'Incognito' director hopes Philippine action breaks barriers, reaches foreign shores

MANILA, Philippines, July 12 ------ Filmmaker and businessman Lester Pimentel Ong celebrated more directorial success the hit action series "Incognito" comes to a close. The show stars an ensemble cast led by Daniel Padilla, Maris Racal, Kaila Estrada, Richard Gutierrez, Ian Veneracion, Anthony Jennings, and Baron Geisler. Across its run "Incognito" has shot in Baguio, El Nido, Tacloban, Matera in Italy, Yamagata in Japan, and its final episodes Marawi.

Ong's love for the action genre runs deep, shaped by his journey as a martial artist and a competitive Wushu Taolu athlete. Tying it all together is his commitment to bringing Philippine creatives, talents, and actors to the global stage. "We're hoping that someday, people from other countries will watch and enjoy our action dramas the way they're enjoying the Korean and Thai dramas. Yun 'yung pangarap natin," Ong said. “I wanted to be part of the whole journey na sana isa ako sa mga taong makapagdala sa Filipino series or films sa screens ng mga ibang bansa," he added. Before "Incognito," Ong had taken part in productions such as "La Luna Sangre," "Bagani," and "The Iron Heart."

Ong's entrepreneurial spirit and creative vision merged when he produced under his own company the Prime Video original series "One Good Day" and the Netflix romantic film "Love You Long Time." "Over the past 15 years, my collaboration with ABS-CBN, especially Star Creatives on action projects, has been about continuously improving the content we offer to the viewers," Ong said, crediting the creative team headed by Henry Quitain and Jay Fernando

"Ms. Des de Guzman, the head of Star Creatives, is also a master showrunner. The team, from production assistants to producers, truly make filming more efficient. The success we've achieved would not be possible without all of them," Ong also said.

Source: philstar.com