EXCLUSIVE: Philippines production outfit Rein Entertainment is gearing up to start production on drama thriller Laya, directed by Sigrid Andrea P . Bernardo and with child star turned Gen Z role model Andrea Brillantes heading the cast.
Brillantes is known for top-rated ABS-CBN show Kadenang Ginto and later headlined two of streaming platform iWantTFC’S popular youth drama series – Senior High and its 2024 sequel High Street. She also appeared in Erik Matti’s On The Job: The Missing 8, which premiered at Venice film festival in 2021.
With a massive worldwide social media following, including 21.4 million followers on TikTok and 14.3 million on Instagram, she has also made a mark as an entrepreneur with her own make-up line and a jewellery brand.
Described as a redemption drama, Laya follows a young woman who drifts from place to place carrying an unresolved anger from the loss of her father at a young age, until her path crosses with a lonely ex-criminal, also haunted by shadows from the past.
Set against the coastal backdrop of Oslob, Cebu, known as a sanctuary for whale sharks, the film is scheduled to start shooting in the island province in October.
The film is written and directed by Sigrid Andrea P. Bernardo, whose credits include 2017 romantic drama I See You (Kita Kita), one of the highest-grossing Philippine independent films, who also scored a surprise hit last year with award-winning drama Pushcart Tales.
Rein Entertainment is launching Laya and other projects here at Asian Contents & Film Market (ACFM), attending the market as part of the bustling Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) pavilion.
Launched in 2017 by writer-directors Shugo Praico, Lino Cayetano and Philip King, Rein is building a slate of Filipino and Southeast Asian stories with global appeal. The company is also in post-production on Salvageland, directed by Cayetano and starring Richard Gomez, Elijah Canlas, Mon Confiado and Cindy Miranda. Announced during last year’s ACFM, the neo-western is is co-produced with the Philippines’ Viva Films.
On the series side, Rein’s Manila and Hong Kong-set crime drama Dose has been selected for the series section of this year’s Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF) Pitching. The series revolves around two women – a rising triad queenpin and a relentless international police agent – who form an unlikely alliance within a male-dominated criminal Asian underworld.
“Rein Entertainment is committed to bringing stories that resonate with both Filipino and global audiences,” said Rein Entertainment President and CEO Lino Cayetano. “We want to be part of bringing Philippine and Southeast Asian content to the world stage – stories that travel, spark conversations, and connect cultures.”
Rein Entertainment’s managing producer Charm Guzman, who has been selected to participate in the Producer’s Hub at this year’s ACFM, while the company’s Shaira Gertos has been selected for the Platform Busan initiative for emerging producers.
The post Andrea Brillantes To Star In Rein Entertainment’s ‘Laya’; Sigrid Andrea P. Bernardo To Direct – ACFM appeared first on Deadline.
