Many are bothered with award-winning filmmaker Brillante Mendoza coming out with several sexy films of late.
Some have accused him of having supposedly sold-out.
Has he?
Brillante shrugged off the accusations in a recent interview.
He explained his impetus doing sexy films "Palitan" and "Sisid" for Viva as hinged on him serving audiences what he always do -- "reality."
“Sa buhay, magkasama naman ang love and lust. It’s always going to be there. If we showed that here, that is because that is reality," he said.
"Para sa akin, films are supposed to mirror reality. As a filmmaker, responsibility ko na maipakita ang totoo sa mga manonood," he added.
But he made clear both are more than just run-of-the-mill sex films.
"These are good, interesting stories worth telling. May mga sinasabi sila. Hindi ito puro sex lang," he maintained.
But he admitted, “No matter how you put it, sex sells. We cannot deny the fact that people want to watch sexy films, especially Filipinos, for that matter. ‘Yun talaga ang pinapanood nila, e. But 'yun nga, these are not just about sex. Parte siya ng pelikula but that is not the focus."
He also explained his collaboration with Viva.
“One thing na nagustuhan ko sa tie-up ko with Viva, ipinagkakatiwala nila sa akin ‘yung kwento at konsepto ng mga proyekto,” he said. “Hindi sila nakikialam. So, as an artist, masaya ako, fulfilled ako. Freedom is important for me, e. That’s what artists are after. Ayaw ng mga artists ng nasasakal. And the fact na binibigay ‘to ng isang malaking company like Viva, dapat pangalagaan mo ito. You should be responsible."