Sunday, March 11, 2012

...the life of the Rockstar

Docu on Arnel Pineda to premiere in Tribeca

03/11/2012

Journey frontman Arnel Pineda in a scene from the documentary “Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey”


MANILA, Philippines – A documentary on how life has changed for Filipino singer Arnel Pineda after he was chosen to become the current frontman of the rock band Journey will have its premiere at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival in New York City.



“Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey” by filmmaker Ramona Diaz was selected as one of the 12 documentaries to be screened at the film festival’s “Spotlight” section.

The 11th Tribeca Film Festival will take place from April 18 to 29 in lower Manhattan in New York.

“It sounds like a dream: A charismatic Filipino singer from the slums of Manila posts videos of his cover band to YouTube, and soon he’s fronting an iconic rock band. Sounds crazy, but it’s the real-life rock-and-roll fairy tale that Arnel Pineda is living as the new lead singer of Journey. The pressure’s on Pineda as this rockin’ doc follows Journey’s dizzying world tour—can a man who has already overcome so many obstacles deal with the demands of his newfound fame?” the Tribeca Film Festival said on its website.

Diaz also directed the 2003 documentary “Imelda,” about the former Philippine first lady Imelda Marcos.

“It’s quite an honor to be selected for such a high-profile slot at the festival for the world premiere of ‘Everyman’s Journey.’ Tribeca has been wonderful in its support of the film. They let us know pretty early that we were in. I think the first cut they saw was very long, but they saw the potential immediately,” the Baltimore-based Diaz said in an interview with the Philippine Daily Inquirer, which was published on its website on Saturday.

“It’s Tribeca, it’s New York, it’s Robert de Niro! You can’t get a larger market than that,” she said, adding that Pineda and the rest of Journey are “very excited” about the news.

Diaz received a grant last year from the Tribeca Film Institute Documentary Fund to do the film on Pineda.

“I think this film will resonate with a lot of people because it shows the power of believing, of perseverance, of finding the strength inside to keep on moving against all odds. It shows the resilience of the human spirit,” Diaz told the Inquirer.

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