Cebu, PHILIPPINES (Dec. 7, 2006) – Bigfoot Entertainment’s newest division, New Cebu Films, has commenced principal photography for its maiden offering, the action-thriller Deep Gold. The film will be the first that Bigfoot will shoot entirely in Cebu.

On hand is a stellar cast of diverse nationalities. Vietnamese supermodel-turned-actress Bebe Pham plays her first leading role as Amy Sanchez. Singaporean actress Jaymee Ong plays Jess, Amy’s sister. Ken Arden stars as Benny Simpson, a freelance journalist, while the role of his wife Claire is portrayed by British actress Amelia Jackson-Gray. American model Laury Prudent stars as Lulu, a wacky island DJ, and Australian model Rebecca Piket as the antagonistic Francesca.

Multi-awarded Filipino actor Joel Torre stars as Ranulfo Sanchez, the father Amy and Jess. Among Torre’s accolades are the 2002 Gawad Urian in 2002 for Best Actor in the film Batang West Side, and the 1997 FAMAS Award for Best Supporting Actor in the film Mumbaki. Eleven-year-olds Kelsey Adams and Grace Hutchings play the young Amy and Jess, respectively. Adams and Hutchings were respondents to the Deep Gold casting call.

The multi-national crew is headed by Executive Producer and Director Michael Gleissner and includes – to name a few – Hong Kong based Producer Elliot Tong, Technical Director Ken Siu, and Stunt Director Ailen Sit.

Tong began his filmmaking career as a Scriptwriter for Jackie Chan’s First Strike (Jing Cha Gu Shji IV: Jian Dan Ren Wu, 1996). Later on he was the Assistant to Director Stanley Tong in the 1997 film Mr. Magoo, and Co-Producer in the 2001 Takashi Miike cult classic Kiroshiya 1 (Ichi the Killer).

Siu’s long list of credits as Associate Technical Director include films such as Jet Li’s Fearless (a.k.a. Huo Yuan Jia, 2006), the Wong Kar Wai – produced In the Mood for Love (Fa Yeung Nin Wa, 2000) and Rush Hour (Jackie Chan, Chris Tucker).

Stunt maestro Sit was Fight Choreographer for Tokyo Raiders 2 (Han Cheng Gong Leuk, 2005), Martial Arts Director for Shaolin Soccer (Siu Lam Juk Kau, 2001), and Martial Arts Choreographer for several episodes of the TV series Martial Law (1998).

An impressive line-up of Filipino filmmakers includes 1st Assistant Director Darwin Bolsico, Production Manager Marinette Lusanta, and Art Department Coordinator Lili Esquillon.

Bolsico functioned in two award-winning films – as 2nd Assistant Director and Script Supervisor in Muro Ami (1999), and Script Supervisor and Researcher for Jose Rizal (1998). Lusanta and Esquillon are of the internationally acclaimed award-winning film Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros (The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros, 2005). In Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros, Lusanta served as Production Director while Esquillon was Production Designer. For her work in the said film, Esquillon was nominated in 2005 for Best Production Design by two of the main film award-giving bodies in the Philippines, Gawad Urian and Luna Awards. That same year, Esquillon won the Best Production Design Award in the Cinemalaya Film Festival.

In Deep Gold, there is an unexplained plane crash, Amy’s boyfriend disappears, gold belonging to the Philippine Central Bank is missing – and Amy and Jess find themselves tangled in a web of deceit.

Filming of Deep Gold is scheduled to wrap in April 2007. Post Production in Bigfoot’s state-of-the-art facilities in Mactan, Cebu will immediately follow.

For more information on Deep Gold, visit www.deepgoldthemovie.com

New Cebu Films, a Bigfoot Entertainment Company, specializes in synergy film projects between students and filmmakers that are shot at Bigfoot's facilities in Cebu.