Ivan has a bachelor's degree in communications from La Salle and worked for a while in advertising, then he studied filmmaking at the Marilou Diaz-Abaya Film Institute in 2009 and never returned to the corporate world. Before directing, he worked first as a production and wardrobe assistant, production designer, casting director and assistant director.
How is it making his first mainstream film, "Ang Pambansang Third Wheel" for Viva Films starring Sam Milby and Yassi Pressman that opens in theaters today? "It's a dream come true for me to work with a big company like Viva," he says. "Kasi my indie films before were just shown on a limited run in only a few theaters. Now, this film will be released nationwide. And I feel very blessed kasi mahuhusay ang actors na binigay sa'kin and very cooperative. Intimidated ako at first, but they trusted me and never made me feel na baguhan lang ako. They're both hardworking and passionate in their love for their craft."
One disadvantage is that both Sam and Yassi are busy taping for their respective teleseryes, so scheduling was a problem. "We can only shoot on weekends kapag wala silang taping. But it worked to the film's advantage kasi we were given the luxury of time to polish our script and make the movie really good. This is a feel good movie about a young woman looking for true love and I guarantee the viewers that they'll be entertained and have a good time when they watch it."
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