Los Angeles, Calif. (May 10, 2018) — Production company, Becky and Baldwin, digitally releases their debut film, I Don’t Love You, directed by Mara De La Rosa with a screenplay by Nicholas Pilapil. I Don’t Love You pays tribute to the filmmakers’ Filipino heritage in a parody of the popular Filipino teleseyre genre. I Don’t Love You is available to watch in its entirety at http://bit.ly/IDLYfilm.
“I Don’t Love You is an homage to the films I saw growing up in the Philippines,” said director and Becky and Baldwin co-founder Mara De La Rosa. “It’s a melodramatic story about love — that’s funny. I wanted audiences to enjoy the drama and craziness, but also laugh along with it.”
The short film follows newlyweds Benji and Malou. Malou is Benji’s world, and she has what should be a picture perfect life: a doting husband, a nice house, and a life in America. But, Malou is hiding a secret, shocking enough to tear their worlds apart. And as they prepare dinner her secret and his dark truth are revealed.
Making the film was personal for its creators. Screenwriter and Becky and Baldwin co-founder Nicholas Pilapil was inspired to write the script as a way to connect with his Filipino roots.
“I’m Filipino American, but I wrote Filipino characters even though I’ve never been to the Philippines nor do I speak the language,” Pilapil said. “Writing I Don’t Love You allowed me to get more in touch with my family’s culture.”
Despite the comedy of the film, the parody tackles a serious issue for De La Rosa — immigration. “As people who long to live in America, many immigrants will do anything to become a citizen, and in the film, the character of Malou is so desperate for the American dream that she marries a man she does not love. As an immigrant myself, I know the struggle and the dream,” she said.
I Don’t Love You made its official world premiere at the 2017 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival to high acclaim. “Hilarious…I was laughing from beginning to end!” said That’s My Entertainment in a review of the film. I Don’t Love You was also official selections of the 2017 Los Angeles Philippine International Film Festival and Fil-Am Creative’s Fil-Am Creations: A Filmmaker Movement — where the Philippine News called the film, “The laugh-out-loud funny film of the evening.”
I Don’t Love You stars Kaitlyn Fae and George Infantado, and features original music by Simón Wilson. The short film is available to watch for free at beckyandbaldwin.com.
About The Artists
Mara De La Rosa is the creator of the web series “BAES Welcome,” which she also stars in and writes. Her short films include I Don’t Love You (Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, Fil-Am Creations: A Filmmaker Movement, Los Angeles Philippine International Film Festival) BASTARD (Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival), I Like Femme Lesbians (Outfest, North Carolina Gay & Lesbian Film Festival, Outfest FUSION Jury Prize Honorable Mention), Bakla Ako, and Ugh, Straight Girls (Outfest FUSION). Mara was a fellow at Loyola Marymount University’s Incubator Lab at Film Independent and an OutSet fellow at Outfest. Other projects include an extended sold-out run of her play Real Love at the award-winning Fountain Theatre. Mara is a co-founder of Becky and Baldwin. maradelarosa.org
Nicholas Pilapil is a writer of plays and songs. His plays have been developed/performed with Artists at Play, Becky and Baldwin, East West Players, Fountain Theatre, Fresh Produce’d LA, Playwrights Foundation, and The Vagrancy. His musical comedy Before and After was the winner of the Fountain Theatre’s Rapid Development Series. Nicholas is also the writer of the short films zoë (Outfest FUSION, Miniature Film Festival Canada, North Portland Unknown Film Festival) and I Don’t Love You (Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival, Los Angeles Philippine International Film Festival). Nicholas is a happy co-founder of Becky and Baldwin. nicholaspilapil.com
About Becky and Baldwin
Becky and Baldwin is a production company dedicated to the creation of new plays and films. Founded in 2015 by Mara De La Rosa and Nicholas Pilapil, Becky and Baldwin aims to produce plays and films that are funny, strange and provocative. Their plays include the world premiere of Real Love written and directed by Mara De La Rosa, at the award-winning Fountain Theatre and the new play festival Other Plays, featuring works by Mari Assad, Mara De La Rosa, Rosie Narasaki, and Nicholas Pilapil.
Their short film, I Don’t Love You, directed by Mara De La Rosa with a screenplay by Nicholas Pilapil, premiered at the 2017 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival and was official selections of Fil-Am Creative’s Fil-Am Creations: A Filmmaker Movement and the Los Angeles Philippine International Film Festival. In April 2018, Becky and Baldwin released their web series, A Day in the Life, a faux-reality series that gives a slice of life look at the lives of Becky and Baldwin—and all the hilarious, awkward and pathetic moments in it. beckyandbaldwin.com
