Los Angeles Asia Pacific Film Festival winner "Rakenrol," starring Glaiza de Castro, Ketchup Eusebio, Alwyn Uytingco, Diether Ocampo and Jason Abalos, is now available on DVD.

The much-anticipated 5-years-in-the-making movie is Henares and co-writer Diego Castillo’s (guitarist of Sandwich and music video director) ode to the Philippine rock music scene, which both consider their home. In the film, Irene played by Glaiza de Castro (Grazilda, Amaya) and Odie played by Jason Abalos (Endo, Mara Clara) are outsiders who become best friends because of their common love for Rock n’ Roll. Odie eventually falls in love with Irene, and helps fulfill her dreams of forming a band. They eventually recruit an ex-punk-turned-barista named Mo (Ketchup Eusebio) and the school bully Junfour (Alwyn Uytingco), eventually deciding to call their band “Hapipaks.” In the process, Irene is wooed by her “all-time supercrush”, the famous rockstar Jacci Rocha (Diether Ocampo), and the one thing that brought her and Odie together might end up destroying them. The supporting characters add color and humor to the cast, with Ramon Bautista as the music video director Flame Tigerblüden, Ricardo Cepeda as a samurai marketing guru, Jun Sabayton as Mo’s artist roommate, Hiyasmin Neri as Junfour’s pregnant girlfriend, and Matet de Leon as… Matet de Leon.

RAKENROL is Henares’s fifth film, the director having done everything from internationally-acclaimed cult films (Keka) to big-budgeted Metro Manila Filmfest movies (Super Noypi). This, however, is his most personal film, and he’s glad to collaborate with one of his closest friends on the project.

“Diego and I have probably done everything music-wise together,” the young fimmaker says, “we’ve hosted radio shows, co-directed videos, we’ve written articles about music. We were even in a band together once!” Castillo reveals that the film is very autobiographical. “We’re both from and into the local music industry and I guess a lot of our mutual friends started off in the scene and we both thought it would be a good idea to chronicle the things that we’ve seen over the years,” he says.

RAKENROL has already screened in Italy (Udine Far East Film Festival), Los Angeles (Asia Pacific Film Festival), San Francisco, Hawaii, Göteborg, San Diego and New York. In LA it won the Audience Choice award, and the top Asian film site Film Business Asia called the film “a lightly comic charmer that’s sustained by its likeable leads and easygoing, big-hearted style.” (Derek Elley)

Here’s what critics had to say about the movie:

“Rakenrol, leaden with details that are as real as any Mayric’s or Saguiojo gig you recall attending, is a film that needed to be made.” –Scott Garceau, The X-Pat Files

“I. Freaking. Loved. Rakenrol!” –8asians.com

“How could I not love Quark Henares’s movie Rakenrol? It feels like episodes from my own life strung together with jokes I laughed at, characters I knew, and music I love.” –Jessica Zafra

Released by GMA Records Home Video, “Rakenrol” is now available on DVD format in your favorite video/record bars nationwide!

Watch the trailer of “Raenrol” here:

Here’s Quark and Diego inviting everyone to add “Rakenrol” to your DVD collection: