BANG BANG ALLEY: How did we get here?
"Bang Bang Alley" is the cop-out, the short-cut, the catch-22, the dark and unsavory routes we take when we give in to despair. It is the path that some take to sustain the most primal form of addiction: power. It's the first refuge and final stop for those of us who choose to run away from the consequences of our actions, mostly when there seems to be no other choice. It's the cramped, dank, media-saturated places in our brains that we disappear to when we suddenly snap.
"Bang Bang Alley" is the memory that we cannot bury and instead choose to drag along for the rest of our lives like a hunchback pulling a coffin. "Bang Bang Alley" may or may not be a girlie bar in some sleazy part of town. It may be that karaoke place you frequent or that massage parlor you’ve been meaning to visit. It could be in the hallowed halls of government or the mud-covered fields of the country. "Bang Bang Alley" is where you end up when you make a wrong turn.
It began four years ago in Benguet...
So how did we get here? I guess it all started almost four years ago in Benguet, when we met an old farmer and retired teacher who told us the most interesting story. It turned out that in her youth, during a time of rampant abuse of power, she had a run-in with the government—resulting in her current ownership of a historically significant piece of property. My co-producer, Bob Lyren, and I were inspired to film a documentary to honor her experience, with the simple hope of someday sharing it with an audience.
In the interim, and our appetites whetted, we recognized the cinematic potential of developing even richer stories--stories that were based on real events and people, touching on themes that had sprung from this first encounter with the farmer.
Drawing inspiration from her experience, we discovered opportunities to deepen our understanding of the seeds from which most of our society’s greatest afflictions have grown: desensitization and our uncanny ability to forget. Bringing these stories to life is our own humble attempt to shed light on the violence, malaise, moral compromises and paranoia that we have all somehow preferred to keep hidden in the shadows.
We had no idea what we were doing half the time...
The next thing we knew, we had the resources to produce a feature film. From being funded by the very same people who took a chance on a young, scrappy garage band that I was a part of; to tapping fresh, new visionaries like multi-awarded director King Palisoc; and even music veterans who provided an eclectic score, we made it a point to get the right ingredients for the movie that we wanted to make.
Half the time, we had no idea what we were doing. That was the fun part. I studied film in college, but you don't really learn how to swim by watching "Free Willy." Most of us who worked on the film, from the executive producers to the writers, were newbies, embarking on an all new adventure. Detours, roadblocks--we’ve encountered them all. Everything happened so fast that it wouldn't be hyperbolic if I said that the production took on the characteristics of a fever dream. Sometimes I wonder if any of it was real.
Even now there is a mixture of thrill and disbelief as we draw nearer and nearer to the finish line. We’re almost there. We're still a little rough around the edges, still feeling our way through the darkness, but at least we're not alone. Who knows? Maybe you and I will bump into each other in BANG BANG ALLEY.
Author's note: "Bang Bang Alley" is a crime drama directed by Ely Buendia, King Palisoc and Yan Yuzon, presented by Curve Entertainment and produced by Nimbus Films. Coming soon to a digital theater near you. Like us on Facebook. Special thanks to
my editor for this piece, Chelo Bacarro.
