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By Prof. Ed H. Pangilinan, Contributor
DEFINITELY, Ina Feleo did not merely inherit
recessive genes from her parents, actors Johnny Delgado and Laurice
Guillen—she got the best of their acting skills. Feleo is regarded
as one of the most exciting new discoveries in show business and her
first lead role in a feature film proved that she is not only
photographed beautifully on screen, she has depth.
Feleo, with no commercial value attached to her
name at this time, was handpicked by debuting filmmaker Jade Castro
for his first movie titled Endo (short for ‘end of contract’)
and her performance won her the best lead actress at the Cinemalaya,
an independent digital filmmaking competition for new directors.
“Winning the Cinemalaya was a surprise and an
added pressure at the same time,” Ina says. “This distinction
has proven that I made the right move in following my heart, which
is to be an actor. But I am also pressured because I have to prove
myself that I am worthy to be called an actor.”
Endo is the story of Leo (Abalos) whose life is
trapped within the vicious cycle that’s part-time employment. He
eventually met Tanya (Feleo) and fell in love but the endo cycle
gets in the way along with a third party. Endo is scheduled to be
shown in theaters soon.
Recently, Feleo and her co-actor Jason Abalos
traveled to Nantes, France, to take part in the Festival Des Trois
Continents (3 Continents International Film Festival) where Endo was
exhibited along other outstanding films from the three continents.
The festival is an annual gathering of independent filmmakers where
the best cinema finds from Africa, Latin America and Asia are shown.
“It was an experience of a lifetime,” muses
the young actress, adding “the trip was a first for both Jason and
I and we were both thrilled to walk on the red carpet and to be
accorded respect as artists in the filmmaking business.” Feleo
says that she would one day like to see the star system erased and
actors, regardless of the kinds of roles they portray, are treated
with the same respect like the superstars.
This writer caught an episode of Charo
Concio’s Maalaala Mo Kaya where Feleo took on the difficult role
of a deaf-mute swimmer. She was more than just promising and in her
quiet moments, her character captured not only my attention but she
affected my emotions.
Feleo is a creative writing graduate of the
Ateneo de Manila University. She is also part of the Bayanihan
Folkloric Dance Company, the Tanghalang Ateneo and the Metropolitan
Theater Guild-Asia. A former ice-skating champion, Feleo feels that
she is most fulfilled giving life to roles on the screen.
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