If ever you’re wondering what people mean when they tweet “sarawat,” it’s the name of one of the leads of 2gether: The Series, an online Thai show part of the popular Boys’ Love (BL) series. Boys’ Love is a genre in fiction that’s becoming more mainstream and features the love of two, well, boys.
The Philippines is home to a few shows like this (Hanging Out, Manillennials, Mga Batang Poz, My Husband’s Lover, etc.) and we’re about to get a new one, courtesy of Juan Miguel Severo.
On Facebook, the spoken word artist and actor revealed that his pitch for a BL show has been approved. He said, “At the height of the success of 2gether The Series and other Asian Boys Love content, I pitched my pilot of my own BL series to a studio in hopes of getting it greenlit so that we, too, can have more gay stories told by gay people. And guys, we got it. Gaya sa Pelikula (Like in the Movies) will soon be a reality.”
Watch his pitch below:
On Twitter, Severo shared some tidbits about his pitch experience. In one tweet, he shared that he advocates that the main artistic team and the cast of the series be actual members of the LGBTQ+ community. This advocacy is similar to criticism in Hollywood, where gay and transgender roles are often given to heterosexual actors. On top of that, Severo says it is “necessary and responsible” for the major players and the artistic team to undergo a short workshop on Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression (SOGIE) to “avoid potential incidents in which the team behind the series ends up offending its audience and the very community it wishes to serve.”
Share ko lang na napakalaking boost sa akin kanina while pitching na apat sa limang nandoon sa Zoom call ay members ng LGBTQ+ community.
Putek umpisa pa lang emosyonal na kaming lahat! ? At ang sarap sa puso when they cheered as I reached this part of the pitch: pic.twitter.com/BDOs9oVjic
— Juan Miguel Severo ?️? (@TheRainBro) April 17, 2020
In the tweet, the actor said that “ang sarap sa puso when they cheered as I reached this part of the pitch.”
The pitch, which was done via Zoom, was attended by five other people, four of which are members of the LGBTQ+ community.
In a separate tweet, Severo talks about the difficulties of finding brands to finance the series. To address that, he said, “And for brands to be on board, we need fans. On that note, I’ve decided that I will upload “a version” of the series’ pilot on my Wattpad profile soon, in hopes that we’re able to build a fan base as early as now and convince brands to join us after.”
If I decide to make #GayaSaPelikula a movie, we can start production right after the quarantine. But financing a series is much more difficult. The studio’s faith will not be enough; we need brands on board, too. And for brands to be on board, we need fans.
— Juan Miguel Severo ?️? (@TheRainBro) April 18, 2020
The actor has yet to upload the pilot but if he does, you can find it here: my.w.tt/6S9crmQzM5.
What do you think? Share your thoughts below!
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