Lance Joseph Martinez

Kai Montinola, Kyle Echarri, Lella Ford, and Joaquin Arce to Headline Upcoming College Romance Film First Sem

Article (news)

<p>Looking for a film that captures the realities of early college life, complete with romance, comedy, and plenty of <em>kilig</em><strong></strong>? <strong><em>First Sem </em></strong>(Working Title) might just be the movie to watch.</p><p>Directed by <strong>Rod Marmol </strong>and produced by <strong>Cornerstone Studios</strong>, the upcoming college romance film brings together <strong>Kai Montinola, Kyle Echarri, Lella Ford, </strong>and<strong> Joaquin Arce </strong>as its lead stars.</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1787820745067tempImage3XniEh.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">Joaquin Arce, Lella Ford, Kai Montinola, Kyle Echarri, and Director Rod Marmol</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>Kai and Kyle are set to reunite on the big screen after previously showcasing their chemistry through <strong><em>Roja</em></strong> and their <strong><em>Maalaala Mo Kaya</em></strong> special. Meanwhile, Lella and Joaquin will also take their off-screen chemistry to the big screen after becoming housemates in the recent edition of <strong><em>Pinoy Big Brother: Celebrity Collab Edition 2.0.</em></strong></p><p>In the film, Kyle plays <strong>Joms</strong>, an engineering student who loves building things—except himself. Kai portrays <strong>Ife</strong>, a journalism student who always has an opinion about everything. She is described as opinionated, someone who loves to love and curse.</p><p>Joaquin, meanwhile, takes on the role of <strong>Wax</strong>, a simple man with a good sense of fashion who works hard behind the scenes to achieve his dreams. Lella plays <strong>Ella</strong>, a top-achieving student with a tough exterior but a soft heart, who comes from the province.</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1787820923323IMG_0841.jpg" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner">Director Rod Marmol</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><div><strong>Why the cast is perfect for <em>First Sem</em><br/></strong></div><p>According to Rod, one of the reasons he believes the cast is a perfect fit for <em>First Sem</em> is their shared experience in reality television.</p><p>While Kyle first gained recognition as a semi-finalist on the second season of<strong><em> The Voice Kids </em></strong>in 2015, Kai, Lella, and Joaquin all entered the entertainment industry after becoming housemates on <em>Pinoy Big Brother.</em></p><p>“<em>Pinakamahalagang </em>element <em>&#x27;yong </em>experience <em>nila sa </em>reality show <em>kasi</em> <em>parang ganun &#x27;yong </em>experience <em>ng</em> college, especially today. <em>Siguro</em> for people my age or older, we got to experience college <em>na may </em>some sense of privacy<em> pa, &#x27;di ba?”</em> Director Rod explained to the media during the film&#x27;s reveal on Thursday.</p><p>“<em>Pero ngayon wala na, kasi nga may </em>social media, <em>daming nakatingin. </em>So, I&#x27;m sure they can relate to that, <em>kung paano mo kinikilala &#x27;yong sarili mo kasabay ng </em>outside world, which is the college experience now of many people,” he added.</p><div><br/></div><div><strong>KaiKyle and LelQuin’s Chemistry On-screen</strong></div><p>During the announcement, the cast expressed their excitement about taking on the project. For Kai and Kyle, <em>First Sem</em> marks their first film together, while Lella and Joaquin are set to make their acting debuts in the movie.</p><p>For Joaquin, building chemistry with Lella on-screen will require both gaining acting experience and spending more time together off-camera. “Spending time with each other, because the more you spend time with each other, the more experience you have. And the more experience you have, <em>mas</em> <em>tataas &#x27;yong </em>level mo <em>bilang</em> love team, like chemistry,” Joaquin explained to the media.</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17878247158962.png" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">Kyle Echarri and Kai Montinola of &#x27;KaiKyle&#x27;</span></span></span></div><div><br/></div><p>Lella, for her part, hopes that the chemistry she and Joaquin share off-screen will translate naturally into their first acting project together. While she already considers their off-screen chemistry a “10,” she is hopeful that their connection will also shine on-screen in <em>First Sem.</em></p><p>Kai, meanwhile, is confident about working alongside Kyle once again, especially after their previous projects together. “I believe I&#x27;ve worked with Kyle enough to tell <em>na</em>, you know, the chemistry will will be there. It will just be there, so I&#x27;m pretty confident,” she said.</p><p>Kyle agreed, pointing to the trust they have developed over more than a year as one of the biggest factors that will help them portray their characters effectively. “I think one thing that we can both agree on that we are very happy that we built was the trust in each other, especially going into a scene,” he shared.</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:700px;display:block" width="700"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17878247297981.png" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="700"/><span class="fr-inner">Joaquin Arce and Lella Ford of &#x27;LelQuin&#x27;</span></span></span></div><p>Kyle, who has the most acting experience among the four leads, further explained how that established trust allows them to communicate even without words. “&#x27;<em>Pag hindi niya nararamdaman, titingnan niya lang ako. </em>I would understand already. And then we already built that kind of thing,” he added.</p><p>As they embark on their first film together as love teams, the cast hopes to meet the expectations of their fans while delivering the emotions and chemistry needed for their respective stories.</p><p>They also emphasized the importance of supporting one another as they navigate the pressure, excitement, and <em>kilig</em> that come with taking on a new challenge together.</p><div><br/></div><div style="text-align:center"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17878247434003.png" style="width:700px" class="fr-fic fr-dib" width="700"/></div><div><br/></div><div><strong><em>First Sem is set to premiere in 2027. The film is produced by Cornerstone Studios, directed by Rod Marmol, and has Irene Villamor as its creative producer.</em></strong></div><div><br/></div><p>Photos by<strong> Lance Joseph Martinez</strong></p>

<p>Excited to see Kai Montinola, Kyle Echarri, Lella Ford, and Joaquin Arce share the big screen? Then get ready to see them bring romance, comedy, and plenty of kilig to their upcoming film <i>First Sem.</i></p>

Excited to see Kai Montinola, Kyle Echarri, Lella Ford, and Joaquin Arce share the big screen? Then get ready to see them bring romance, comedy, and plenty of kilig to their upcoming film First Sem.

Kai Montinola, Kyle Echarri, Lella Ford, and Joaquin Arce to Headline Upcoming College Romance Film 'First Sem'

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Kai Montinola, Kyle Echarri, Lella Ford, and Joaquin Arce to Headline Upcoming College Romance Film 'First Sem'

Lance Joseph Martinez

Published August 27, 2026 06:00 PM PHT

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Updated August 28, 2026 12:44 AM PHT

Read More:

Kai Montinola

Kyle Echarri

Lella Ford

Joaquin Arce

Rod Marmol

Cornerstone

First Sem

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