Remember Cine Suerte Productions, maker of classic films like Karnal and Cain at Abel?

One of the major production companies in the 1980s, the outfit headed by producer-director Christian Ben Yalung, is bracing for a return to film production with another religious project, based on the life story of the Venerable Archbishop Teofilo Camomot of Cebu. The biopic, he said, will be grounded in faith and purpose. Years back, Cine Suerte produced religious films, Kristo and Divine Mercy sa Buhay ni Sister Faustina. A sequel to Kristo, Ang Mga Gawa, based on Acts of the Apostles, is also being planned.

Fr. Camomot, who died at age 74, is only a few steps away from sainthood. He was proclaimed by Pope Francis in 2022 as Venerable, a title given to a deceased person who has shown sanctity during one's lifetime but has yet to be canonized or beatified by the Vatican City.

A shrine in Bishop Camomot’s memory attracts thousands in Carcar, Cebu, his hometown. It is said to create miracles.

Witnesses claim that during his lifetime, Camomot was credited with healing the sick through bilocation, exorcism, and walking across deep rivers.

Yalung says Bishop Camomot led a mystical life, one that was quite colorful for a religious person.

Bishop Camomot served in various capacities in the Roman Catholic Church in Visayas and Mindanao before returning to Cebu in 1970. He died in an automobile accident in 1988.

Mr. Yalung announced in a media conference on June 17 at Club Filipino that filming will commence as soon as casting is done, and he heard at the media conference that they’re considering offering the part to Piolo Pascual, himself a religious man.

Directed by Ben Yalung and scripted by Celso de Guzman, the Camomot film is being produced in collaboration with Fr. Mar Balili and Bro. Nonito Limchua.

In the same media event, Yalung and his team revealed what’s on their plate for the rest of 2025.

Launched is ETVN, short for Emmanuel Television Network Philippines, a new YouTube channel with a spiritual core dedicated to faith-based and inspirational content.

Russel Yalung Oledan, Yalung’s grandson, announced that Asia Pacific Film Institute (APFI), the school co-founded by Ben Yalung and Marilou Diaz-Abaya, is now accepting applicants under Batch 27 to start in July. The school, which has produced many filmmakers and assorted industry creatives and workers, offers six-month certificate courses on directing, scriptwriting, production design, production management, etc.

Oledan said the institute is continuing its mission to shape the next generation of filmmakers.