Tenement 66 stars Francine Diaz who plays a teen girl who convinces her neighbors to steal from an old man. But things go downhill when they get caught.
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When you think of Francine Diaz, a few things may come to mind. You might know her as Cassie in the top-rated Kadenang Ginto. She is ¼ of The Gold Squad and ½ of KyCine. You may also know Francine as one of the brightest stars of her generation. But rarely do you think of her as someone who can play dark and edgy roles—until now. In quite a shift for the young actress, the new film, Tenement 66, sees Francine Diaz play a dark character she’s never done before and the movie promises to be an unforgettable experience.
TENEMENT 66
Tenement 66 is a crime psychological thriller directed by Rae Red. She directed the excellent Babae at Baril (which you can stream now on Netflix) and has writing credits on Eerie, Neomanila, and Birdshot. The film follows Teban (Francis Magundayo) a young man who moves into a residential building of the same name as the movie with his brother and cousin. Teban just left prison and isn’t looking to get back to a life of crime. But rising debt and medical bills for his family are pushing Teban over the edge.
He then meets Lea (Francine Diaz) his neighbor who asks him to help her rob their neighbor, Old Man Nando (Lou Veloso). She tells him that she saw him steal a large sum of money and that they should steal it back and split it amongst themselves. Motivated by their own problems and situations, Teban agrees, and they bring along their neighbor (Noel Comia) to join. But their heist soon becomes their biggest nightmare when they get caught and are held hostage.
Ahead of its premiere later in July, Tenement 66 made its international debut when it was chosen to participate in the 25th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN). The festival features horror, thriller, mystery, and fantasy movies from all over Asia and will run from July 8-21. The movie will be one of ten movies in competition under Bucheon Choice.
GRITTY CRIME THRILLER
The movie looks really promising as it’s coming from a talented director and features Francine in a role she has never done before. We usually see Francine plays characters who lean towards the side of good, so we’re excited to see Francine flex her acting prowess. Francis Magundayo and Moel Comia Jr. may not be household names, but they are proven actors. Meanwhile, Rae Red has worked on her fair share of gritty thrillers so we’re confident she knows what she’s doing. The fact that Tenement 66 already has received international recognition is giving us hope that this could be something different and special.
In an interview, Francine revealed that she worked on the project in October 2020, in the middle of lockdown. She said that she accepted the role because she was fresh from doing Kadenang Ginto and wanted something different from the passive Cassie. She adds that playing her was memorable and felt that the role was an achievement for her.
Produced by Dreamscape Entertainment and Epic Media, Tenement 66 is set for a worldwide streaming release on July 23. Catch the movie on KTX, iWantTFC, IPTV, SKY, and Cignal Cable PPV. You can pre-order a ticket now for 250 pesos each.
In the meantime, if you want to watch more of Francine, you can catch her on Huwag Kang Mangamba. She also just announced that she’s relaunching her YouTube channel on July 24, 2021, so you may want to subscribe to her channel.
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