NEWSFLASH

ANA CAPRI'S CAREER AT FULL BLAST

Quezon City, March 4, 2001 - She was only 16 years old, fresh from high school, when Infanne Abanica came to Manila to get a college education. She hails from the coastal town of Infanta (after which she was named) in Quezon province. Talent manager Jojo Veloso saw her in church and asked her to joint the Face of the Year Contest in 1996.

"I didn't win the title, but director Celso Ad. Castillo saw me and introduced me as the younger sister of Sunshine Cruz in 'Virgin People 2'," she says. "He gave me the screen name Ana Capri."

As the screen's newest nymphet, she did a string of forgettable skin flicks. It was in 1998 that she first gained some respectability when she played Raymond Bagatsing's ill-fated wife In "Kriminal ng Barrio Concepcion," for which she got a couple of best supporting actress nominations.

The following year, she won the CineManila International Film Festival best actress award for her performance is the feisty heroine in Jeffrey Jeturian's "Pila Balde." She was also nominated as best actress in all the major local award-giving bodies for the same film.

Now recognized as a sexy actress who can definitely act, she gave another memorable portrayal last year as the jaded prostitute with a heart of gold in Don Escudero's "Araaay!" And this year, she has another ace up her sleeve with her heartrending performance as a self-destructive "torera" who feels guilty giving her illegitimate child away in Jose Javier Reyes' "Live Show," formerly titled Toro.

How does she feel about the accolades she is getting as an actress?

"It is certainly very heartwarming, very encouraging," she beams. At least, I'm able to prove that I can do more than just take my clothes off before the camera. My parents and siblings used to frown on me because of my sexy scenes. Now, they understand it's just part of my work as an actress."

When Ana was told that "Kriminal ng Barrio Concepcion" would be sent as an entry to the Toronto filmfest in Canda, she packed her bags thinking she would be a member of the delegation that would represent the film there.

"But unfortunately, I was not chosen to join director Lav Diaz and Raymond Bagatsing," she laughs.

When she learned that "Live Show" would be an entry in the Berlin International filmfest in Germany, she did not pack her bags anymore.

"But to my surprise, I was told by Mother Lily to join the delegation this time, along with Klaudia Koronel. It was my first time to join an international film festival abroad, so I was so excited. It was a great learning experience for me. We watched a lot of other films from various countries and got to hobnob with other foreign stars, like Leonardo DiCaprio, so I felt like I was an international star myself," she says, smiling.

Director Joey Reyes tells us a lot of European critics praised her performance.

"I'm so happy because one of them even ran after me at the lobby of the theater where the film was shown and congratulated me because he was so touched daw by my acting. I'm also happy for the movie because in the 100 films shown in the Panorama section, we were ranked s number 14, which is not bad at all considering the competition. The movie has been shown in three other international festivals since then, where it also got a lot of praise. I'm glad our audiences will finally get the chance to see it here, uncut.

"'Live Show' chronicles the lives of four sex performers-Klaudia, Hazel Espinosa, newcomer Paolo Rivero, and I. All of us dream of leaving our horrible job someday, but in the end, no one succeeds in escaping and the film's conclusion shows us still doing the sordid kind of work that we do. All the sex scenes in the movie are integral to the story. We are shown doing all sorts of sexual positions and it's so embarrassing because there is an audience watching us, unlike in the usual love scenes where there's only the director, the crew, and us on the set. Dito, may mga nanonood talaga sa aming extras acting as our customers or on-screen audience."

Ana has also finished a movie in Frankfurt, Germany titled "Manila Airport," where she plays a Pinay mail-order bride.

"I really feel so blessed with all the opportunities that have come my way since I started as an actress. I have also finished another movie with 'direk' Joey, 'Boyet,' with Ricky Davao, Carlo Aquino and Jaclyn Jose. Right now, I'm doing 'Dekada '70' with Vilma Santos. I play an NPA amazon, opposite Piolo Pascual. On TV, I am part of the new telenovela on GMA-7, 'Ikaw Lang Ang Mamahalin,' with Albert Martinez, Angelika de la Cruz and Sunshine Dizon. I really cannot ask for more." (Mario Bautista, Malaya)