A middle-aged couple, housemaid Dolores (Roselyn Perez) and her gardener Ambo (Jess Evardone) are hired to take care of a large, opulent house while its owners are away on vacation. This old, disconnected couple finds themselves inhabiting a space far removed from their normal reality, surrounded by a life beyond their reach. Weeks of tedium go by until one day, Dolores has a small accident. The seemingly insignificant event quickly snowballs into a series of discoveries within herself, and her relationship with her husband.
Arkeofilms presents its first film Mansyon, a short feature. Mansyon runs
for 23 minutes and was shot in digital format.
[Watch the trailer]
The script of Mansyon was four years old by the time the producers finally decided to make the film. Director Joel Ruiz in his mind already cast veteran theater actress Roselyn Perez in the lead role of Dolores, three years before he even met her. When the film finally had enough budget to proceed, Ruiz approached Perez who graciously agreed. Actor Jess Evardone, who plays Ambo, was the very last person auditioned for the role.
After assembling a talented staff and crew of Arkeofilms regulars, producers Ruiz, Margie Templo and Monster Jimenez began the task of simulating the gloss of a real mansion on a shoestring budget. Main photography took three days and wrapped in late 2004.