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Published April 18, 2025 9:48pm
Director Erik Matti guested on "Power Talks with Pia Arcangel" where he shared how he shifted from nursing to pursue mass communication in college.
According to the "On the Job" and "BuyBust" director, his mother wanted him to be a nurse because his sister at the time was finishing medical school and was set to go to the United States.
Matti, however, would only do one semester of nursing.
"First year college, I did one semester of nursing and then I found out, 'What am I doing here?' Sabi ko, 'Gusto ko talaga mass com. So silently, I shifted without telling my mom," he said.
His mom eventually asked him when his capping would be, which happens in the second year of nursing, so he had to tell her the truth.
"Doon na ako umamin, 'Sorry pero wala. I moved to another course'. When she heard it, 'yan 'yung first pushback, sabi ng tatay ko, 'Ha? Nag-mass com ka? Ano ka dancer?'"
According to Matti, nobody really knew what mass communication was at that time.
He added that one of his proud moments was when he left Bacolod to work for acclaimed director Peque Gallaga, whose oeuvre includes the classic 1982 war film "Oro, Plata, Mata."
He worked as Gallaga's continuity supervisor, which allowed him to work the closest with the director but it was also the lowest position on the director's side.
"When I left Bacolod, I told everybody in the house — and I was 22 years old — sabi ko, 'Before I'm 30, I'm gonna be a director.' So umalis ako," he shared.
Matti went on to become a director at the age of 27
"My dad died siguro when I was 29 or 30. So parang he was able to see my first film. My first film, so lahat ng sinend ko sa kaniya action, mga ganun," he said.
"Siguro naisip niya, 'Ha, ba't kaya ito 'yung nagawa?' Pero makita ko naman na proud naman siya, na parang, 'Oh finally nag-direk ka no?'"
Matti has directed various acclaimed films, including "On the Job" (2013), "Honor Thy Father" (2015), "Seklusyon" (2016), "BuyBust" (2018), "On the Job: The Missing 8" (2021), and many more.
"On the Job: The Missing 8" was the Philippines' official entry to the 95th Academy Awards in 2023 under the Best International Feature Film category.
The "On the Job" series, on the other ahnd, received a nomination at the 2022 Emmy Awards.
Matti also directed an episode for Season 2 of HBO Asia's horror anthology series "Folklore." The Philippine episode, titled "7 Days of Hell," shed light on the "kulam" ritual.
—CDC, GMA Integrated News
