Fil-Italian Actor-Director Ruben Maria Soriquez Enjoyed Doing His First Teleserye And Is Now About To Shoot His Second Film After The Award-Winning 'Of Sinners And Saints'

FIL-ITALIAN actor-director Ruben Maria Soriquez won the best actor award in the World Premieres Filipino Filmfest last year for "Of Sinners and Saints", which he also directed. He played Fr. Rosellini, an Italian priest serving the poor people in Payatas. The film has since been shown in other international festivals like the Honolulu filmfest where it won best picture, International Filmfest Awards Berlin (where it got honorable mention), Terra di Sienna Filmfest in Italy, New Delhi Filmfest and the Indie Filmfest in Encino California. It's now being shown in the Cine Europa Filmfest currently being held at Shangrila Cinema where it was the opening film.

"The European Union delegation chose it as a symbol of friendship bridging Europe and the Philippines," he says. "It has had three screenings and they're all full packed. I'm so happy because the audience is so appreciative. It'll have its last screening today (Saturday, September 17) at 1 PM in Shangrila."

The film opened the doors for him to have an acting career on local TV. He just played the role of Liza Soberano's adoptive dad in the recently concluded "Dolce Amore" of ABS-CBN. "I was so surprise when I got a call from them to play Cherie Gil's Italian husband. We taped several scenes in Italy right in the city where I grew up, Bologna. I had a great time doing that show because everyone is so mabait. From directors Mae Cruz Alviar and Richard Arellano to my co-stars Cherie, Direk Bobot Mortiz, and Matteo Guidicelli who's Fil-Italian like me. I told him I'll get him in a movie I'll do next year. And of course, I loved working with Liza Soberano who's not only so beautiful but also intelligent, talented and so humble. When we started last December, they told me my character will be killed by March, but they seem to like my role so it got extended and extended. I was with the show until it ended 8 months later last August. In the show's last week, I was there every night and they gave me a lot of Tagalog lines. Because of my exposure there, people now recognize me in public and have their pictures taken with me."

He's now also talking with Star Music for a possible musical career. "I started as a singer in Italy. I was a member of a band at 16, singing in clubs in Bologna and Milan. I also composed my own songs. I've just sent three of my songs to Star. Then I tried theatre acting but my American teacher told me: 'I see a director in you'. So I enrolled in a filmmaking course in New York and started directing short films and documentaries. I edit my own films and sometimes, I'm also the DOP."
For his next film project, he wants to do a comedy-fantasy about a wizard, to be played by him, incorporating local fantasy elements like aswangs and manananggal. "I'm now doing the teaser trailer and I intend to partner with a local film company then start casting it with local actors, among them Leo Martinez and Isabel Lopez. I also hope to get more acting assignments here in the future."
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