Pinay filmmaker Lea Dizon set to produce her first film in Hollywood

Just two months after finishing her masteral degree at the University of South California (USC) in the United States last year, independent Filipina filmmaker Lea Dizon received an offer to produce her first feature film in Hollywood.

Dizon, 32, a graduate of the University of the Philippines (UP) in Diliman, Quezon City, took up a masteral course on film and television production at the USC.

Dizon told GMA News Online that two USC alumni — Matthew Breault and Alex George Pickering of the Fifth Floor Balcony Pictures — broached to her the idea of producing a science fiction film.

“I met both of them while taking my Masters at USC. We were all in the same class. I have worked with Matt before and I think he is a talented director. When he pitched me the idea which he co-wrote with Alex, I thought it was fantastic,” she said.

 

“It was just a no-brainer to decide to work with two of the most talented and most hardworking people in my class,” she added.

The movie “Impulse Control,”  to be filmed in late 2012, is set in a world where a new disease greatly reduces the ability of humans to control their anger, a report of the Asian Journal said. 

 

The movie will revolve around the life of a family who made their home a fortress as they try to survive the onslaught of people from the “outside world” who are affected by the strange disease. The family is torn-apart as members start getting infected by the disease.

The team expects the movie to be ready by December 2013.

 

“We are certainly planning to get it distributed everywhere. Of course the Philippines is on top of my list!” Dizon said.

 

“I thought it was a great idea! If you accidentally give someone the stink eye, you might just get killed. Isn’t that just so interesting?” she asked.

 

She said her favorite character in “Impulse Control” is Rain, the wife of one of the main protagonists and one of the millions who were afflicted by the disease.

 

“As a woman I relate to her. She is the type of character who has to balance vulnerability while still having to be strong in pulling everyone together,” Dizon explained.

 

“We always have to know when to be strong and when to reign it in and let go and have others be strong for us--that in itself is a strength,” she added.

Life after "Impulse"

 

Dizon said, after “Impulse Control,” her “goal is to always have projects that are in the works."

 

“Ideally at any given time, I'd have one that's finishing , one that's in production, and one that is being developed, and so that is what I'm trying to constantly do,” she said.

 

Dizon was originally from Angeles City and after graduating from UP Diliman, went on to work in the Philippines for a couple of years.

She then decided to chase her dream of working in Hollywood and moved to Los Angeles.

 

“I kept thinking how wonderful it would be to be able to tell stories that have the potential to reach as many people in the world as possible,” she says.

 

She found living in the US challenging and missed some things in the Philippines.

 

”Mabilis ang buhay sa Amerika. Walang time for drama, you just have to keep going and moving forward kundi maiiwan ka sa biyahe,” Dizon said.

 

”I miss the food and my family of course, and to be honest I miss having someone taking care of the house for me. Here, life gets so hectic that most of the time there's hardly time to see people,” she added.

 

She is thankful for her family and friends who have believed and supported all her projects all these years and would like to invite everyone to watch “Impulse Control”.

 

“To everyone reading this, please support our film! We definitely need more Filipino representation in the international scene. Let's do this. All together we can make this happen! To infinity and beyond!!!” - VVP, GMA News