Christian Bables bags the Bright Star Award in 2019 Asian Pop-Up Cinema

I remember my interview with Christian last year. He was teary eyed because his lolo had just passed away, and Christian was feeling guilty that he wasn’t beside him during his last hours. He was in mourning then and you could feel the sadness.  Fast forward to today, I saw a different Christian. He was beaming, proud and happy holding a trophy to his name. 

One of the brilliant young actors of his generation, Christian Bables breathes life into every character he portrays. Christian enjoys being an actor because he can express himself, touch other people’s lives, and execute his passion.



Christian always takes his work seriously and values the importance of training and preparation. He remains focus on his craft as an actor that is why blessings continuously keep pouring in for him. He says, “Like what my mentors tell me, acting is a lifestyle of learning. Kahit na sino, kahit hindi actor, ay dapat hindi tumigil sa pag-aaral. Dapat laging bukas na matuto.”

He has proven to all and sundry that he is an award-winning actor to be reckoned with. “Acting is a venue to express myself. I enjoy giving empowerment to every character I portray because through that ako mismo ay nae-empower.” 

Christian is in high spirits these days. Fresh from the box-office success of Panti Sisters, Christian is deeply overwhelmed with the outcome of the movie which revolves around the story of three gay siblings whose rich father wants to bequeath his inheritance to a son who can give him a grandchild. 

“Nakakatuwa na tinanggap ng Filipino audience and maybe the foreign audience ang pelikula namin. Thank you very much but more than anything else, I am ecstatic because we were able to relay the message of the movie. Likewise, we become proud allies of the LGBT community. Personally, this is my way of giving back because ang laki ng utang na loob ko sa LGBT community. If not for my role as Barbs in Die Beautiful, I wouldn’t be here. Hindi mabubukas ang pintuan ng mga pangarap ko. Ang mapapangako ko ay hindi ako magsasawa at mapapagod na gumawa ng mga makabuluhang istorya para sa LGBT community.”

He just came back from Chicago to personally accept his Bright Star Award in the prestigious 2019 Asian Pop-Up Cinema for his sterling performance in Signal Rock. In the film, Christian plays Intoy, a poor high school dropout who resides in a far-flung fishing island with his family and courageously climbs steep rock formations just to get a cellphone signal. (He won the Best Actor Award at the Hanoi International Film Festival (HANIFF) in Vietnam last year.) 

Christian shares his experience attending the event. “They were all nice. The founder is Ms. Sophia Boccio. She was very accommodating. I received a warm welcome from the people in Chicago most especially the Filipino community. Grabe iyong suporta nila sa Signal Rock, sa akin, at sa pagpunta ko. I enjoyed my stay there. It was a heartwarming experience. It is one of my most memorable film festivals.”

   

He recently won the Best Actor Award at the Urduja Film Festival for his role in Signal Rock which also received the Movie of the Year (Drama) Award. Urduja Film Festival is a yearly competition which promotes student short, feature, and independent films in Northern Luzon.

Despite his achievements, Christian remains humble. How does he handle fame? “For me, being known is just part of the job. Iyong real job for me, ang totoong batayan sa akin ay kung gaano ka kadiligent at kung gaano ka kagutom as an actor. You’re just as good as your last work. So ang pagiging masipag (iyong kaya mong i-assess kung tama ba o hindi ang ginagawa mo) ay ang totoong batayan for me at hindi ang fame.”



Christian is grateful for all the good projects coming his way. Aside from upcoming movies, he is part of a new teleserye in ABS-CBN. “I am thankful to ABS-CBN for giving me such a good and challenging role. Please watch out for my new television series soon.”



For inquiries, please call (02) 88554765 or (02) 34054423, email info@asianartistsagency.com, and visit fb.com/asianartistsagency   

Christian Bables is Best Actor at the Hanoi International Film Festival

Christian Bables wins the coveted Best Actor Award at the prestigious 2018 Hanoi International Film Festival (HANIFF) in Vietnam for his sterling performance in the movie Signal Rock. He made a mark for his role as Intoy, a poor high school dropout who lives in a remote fishing island with his family and courageously climbs steep rock formations just to get a cellphone signal. Signal Rock is directed by Chito Roño.



Overwhelmed by his latest triumph, Christian posted a lengthy message on his Facebook and Instagram accounts to thank God and everyone who have helped and inspired him as an actor.



Fresh from his triumph at HANIFF, Christian is now invited for Signal Rock’s screening at the Golden Globes for awards consideration at the Foreign Language Film category. Signal Rock is one of the 87 movies competing for Best Foreign Language Film at Oscars 2019.



Christian has been receiving critical acclaims for his portrayal in Signal Rock. He also took home a Special Jury Award for Outstanding Acting (while Signal Rock won the Critics’ Choice Award) at the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino last August.



The award-winning actor recently graced the 23rd Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) in South Korea for the screening of Signal Rock. This was his first international film festival foray. Christian shared on social media his photo with Korean superstar Ku Hye-Sun, the lead female of the hit K Drama Boys Over Flowers.



Blessings continuously keep pouring in for Christian. He will return on the big screen with Recipe for Love where he plays Calix, a budding chef, whose specialty is reinvented Filipino food. Calix inherited his culinary passion from his father. The movie is directed by Jose Javier Reyes and stars Cora Waddell, Agot Isidro, Ogie Diaz, and Bing Loyzaga, among others.



Christian’s latest big screen role displays a passion for cooking. But just how passionate is Christian when it comes to acting? “I’ve always been passionate in performing arts. Maybe I had it in me since the day I was formed in my mom’s tummy. But I guess it was in my college years that I’ve learned how to use my talent properly. My first role as an actor was a hitch hiker with a girlfriend dying of leukemia. The character’s name is Rino,” Christian shares.



