Filipino theater actor Lorby Nuevo-Tadioan has landed the title role in Sonny Calvento’s Mother Maybe, joining previously announced star Anthony Jennings, Southern Lantern Studios has announced.
A co-production between Southern Lantern Studios (Philippines), E&W Films (Singapore), and Volos Films Limited (Taiwan), this horror-comedy-drama tells the story of a young man named Marco (Jennings) who reunites with his estranged mother on a high-stakes Asian game show, only to discover that her mother transforms into a monster at night. Nuevo-Tadioan will play Minda, the mother at the center of the paranormal story.
In this role, Nuevo-Tadioan plays a parent who keeps communication to a minimum and hides much of his emotional life. This character needed a performer who could build tension through what was left unexpressed: hidden truths, contained emotions, and deliberate physical choices. The film uses supernatural horror to examine the experiences of Filipinos working abroad and the emotional toll of migration.
This casting is only Nuevo Tadioane’s second film project, having made her screen debut in Lav Diaz’s Fantosmia, which premiered at the Venice Film Festival, but she brings extensive stage credentials to the project. A veteran member of Tangalang Pilipino (Cultural Center of the Philippines Resident Theater Company), Nuevo Tadioan has built a reputation for performances that require both emotional depth and physical discipline.
Her work in ‘Anak Datu’ earned her the double honor of Gawad Buhay Award for Outstanding Performer and Aliu Award for Best Performer. Nuevo-Tadioan, who played the character Potli Lorin without dialogue, demonstrated his ability to convey complex emotional states through physical performance alone.
His special skills attracted the attention of Calvent. “In theater, Loewy has an extraordinary authority,” Calvent said. “What struck me most was her ability to captivate an audience even in silence. She doesn’t need conversation to be felt. Her body and silence already speak.”
The director also praised Nuevo-Tadioan’s natural screen presence. “There’s something deeply cinematic about her,” he added. “The little changes in her movements, the way she pauses. Those nuances already tell the story. That’s essential for this role.”
Calvento credits Nuevo-Taddioan’s stage training with preparing him to maintain the understated intensity and emotional complexity of the role.
Production on the film will resume in February. The project received great recognition in the industry and won the TAICCA Development Grant from Full Circle Lab Philippines and Malaysian Feature Film Development Lab in 2022, followed by the TAICCA x CNC Award for Best Project and the MPA Grand Prize at the Taiwan Creative Content Fest in 2023.
