Watch Now: 'Love Lockdown' on iWantTV
Seven lives get turned upside down in three interconnected stories of love, obsession, and betrayal during lockdown in a groundbreaking sensation of a film.
Imagine a film set entirely in present-day lockdown, revolving around three interconnected stories of love, lust, and betrayal, shot and produced remotely through modern-day technology—that is the scenario that gave birth to ‘Love Lockdown’, an iWant original that premieres today on May 15. The movie is daring, thrilling, and somewhat risqué, and was shot by its stars in their own homes, with directors working their magic and coordinating directions through Zoom.
‘Love Lockdown’ is a first-of-its kind digital full-length movie starring lead actors Angelica Panganiban, Jake Cuenca, JM De Guzman, Arjo Atayde, Tony Labrusca, Sue Ramirez, and Kylie Verzosa. Dreamscape, the same ABS-CBN group that has brought to life well-loved series such as ‘FPJ’s Ang Probinsyano’ and ‘The General’s Daughter’ produced the film, with the creative minds and talents of four acclaimed directors, Andoy Ranay, Darnel Villaflor, Noel Escondo, and Manny Palo. ‘Love Lockdown’ also served as the reunion project of ‘That Thing Called Tadhana’ lead stars Angelica and JM, ‘Los Bastardos’ co-stars and real-life couple Jake and Kylie, and the ‘Hangaang Saan’ on-screen tandem of Arjo and Sue, tagged as ‘ArSue’.
For ‘Love Lockdown’, production was tasked to create a film worth watching despite the restrictions of Enhanced Community Quarantine. The directors studied how they could create something despite being in their own homes, and in a process of brainstorming, ‘Love Lockdown’ was born, and three stories were completed. While each director faced different sets of challenges depending on which part of the film they were tasked to produce, all shared similar learnings on how one could create and work with what was available, with limited equipment such as audio and phone cam, with restrictions and coordination through Zoom.
‘Love Lockdown’ starts with Jacob (Jake) and Karen (Kylie), a happy couple quarantined together in a condo. Paradise soon ends when Jacob’s wife Lesley (Angelica) discovers the affair. After finding out that her husband has been unfaithful, Lesley meets a new friend in JM. Soon, other stories unravel and Lesley's story becomes a part of an interwoven series of events during lockdown.
Watch the trailer for 'Love Lockdown' below:
In a digital media presscon with the directors and actors of ‘Love Lockdown’, Metro.Style asked the actors what their biggest learnings had been throughout this project, and what was their favorite part of shooting and being a part of this one-of-a-kind film.
'Love Lockdown' Stars on Filming
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JM De Guzman
JM De Guzman answered first. “It felt good after, and may excitement nga na wish ko na rin mapanood ang movie… [it was] fulfilling. Masarap ang feeling na nagawin namin ang trabaho,” he said.
Photo Credit: iWant/Dreamscape Entertainment
Tony Labrusca
For Tony Labrusca, he ultimately felt very happy after completing his episode. “Hindi ko mapaniwala na natapos namin. We finished fairly fast actually, and I was just so happy. The next day, I realized I was a part of such a cool project. Ayun, and just happy we’re able to finish it and share it,” he smiled.
Photo Credit: iWant/Dreamscape Entertainment
Kylie Verzosa
Kylie Verzosa shared that she was so grateful to have had the opportunity to work with iWant, Dreamscape, and the entire team, and shared that she learned a lot with regards to her craft. “I’m relatively new,” she confided. “pero ang daming kong natutunan dito at nappasalamat na rin ako kay Jake kasi ang daming niyang naturo din in this episode. Ang dami kong narealize sa sarili ko, ano pa kaya kong maimprove… it’s more an introspective view of myself during this project. She shared that overall, working on ‘Love Lockdown’ was a good experience because she missed work and acting, and despite the lockdown, they still were able to create an opportunity to do this.
Photo Credit: iWant/Dreamscape Entertainment
Jake Cuenca
Echoing the same sentiments of his co-stars JM and Tony, Jake Cuenca also found working on the project to be happy and fulfilling. “The big question, the night before was, ‘Kaya ba natin ‘to?,” he confessed. There were a lot of aspects that they, as actors, normally did not need to think about like audio or lights. “For me, just doing the juggling act of everything and to do what we love in this time of crisis, sobrang fulfilling and sobrang grateful lang ako na meron kaming pagkakataon na umarte which is ang mahal naming gawin.”
Photo Credit: iWant/Dreamscape Entertainment
Sue Ramirez
Sue Ramirez expressed a huge sigh of relief when the project was done, having encountered difficulty with operating equipment and filming herself. “Isang malaking exhale ang naramdaman ko nung pinackup na ni Direk Manny. At the end of the day, sobrang naging magandang experience ko maging ka-part ng project na ‘to. Somethng new nga, and sobrang relieved lang nung na natapos na kasi naisipan ko ang lahat ng camera crew namin, lahat na nasa likod ng camera, shucks! Ganon palang mahirap gawin ng trabaho nila at na experience natin for ourselves! Sobrang relieved and sobrang excited po ako manood.”
Photo Credit: iWant/Dreamscape Entertainment
Arjo Atayde
For Arjo Atayde, he had looked forward to working with Direk Manny and Sue, both of whom he loves working with. He was excited, as well, to work for the first time with Tony. “ I’m just really happy na nagawa namin at natapos namin. It’s really an experience, I can’t wait to watch everyone’s story because I can't wait to see how they shot it kasi kami din, nahirapan, just like everyone… how Sue reacted to me, how I reacted to Sue, how Tony reacted to me… I’m just excited to see the finished product. Thank you to Dreamscape, to Direk Manny, and to everyone who trusted us with this project.”
Photo Credit: iWant/Dreamscape Entertainment
Want to hear more about what went into the production and conceptualization of 'Love Lockdown'?
Watch the live media presscon below:
Don’t miss ‘Love Lockdown,’ streaming on Friday, May 15, on the iWant TV app or on iwant.ph. For updates, follow @iWant on Facebook and Twitter, and @iWantofficial and @DreamscapePH on Instagram. Subscribe to their YouTube channel, @iWantPH.
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