Christian enjoys being an actor because he can express himself, touch other people’s lives, and execute his passion. “I always believe that everything is about choices. As long as I choose to do what is right and do what satisfies my heart and God, then I know I’ll be fine. I just have to put my trust in God and let go. ️His purpose is always better than the promises of this world.”



Christian takes his work seriously. “I improve my craft by making sure that I am intact with my core - who I am as a person. I prevent myself from being jaded. I observe people a lot. Most importantly, I value the importance of training and preparation.”



How does he see himself 10 years from now? “A successful artist. I envision myself to be in the international acting scene 10 years from now. I will be directing and producing movies for local and international releases. And I will be having a stable life and business. I’m claiming it!”



On the television front, Christian pits acting talents with Jericho Rosales and Sam Milby in the ABS-CBN teleserye Halik.



Christian Bables is co-managed by Asian Artists Agency, Inc. For inquiries, please call (02) 855-4765 or (02) 405-4423, email info@asianartistsagency.com, and visit fb.com/asianartistsagency

Hypersonic Signal Beams for Christian Bables

Christian Bables has cemented a place of his own in the acting world, following a win at the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino, for his portrayal of Intoy in Signal Rock. Christian has proven to all and sundry that he is an actor to reckon with. He has also erased the notion that he was stuck to playing gay roles.



While he played the “bagtik” (astig in Tagalog), Intoy who decides to remain in a remote island with his family and courageously climbs steep rock formations just to get a cellphone signal in Signal Rock, Christian in reality is also a “bagtik” actor - camera ready, focused and steadfast.

His most recent triumph, a Special Jury Award for Outstanding Acting in Signal Rock (while the movie won the Critics’ Choice Award at the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino), is an amplified signal that all the forces of the universe are aligned in his favor.

Describing his acting style, Christian says, “Each actor has his own style of dealing with life. That is the main purpose of acting, to deal with the truth of life. Ang mga actors, merong reference na technique pero the acting skill should be coming from who you are as a person and your sensibility as a person. For me, there’s no specific style in acting. Only your own style of dealing with life.”

What does he look for in a role? “I often look for the core of the story at sa puso ng karakter. As an artist, I also try to find a way how to relate the character to me. If there’s a common denominator then it’s easy to connect to the role.”



He is passionate about his work as he is with life. “I always believe that everything is about choices. As long as I choose what is right and do what satisfies my heart and God, then I’ll be fine. I just have to put my trust in God and let go. His purpose is always better than the promises of this world.”



A keen observer of people, Christian values the importance of training and preparation. He arrives on the movie set ahead of time, ready to face the cameras. It may sound weird but Christian dreams of playing a suicide bomber. “Its life has many colors of different shades.”



He refuses to be defined by popularity alone saying that being famous is just part of being an actor.  “Neither will it define you nor make you as a person. I keep myself intact to my truth.”



On the television front, Christian pits talents with Jericho Rosales and Sam Milby in the ABS-CBN teleserye Halik. Other projects are being negotiated.



Christian Bables is co-managed by Asian Artists Agency, Inc. For inquiries, please call (02) 855-4765 or (02) 405-4423, email info@asianartistsagency.com, and visit fb.com/asianartistsagency

Christian Bables stars in Signal Rock under Direk Chito Roño for Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino

Christian Bables is excited in his upcoming movie, Signal Rock, his first collaboration with Direk Chito Roño. It was a dream come true for him to be working with the A-list director. 

He is all praises of Direk Chito. “Ipapakita at ipaparamdam talaga niya sa iyo kung gaano ka niya pinapahalagahan bilang isang aktor at kaibigan basta ipakita mong you deserve his admiration and trust. I will forever be grateful to him. I worked so hard noong makapasa ako sa audition. I put myself into my character’s shoes so I would know kung anong emosyon ang aking paghuhugutan. I imagined my character - the way he speaks, walks, how he closes his eyes – para mabigyan ko ng magandang interpretation ang role ko. I have to be on my toes kasi andyan sina Direk Chito and the staff."

In the film, Christian plays Intoy, a poor high school dropout who resides in a remote fishing island. Intoy has good communication skills and he is always invited to be an event emcee in fiestas, parties, and election campaign rallies. He helps his sister in Finland in a child custody battle against her abusive husband by involving the townspeople, faking legal documents, and setting up false endorsements to prove his sister’s financial capacity.

“This is a coming of age story of Intoy. Isang taong puno ng pagmamahal para sa kanyang pamilya and how his love will succeed in saving his family most especially his sister. Intoy will do everything to keep his family intact,” describes Christian of his character.

Intoy is a deviation from the gay roles Christian played in the past. "It’s easier for me to play Intoy because I no longer need to alter my way of thinking, the way I feel and my physicality. The challenge for me here is to truly define Intoy’s personality and try to relate it to me as Christian Bables.”



Signal Rock is based on a true story of people living in a small town in the beautiful island of Samar. Direk Chito recounted the story of one of his friends named Nonong to screenwriter Rody Vera. Nonong’s life story left a remarkable impression on Rody because it is based on the realities of life like work migration and how this changed the lives and relationships of the people they left behind to support.



The film was shot in the picturesque island of Biri where Christian stayed for 15 days.



Christian is now busy going around the country for the movies’ promo activities which include mall shows, radio and studio interviews, campus tours, among others.

     

Signal Rock is part of the week-long celebration of Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino. It will open in theaters beginning August 15 and also stars Nanding Josef, Ces Quesada, Arnold Reyes, Daria Ramirez, and Domingo Cobarrubias.



For inquiries, please call (02) 855-4765 or (02) 405-4423, email info@asianartistsagency.com, and visit fb.com/asianartistsagency