festival including Best Director for Michael Tuviera, Best Screenplay for Tuviera and Adlawan, Best Editing for Tara Illenberger, Best Sound for Mike Idioma, and Best Supporting Actor for Nicco Manalo. 

The Janitor is a gripping, adrenaline-pumping action-thriller centered on former cop Crisanto Espina (played by Dennis Trillo) who was dishonorably discharged from the force due to a fatal mistake he committed. A bank robbery goes horribly wrong as the bank’s employees are found massacred in what ultimately becomes the most scandalous crime of the year. The local police department is put under great pressure to catch the perpetrators and Espina is brought in to clean up the mess. Taking orders from his former boss and now commanding officer Rudy Manapat (Richard Gomez), Espina is tasked with eliminating the suspects one by one. As Espina diligently executes his orders while dealing with his personal demons, he begins to realize that the whole circus of the investigation will eventually consume him and make him question his own brand of justice.

Director Michael Tuviera is a natural born storyteller who has been directing for more than 18 years. Tuviera is the very first Filipino citizen to have been accepted into the University of Southern California (USC) School of Cinema-Television Production Program where he earned his Master’s Degree in 2004. The Janitor is his very first entry in Cinemalaya.

Award-winning dramatic young actor Dennis Trillo, on the other hand, delivers a first-rate performance as he plays the role of Crisanto Espina. “I was instantly drawn to the story and characters created by Direk Mike,” says Dennis. “I’m a huge fan of the action-thriller genre and it is an honor and a blessing to be part of this unforgettable movie.”

In an exclusive interview of Orange Magazine with director Mike Tuviera, the young director shares some trivia about the movie, and what it’s like working with Dennis Trillo and the other cast members:

Aside from Trillo, The Janitor assembles an A-list line-up of actors in its ensemble cast as led by Richard Gomez, Derek Ramsay, Ricky Davao, Dante Rivero, Irma Adlawan, LJ Reyes, Raymond Bagatsing, Alex Medina, Jerald Napoles, Sunshine Garcia and Nicco Manalo who gives a standout performance that every film buff shouldn’t miss.

The Janitor is now showing in mainstream cinemas nationwide.