John Arcilla, Loisa Andalio to headline upcoming sports drama film ‘Bilyarista’

May 18 ------ John Arcilla and Loisa Andalio are set to headline the upcoming sports drama film “Bilyarista,” which is slated to make its world premiere at the 56th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in Goa.

Directed by Italian-American filmmaker Phil Giordano, the film follows Aya (Andalio), a young woman from Manila determined to become a world billiards champion. Her journey takes a dangerous turn when her hustler uncle, Itoy (Arcilla), pulls her into an underground gambling circuit. The film secured international sales representation through entertainment company Fire & Ice Media, founded by celebrity couple Ice Seguerra and Liza Diño.

In a statement sent to Deadline, the company described “Bilyarista” as “a female underdog story set in the Philippines’ storied billiards culture” blended with the tension of a survival thriller. “The Philippines has a real billiards legacy on the international stage,” Diño said. “This film lives inside that world and uses it to tell a story about talent, exploitation, and what it costs to be discovered by the wrong people.”

The movie will also feature legendary Filipino billiards players Efren Reyes and Francisco Bustamante. Arcilla, who won the Volpi Cup for Best Actor at the 2021 Venice Film Festival for “On the Job: The Missing 8,” reunites with Giordano after previously collaborating on the short film “Supot,” which premiered at the Busan International Film Festival and screened at several Oscar-qualifying festivals.

For Andalio, “Bilyarista” marks another sports-themed project following her appearance in the e-sports-centered story “Friendly Fire,” directed by Mikhail Red. Andalio is also fresh from her role as a young Filipina entertainer in Japan in the film “Midnight Girls,” which is currently showing in Philippine cinemas.

Source: inquirer.net