‘Cattleya Killer’ — from MIPCOM Cannes to Prime Video

Back in October 2022, psychological-thriller “Cattleya Killer” raised the flag when it became the first Filipino series to ever screen at the MIPCOM Cannes — the world’s most extensive entertainment content market and the largest exhibition of studios and distributors.

Earning warm reception and positive reviews by the audience and international buyers, “Cattleya Killer” immediately got a call from Amazon Prime Video just four days later to have it exclusively streamed in the platform.

Arjo Atayde as top agent Anton in psychological-thriller ‘Cattleya Killer’ 

Christopher de Leon reprises his role Joven de la Rosa from the ‘90s classic film ‘Sa Aking Mga Kamay’

Ria Atayde and Nonie Buencamino as Micah and Raffy

“That only means that the whole effort of screening and bringing it to MIPCOM and having Arjo Atayde’s face in front of the Palais des Festivals, were all worth it. It was such a huge thing for us to see the face of a Filipino representing our country,” said Ruel Bayani, ABS-CBN International Production Division head.

Sylvia Sanchez of Nathan Studios, on the other hand, shared, “Our hard work during MIPCOM has paid off. While I was watching episode 1, I said that I want to do something like this again because we have great artists. This is what I am saying – the Philippines has a lot of amazing artists. People just really need to pay them more attention.”

In this new series, many years after the infamous Cattleya Killer case, the man who cracked the case, Joven de la Rosa (de Leon, reprising his role from the film), is now an NBI deputy director. His youngest son Anton (Atayde) is one of his top agents, while his eldest son Benjie (Cuenca) runs a foundation for traumatized women.

It seems as if everybody has moved on from the tragic events of the past, but when a body is found bearing the telltale markings of the long-dead Cattleya Killer, the lives of the three men and everyone around them are thrown into turmoil.

Dark secrets are brought to the fore, as the line between the real world and the unreal blurs. No one and nothing is what they seem — least of all Anton, who becomes more and more of a suspect as more victims surface and the investigation tightens.

Asked about working with De Leon who was in the first film with Aga Muhlach and Chin Chin Gutierrez, Atayde mentioned, “We’re very much overwhelmed that he agreed to join this cast. We are very blessed to have him because he’s very giving. He is such a brilliant actor. No words can explain how grateful I am to be given the opportunity to work with him. Tito Boyet was really good. It was one hell of a ride.”

According to the actor-congressman, he was able to get into the character of Anton and went with the flow based on instinct. He also asked for guidance of director Dan Villegas, writer Dodo Dayao, colleagues, and even watched documentaries to create the character.

“My preparation is pure collaboration between our director and my co-actors, and a lot of research of my own. It’s self-study. I’m more of a visual learner in terms of absorbing so I got a lot of documentaries, a lot of interview videos and of course with that, I align whatever learn with whatever the personality of the character demands,” Atayde said.

The cast and crew proudly noted that “Cattleya Killer” is another must-watch, as it tackles the dark human psyche. It also showcases issues rooted in family, government, and society.

Also starring Rafa Siguion-Reyna, Ketchup Eusebio, Joel Saracho and Frances Makil, “Cattleya Killer” — set to premiere on June 1 — joins hundreds of other Filipino shows and films available on the Prime Video catalog.