'Padamlagan' and 'Warla': Floyd Tena'’s Cinemalaya Cinematic Gems

Actor for cinema, commercials, television and theater, Floyd Tena stars in two cinematic gems, Padamlagan and Warla, which are films in competition at the 21st edition of the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival.

The most prestigious film festival that centers on and highlights Filipino independent cinema presented 10 full-length features and 10 short films in competition, with screenings from 3 to 12 October. This year’s theme, “Layag sa Alon, Hangin at Unos,” plays up on the passion and tenacity that have kept the festival afloat, alive, kicking and relevant for more than two decades.

Jenn Romano’s Padamlagan

“Padamlagan” is a Bicol term for night light and it is a story about a father who searches for his missing son during a Peñafrancia Festival fluvial procession tragedy during the onset of Martial Law in Bicol.

He carried on: “The language is Bikol in its entirety. This displays how beautiful the language is in expressing different emotions. It is high time that we support a regional film such as this.”

“I play the role of Zaldy, the brother-in-law of Doring (played by Ely Buendia),” said Tena. “Zaldy is with the Philippine Constabulary and is vital and conflict in Doring’s search for his missing son. I auditioned for both Doring and Zaldy’s roles. I really manifested to have a Cinemalaya entry and it worked this year.

“I’m just grateful to be working on this project because it is in Bikol language! I’m from Bicol, but my hometown speaks a different dialect from what we used in the film, so that makes it all the more interesting. Plus, I’m working with a very talented Bicolano female director Jenn Romano, whom I’ve worked with in another film pre-pandemic.”

“Most of my scenes are with Ely Buendia and Sue Prado,” Tena said. “With Ely, I was surprised by how deep he is in terms of his nuances for his character. His character displays the exact opposite of mine, so you’ll see that contrast in every scene we make. As an actor, he is very humble and very eager to take in any help he can get on the set in terms of building his characters and scenes. He is a chill kind of guy and is game with all kinds of conversation. With Sue, I’ve worked as her husband in many different films/series already, so I have an idea how she works diligently on the set.”

“Sue is that type of co-actor/friend that you both can take cues just by looking at each other,” said Tena. “As usual, she is very professional and knows her character really to the core. Dream to work with. But just the same, fun to be with off-take.”

“The issues that we were fighting for then are still present in so many different forms,” Tena added. “The relevance of the film in the present-day scenarios is that it sheds light also on the religiosity and spirituality of Bicolanos amidst conflicts and challenges in life.”

“Each region has so many unique and beautiful stories to tell that were shaped by history, culture and tradition and it would be nice for people in the metro and different parts of the globe to witness this,” Tena concluded.

Kevin Alambra’s Warla

Warla, according to Tena, “is a movie about a gang of transgender women who kidnap foreign nationals to fund their gender-affirming surgery while exposing each life story along the way.”

“I am playing the role of Kitkat’s father,” Tena said. “My character is a toxic, misogynistic and abusive father/husband who doesn’t accept Kitkat’s gender identity. I said yes to this because I always advocate LGBTQIA+ rights.”

The role, said Tena, was a challenging character: “I talked to director Kevin before shooting a crucial scene that it was a trigger for me and that kind of an abusive father was just too much.”

Tena admitted: “Having been bashed, bullied and threatened growing up when I wasn’t sure of my identity and why they were bullying me for being effeminate, it was nerve-wracking and spine-chilling revisiting those scenarios.”

“I was literally shaking before the take and getting into that character while the trauma lingers in your subconscious was confusing, but I always remind myself to serve the character,” said Tena.