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“We have to level up everything...”, writer, director, producer Dolly Dulu talks about her craft
26 June 2023
Dolly Dulu, a resident film/TV director/producer and screenwriter of Philippines’ ABS-CBN-owned Dreamscape Entertainment, co-directed "Unbreak My Heart" – the first collaboration between the two biggest networks in the Philippines, ABS-CBN Corporation and GMA Network.
Dulu was also involved in the directions of, among others, youth-oriented romcom drama musical, "Lyric and Beat"; romance series "Saying Goodbye" for iQiyi; and BL series, "Love Beneath the Star" and "The Boy Foretold by the Stars", which won three awards at the 2020 Metro Manila Film Festival for the second Best Picture Award, the Best Original Soundtrack, and the Gender Sensitivity Award.
Dulu, a graduate in European Studies and International Relations from Ateneo de Manila University, spoke to Malena Amzah about industry trends in the Philippines, a director’s key traits and what she’s most hoping for...
What do you think is the most significant industry trend impacting directors in the Philippines? “Filipinos are still into love stories because it’s the major thing in the Philippines, but now they want something more than just love and drama. It’s now not only about love and drama but also action, thriller, it’s a combination of two or more different genres altogether. They want it more exciting, because of the opening of different streaming platforms here, they have been exposed to all the different kinds of storytelling, the different kinds of genres that they are not used to, so I think it’s networks’ agenda to move into this new trend, the new kinds of storytelling. Another trend is the influencers, the abundance of different platforms where people are becoming more famous, it redefines what a star is, it redefines what it means to have social media following so those are important trends that one must adapt to. This is the situation now.”
What do you think is the most important quality in a TV director? “One has to be patient with everything that is happening, to have a calm state of mind, to be able to focus despite the chaotic moments on set. This enables you to be able to navigate everybo...
Dolly Dulu, a resident film/TV director/producer and screenwriter of Philippines’ ABS-CBN-owned Dreamscape Entertainment, co-directed "Unbreak My Heart" – the first collaboration between the two biggest networks in the Philippines, ABS-CBN Corporation and GMA Network.
Dulu was also involved in the directions of, among others, youth-oriented romcom drama musical, "Lyric and Beat"; romance series "Saying Goodbye" for iQiyi; and BL series, "Love Beneath the Star" and "The Boy Foretold by the Stars", which won three awards at the 2020 Metro Manila Film Festival for the second Best Picture Award, the Best Original Soundtrack, and the Gender Sensitivity Award.
Dulu, a graduate in European Studies and International Relations from Ateneo de Manila University, spoke to Malena Amzah about industry trends in the Philippines, a director’s key traits and what she’s most hoping for...
What do you think is the most significant industry trend impacting directors in the Philippines? “Filipinos are still into love stories because it’s the major thing in the Philippines, but now they want something more than just love and drama. It’s now not only about love and drama but also action, thriller, it’s a combination of two or more different genres altogether. They want it more exciting, because of the opening of different streaming platforms here, they have been exposed to all the different kinds of storytelling, the different kinds of genres that they are not used to, so I think it’s networks’ agenda to move into this new trend, the new kinds of storytelling. Another trend is the influencers, the abundance of different platforms where people are becoming more famous, it redefines what a star is, it redefines what it means to have social media following so those are important trends that one must adapt to. This is the situation now.”
What do you think is the most important quality in a TV director? “One has to be patient with everything that is happening, to have a calm state of mind, to be able to focus despite the chaotic moments on set. This enables you to be able to navigate everybody towards achieving that one common goal.”
What would you most like to see happen in the Philippines’ creative landscape? “The elevation of content. To keep up with the modern world, we have to level up everything from storytelling to technicalities to acting, even directing. It would be nice to come out with something competitive so that the world will see how Filipinos tell their stories.”
Published in the 26 June-9 July 2023 issue of ContentAsia's eNewsletter
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