Her new projects include her biopic and BL series
MANILA -- Movie empress Lily Monteverde is still not showing any sign of wear and tear on her 82nd birthday celebration Wednesday, August 19.
Daughter Roselle Monteverde organized her virtual party through a video conference attended by nearly 100 showbiz folk and family -- a scenario relished by the producer, who even played “Lupang Hinirang” and her other song favorites on the piano.
“Ayokong tumanda! I want to reach beyond 100! ” Mother Lily told ABS-CBN News, summing up her birthday wish. She even joked that she wants to play a mamasan in an imaginary movie project.
If it was her choice, she said she would have preferred her video-call wishers to personally partake of her feast, which she described as
“sobrang dami! Lechon, prawns, alimango ang lalaki! Grabe!”
More than 50 years as a producer, Mother Lily is still at it. Along with Roselle as heir apparent, Monteverde is overseeing five Regal Films projects in various stages of production -- a huge effort that they are determined to finish amid the restrictions of the pandemic.
The list includes their Metro Manila Film Festival 2020 entry “Ang Mga Kaibigan ni Mama Susan,” starring Joshua Garcia and directed by Chito Rono. The novel-based thriller is now in post-production after it wrapped its shoot in Pampanga.
Regal is also to resume the Brandon Vera-Pepe Herrera action comedy with “K-Oz” as working title under Erik Matti.
Pre-production has also started for "#benxjim," a boys love (BL) project with Jerome Ponce, Teejay Marquez and "It’s Showtime" Bidaman Johannes Rissler, megged by Easy Ferrer. The digital series, with a locked-in shoot at a condominium, will have face-to-face interaction.
Meanwhile, “Di Tayo Bagay,” Erich Gonzales and Arjo Atayde’s rom-com, will resume its shoot under the direction of Joel Ferrer.
Mother Lily is also looking forward to “Lily,” Erik Matti’s film homage based on the colorful life of the Regal matriarch starring Judy Ann Santos.
Santos, with daughter Luna, turned up at the Zoom party with a lovely greeting for Mother Lily.
“Ang ganda mo Juday,” quipped the producer.
“Siyempre naka-makeup para mukhang artista!” Santos laughed.
Per Matti’s vision, “Lily” will be gigantic in scope, spanning the producer’s colorful life as a movie fan until her rise as a movie producer and the challenges she hurdled in the biz until 2011, all within the setting of upheavals in Philippine history.
Janella Salvador is being eyed to portray the young Mother Lily in her Maryknoll kolehiyala days when she met future husband, star cager and businessman Remy Monteverde.
Through the best and worst of times, and amid medical
concerns, Matti wishes only the best for the producer.
He said, “Stay healthy and never be depressed! Just always be your jolly old self!”