KAPAMILYA actress Janine Gutierrez is set to fly to Venice, Italy for the screening of her film “Phantosmia” at the prestigious Venice International Film Festival.
Directed by Lav Diaz and co-starring veteran actor Ronnie Lazaro, the film is scheduled to be screened on September 2.
In an interview, Gutierrez expressed her excitement and gratitude for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
“I’m so excited! Kasi dream ko talaga na makapunta sa international film festival with Filipino films, so sobrang happy ako. Sobra din pasasalamat ko sa ‘Lavender Fields’ kasi pinayagan nila ako to leave for a week and be able to attend,” Janine shared, referring to her current project that graciously allowed her to take a brief leave.
Recalling the moment she discovered that “Phantosmia” would be heading to Venice, Janine said, “Actually, may video ako nung nalaman ko na Venice ‘yung pupuntahan, tapos sobrang sumisigaw ako saka umiiyak. Pero kasi they didn’t tell me agad. Parang sinabi lang na may festival ‘yung film namin na ‘Phantosmia’ with Direk Lav, binigay lang ‘yung dates pero hindi pa daw ma-confirm.”
“Pero syempre, ginoogle ko, tapos lumabas Venice. So sabi ko, oh my god, kung Venice ‘to, grabe, sobrang happy ako! And then, ‘yun nga, when they confirmed, sobrang excited ako,” she added.
“Phantosmia”, which was filmed from December 2023 to January 2024, delves into the psychological condition of the same name, where individuals experience phantom smells — odors that aren’t actually present — often as a result of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
The Venice International Film Festival, one of the most prestigious and oldest film festivals in the world, runs from August 28 to September 7. (ABS-CBN News)
