‘Noy,’ the namesake

There’s more than meets the eye to sharing the first name of a famous personality, Coco Martin’s character learns in the independent film “Noy,” which the actor co-directs and co-produces.

This is especially true when the personality is the leading presidential candidate, who becomes the namesake-journalist’s subject for a story.

“Noy” is about a journalist commissioned to document the campaign of his namesake, presidential aspirant Benigno “Noynoy” Aquino III.

Coco had to employ what he called “guerilla tactics” while working on the film to avoid being mobbed and causing delay in the shooting.

“It was tough,” Coco told Inquirer Entertainment. “I was used to running around the city while filming and nobody notices me. Now the moment I get out of the car, curious people come after me.”

Coco was dubbed Prince of Indie Cinema after appearing in award-winning indie films like “Masahista (2005),” “Kaleldo (2006),” “Tambolista” (2007), “Batanes (2008) and “Kinatay” (2009). The Kapamilya drama series “Tayong Dalawa,” where he played rebellious son Ramon, paved the way for his successful crossover to mainstream entertainment.

“‘Noy’ took six months to make,” said Coco, who had to shoot some footage from an audience point of view to avoid being mobbed. “The longest time I had previously worked on a film was 11 days. For this movie, I went to about 20 provinces. We followed Senator Noynoy (Aquino) on some of his campaign sorties in Davao, Cebu and Samar.”

Coco admitted that when he first set out to do this project, he was unaware of the state of local politics and the goings-on in the life of a journalist. “There was even a scene where I was supposed to ask Senator Noy questions and I didn’t know what to ask,” he said. “The senator even corrected me. Nakakahiya.”

Award-winning actress Cherry Pie Picache, who plays Coco’s mother, said she was drawn to the project’s two-fold plot. “It’s an overview of how politics, or the campaign in particular, is done in the Philippines,” she explained. “It also depicts what a typical Filipino family is like—a family full of love and hope.”

The project was conceptualized in September 2009, when Coco first met the Aquino family at a dinner hosted by his “Kung Tayo’y Magkakalayo” co-star Kris, Noynoy’s youngest sister.

Coco’s co-director, Dondon Santos, said he “gave his all” to the project, his very first indie film. “I’m very proud of it and of the actors I worked with—Coco, Cherry Pie, Erich (Gonzales) Jhong (Hilario) and Kristofer (King). Our goal is for this film to be an eye-opener to Filipinos, to make them realize that there’s still hope for this country.”

“Noy,” which will premiere in local theaters on June 2, will also have screenings from June 11 to 17 in cinemas in San Francisco, Los Angeles and San Diego in California.