A NEW teaser for “BuyBust” was released this Tuesday, providing several new glimpses into the brutal action fans should come to expect from the hotly anticipated movie, including lead star Anne Curtis repeatedly stabbing a man in his neck and chest.
Uploaded by Canadian-based website Screen Anarchy, the short clip also sees Curtis’ character, a neophyte anti-drug operative who finds herself trapped inside a hellish drug den, shoot a thug from point-blank range, and use a window to kill.
The “It’s Showtime” host spent months learning Pekiti-Tirsia Kali, a Filipino martial art that teaches how to use improvised weapons for self-defense, and her hard work showed in this fresh look for the intense, big-budget production.
In a lengthy post this Tuesday, director Erik Matti recalled how they got Curtis to agree to star in his movie.
He began by explaining that action flicks topbilled by a woman rarely gets the backing of big studios because it’s considered as a huge financial risk, with doubts over its appeal with Filipinos.
“For one, action movies are expensive,” he wrote. “Trying to, at least, do it well, is even more expensive. To have a female star do it is not worth the risk. Action is already tough to sell but an action movie with a female lead is even harder.”
Luckily though, they chanced upon Viva Entertainment head Vic del Rosario in Hong Kong. They were interested in doing a project together, and days later found themselves in a phone call talking about what Matti thought of Curtis being his lead.
To Matti’s surprise, Curtis was with Del Rosario at the time and he funnily recounted how he pitched the idea to the actress while waiting for his luggage at an airport.
“And the rest is history,” he said as he thanked Curtis. “It took a big star like you to make this happen. And you made the right choice too.”
“BuyBust” will make its world premiere at the New York Asian Film Festival this July 15, as the festival’s closer. It will then be shown at Fantasia International Film Festival in Canada on July 18, and in South Korea’s Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival.
It will premiere in the Philippines on Aug. 1. (ABS-CBN News)
