Underplayed Gems

The Bit Player (2013)

The Bit Player poster
Original title
Ekstra
Directed by
Jeffrey Jeturian
Genre
independent film
Country
Philippines
Runtime
1h 51m
Rating
7.4 of 10 from 7 voters
Elsewhere
IMDb
The 3D catalogue: film cases on wooden shelves, with the cat sitting at the counter next to its greeting.

The catalogue in 3D

The film shelves have a room of their own that you can walk around in. The cat behind the counter is the AI Catbot, and they pick real films from the same catalogue when you tell them what you feel like watching. Nothing is for sale, here or in there. Go in from here and this film is already out on the counter, with more like it waiting on the shelf next to it.

More films like thisWatch the trailer

or watch the trailer on YouTube

How it feels

A middle-aged woman works as an extra on TV shows, hoping for her big break. She navigates the routines and small dramas of the film set.

aspirationaldown-to-earthhumorousgentleobservationalwarmbittersweeteveryday

What happens

The Bit Player (Filipino: Ekstra) is a 2013 Philippine comedy-drama film co-produced and directed by Jeffrey Jeturian from a story and screenplay he co-written with Antoinette Jadaone and Zig Dulay. The film stars Vilma Santos as Loida Malabanan, who spends her days dreaming of her big break while working with the country's best small-screen actors. It also features the appearances of various actors and actresses including Marian Rivera, Richard Yap, Piolo Pascual, Eula Valdez, Cherry Pie Picache, and Cherie Gil. Produced by Cinemalaya Foundation and Quantum Films, with Star Cinema handling its distribution, the film was released on July 27, 2013, as one of the competing entries under the "Directors Showcase" category for the 9th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival and then, topped the box office in all four venues of said festival. It was later released in mainstream cinemas on August 14, as part of the film studio's 20th founding anniversary. The film had its international premiere at the 38th Toronto International Film Festival, set from September 5 to 15, under the "Contemporary World Cinema" section. It also showed at the 2013 San Diego Asian Film Festival. (from Wikipedia, CC BY-SA)

More like this

This page is from Underplayed Gems. Not quite it? You can browse by genre, country and year, or take this one into the 3D catalogue and ask the Catbot for something closer.