The cast of the upcoming film Nelia impressed the Korean community with their performance last, November 19, at a gathering in Manila-Korea Town, at Remedios Circle, Malate, Manila. It was attended by various leaders of the Korean community in Manila, including Consul General Kyu Hu Lee of the Korean Embassy, Chairman Jae Jung Jang of the Manila-Korea Town Association, Chairman Jae Heung Byun of the United Korean Community in the Philippines, and several member of the Korean Culture Center, Korean Sports Association in the Philippines, and Peaceful Unification Advisory Council – South East Asia to inaugurate the opening of the Manila K -Town Cha Cha Cha Fest.
The three of the main cast of Nelia– Ali Forbes, Shido Roxas, and Juan Carlos Galano — impressed the crowd with their song numbers and entertained guests. The Korean community also welcomed the presence of veteran actor Raymond Bagatsing, who once wowed the Korean audience with his performance in a Filipino film that participated in the prestigious Busan International Film Festival in Korea in 2012.
According to the Korean community, Nelia has a huge potential to have a Korean adaptation because of its unique theme. Nelia is said to be a “daring suspense thriller,” which can be compared to Korean movies such as “The Housemaid” and “Parasite,” which is the first Korean film to win Best Picture at the Oscars. In fact, several Korean film production companies are currently talking to Nelia producer Atty. Aldwin Alegre of A and Q Production Films Inc. to make a Korean adaptation or remake of the film.
“We’re really very happy because even though our film hasn’t been released yet, the reception that people have been giving to our film is very good, especially in the Korean community. We look up to a lot of Korean films, and for them to acknowledge Nelia to be at par with them is a great honor for us. This is the only suspense thriller genre that entered the MMFF this year, so we are also excited to offer the Filipino viewers something different from the usual fare this coming Christmas,” said Atty. Alegre.
He also confirmed that they are already in talks with some film production companies in Korea for a possible Korean remake or adaptation of Nelia. “Yes, two production companies from Korea have already approached our team to remake Nelia. A production company from Los Angeles, California also contacted us just the other day, and they are interested in Nelia for a possible distribution in the US,” he said.
Nelia stars Winwyn Marquez as the titular Nurse Nelia. The film is one of the eight official entries of the Metro Manila Film Festival that will be screened in select theaters throughout the Philippines this coming December 25.