Jose Javier Reyes, our representative on Steven Spielberg's 'On The Lot'

One of our most prolific directors, Jose Javier Reyes, joins prominent ASEAN filmmakers who are included in the new reality series produced by Steven Spielberg no less, "On the Lot." The unscripted series follows a group of rookie directors as they compete by making a short film each week to win a US$ 1-million development deal at DreamWorks Pictures.

Joey’s talent in writing and directing critically-acclaimed films placed him in "On the Lot’s" roster of top-caliber talents in the Asia-Pacific region. In the ‘80s, he won the Asian Pacific Festival for Best Screenplay for "Oro, Plata, Mata." In the ‘90s he received numerous awards locally and internationally for his directorial works in "May Minamahal," "Batang PX," "Live Show," and most recently "Kasal, Kasali, Kasalo." Additionally, he’s also a talent consultant, creative manager, professor and essayist. He remains as one of the mentors young Filipino filmmakers admire and a most outspoken social and media critic. Joining Reyes in the show are Thailand’s Prachya Pinkaew, Singapore’s Royston Tan, Hong Kong’s Hocheung Pang, Indonesia’s Joko Anwar, and Malaysia’s Afdlin Shauki.

The selection of the six "On the Lot" ambassadors adds a local perspective to the series, as they discuss how they approach the challenges as up-and-coming directors and critique the show’s contestants through their personal blogs on the "On the Lot" website (www.startv.com/onthelot).

"On the Lot" airs exclusively on Star Movies every Wednesday at 10 p.m. To Joey, good luck, and hope you win and bring honor to our country.

Mario Bautista
Malaya