'BALOTA' STARS SASSA GURL, ESNYR WEIGH IN ON FELLOW CONTENT CREATORS RUNNING FOR PUBLIC OFFICE

ON THE HEELS OF THE recent filing of candidacies by political aspirants, including social media influencers and content creators, the theatrical release of the election-themed Cinemalaya 2024 entry "Balota" couldn't have come at a better time.

- By NATHALIE M. TOMADA

Directed by Kip Oebanda who collaborated with producers GMA Pictures and GMA Entertainment, this political satire that blends suspense, thriller and comedy earned its lead star Marian Rivera her first-ever Best Actress award.

In the film, a land-grabbing tycoon and a former male sexy star are locked in a tight race for the mayoral seat of a small town. As violence erupts amid the election, Teacher Emmy (Marian) finds herself in charge of protecting a ballot box, which contains not just the last copy of the election results but also the key to the election's integrity. Emmy tries to outsmart and outmaneuver those determined to sabotage the elections.

The film also stars popular content creators and comedians Sassa Gurl and Esnyr as Babe and Ehrmengard, respectively, the outspoken "queens" of the town.

In real life, they have also used their platforms to speak out on certain issues or support candidates. So, when asked what Filipino viewers can learn from the film, especially with the 2025 midterm elections approaching, Sassa Gurl said that "Balota" is overflowing with messages for the audiences because of the country's corruption issues and "flaws in our system."

For Sassa, the main message of the film is to question what's happening around us, because if you just let things be, things stay the same.

“Kaya yung mga taong nagsasabi na protesta ka ng protesta, wala ka naman pinagbago, kung walang magkukwestiyon, walang mag-uusap d'yan. Malaki ang ambag at tulong ng mga taong sumisigaw sa kalsada kasi andun ang tunay na laban. Hangga't hindi tayo nagpapakita ng ating show of support, hindi tayo makakapunta sa another point."

Asked by The STAR about their reactions to content creators joining the political fray, Sassa Gurl replied jokingly at first: “Ang masasabi ko lang, 'Sana all.' Sayang. I got busy these past few days, I would have also filed."