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From making audiences fall in love time and time again, director Mae Cruz-Alviar is now looking to step out of her comfort zone and tackle a more frightening genre. In an interview with radar Entertainment after the global media launch of her latest project, "Remember," Alviar reflected on her career's steady evolution. Since the early 2000s, the romcom hitmaker has left an indelible mark on Philippine cinema with box-office hits such as Sarah Geronimo and Gerald Anderson's "Catch Me... I'm in Love," Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla's "Crazy Beautiful You," and Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes' "Rewind." As she launches another DongYan family drama, "Remember," Alviar expressed her willingness to embrace the challenges of a new genre after years of exploring romance. Acknowledging her strong foundation in lighter, feel-good films, the filmmaker proudly embraced her roots while explaining her desire to branch out. "I've been doing romcoms. Parang 'yon ang naging bread and butter ko," Alviar explained. "Kumbaga 'yon ang bumuhay sa akin, 'yon ang ginawa ko, kumbaga, batang romcom ako." Despite her success in romance, Alviar admitted that crafting a genuinely frightening film presents a different set of creative challenges. "Iba ang challenge to do horror kasi hindi 'yon madali eh," she said, pointing out that scaring viewers requires more than cheap thrills. A good horror film needs a compelling story at its core, she noted, explaining that the goal is not simply to frighten audiences but to give them something meaningful to take away. "Para manakot at maging nakakatakot, and at the same time, hindi ka lang nananakot, so para kumbaga parang… ano 'yong sense of it?" (✍️: Rafael Asonza) #radarPHEntertainment #radarPH

From making audiences fall in love time and time again, director Mae Cruz-Alviar is now looking to step out of her comfort zone and tackle a more frightening genre. In an interview with radar Entertainment after the global media launch of her latest project, "Remember," Alviar reflected on her career's steady evolution. Since the early 2000s, the romcom hitmaker has left an indelible mark on Philippine cinema with box-office hits such as Sarah Geronimo and Gerald Anderson's "Catch Me... I'm in Love," Kathryn Bernardo and Daniel Padilla's "Crazy Beautiful You," and Marian Rivera and Dingdong Dantes' "Rewind." As she launches another DongYan family drama, "Remember," Alviar expressed her willingness to embrace the challenges of a new genre after years of exploring romance. Acknowledging her strong foundation in lighter, feel-good films, the filmmaker proudly embraced her roots while explaining her desire to branch out. "I've been doing romcoms. Parang 'yon ang naging bread and butter ko," Alviar explained. "Kumbaga 'yon ang bumuhay sa akin, 'yon ang ginawa ko, kumbaga, batang romcom ako." Despite her success in romance, Alviar admitted that crafting a genuinely frightening film presents a different set of creative challenges. "Iba ang challenge to do horror kasi hindi 'yon madali eh," she said, pointing out that scaring viewers requires more than cheap thrills. A good horror film needs a compelling story at its core, she noted, explaining that the goal is not simply to frighten audiences but to give them something meaningful to take away. "Para manakot at maging nakakatakot, and at the same time, hindi ka lang nananakot, so para kumbaga parang… ano 'yong sense of it?" (✍️: Rafael Asonza) #radarPHEntertainment #radarPH

Renowned director Mae Cruz-Alviar is highlighting the struggles of migrant families and the emotional toll of being separated from loved ones in her latest project, "Remember." Speaking about the realities these families face, the filmmaker pointed out that many households are separated when a parent is forced to leave home for work. "Ang mahirap kasi marami sa migrant families nahihiwalay, kasi iniiwan… kumbaga there's a family [na] hindi na buo agad," Alviar explained. Following the success of her 2025 film "Rewind," Alviar reunites Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera for another family drama. They play an estranged couple who pretend to still be together for the sake of their daughter, who has metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) and is gradually losing her memory. While the story tackles a difficult subject, Alviar said it ultimately offers a message of hope and resilience. She stressed how separation can affect the entire family, particularly the children. "There is hope in building the family together and the importance of the family to be one," she said, adding that the impact of separation on children is one of the story's key themes. Alviar also urged audiences to pay closer attention to these often-overlooked emotional struggles instead of getting caught up in everyday worries. She noted that people can become so consumed by financial concerns and personal conflicts that they overlook the effects these challenges have on their families. A 2024 study published in the Asian Journal of Education and Social Studies examined the psychological distress experienced by OFW parents and their children. Involving 50 parents working in Dubai and 50 children living in the Philippines, the study found a positive correlation between the length of family separation, which averaged 3.5 years, and psychological distress. Meanwhile, the Department of Migrant Workers reported that 10,580 OFWs, other overseas Filipinos, and their dependents had been repatriated from conflict-affected areas in the Middle East as of July 2026. "Importante ay tingnan natin, pakiramdaman natin, ano ang naapektuhan nito sa pamilya," Alviar concluded. "Remember" joins the tradition of Star Cinema films exploring the lives of migrant workers and their families, following titles such as "Anak" (2000), "Milan" (2004), "Dubai" (2005), and "Caregiver" (2008). The latest DongYan project also brings Dingdong and Marian together in a Star Cinema production following the 2022 partnership between ABS-CBN and GMA Network. (✍️🎥: Rafael Asonza) #radarPHEntertainment  #radarPH

Renowned director Mae Cruz-Alviar is highlighting the struggles of migrant families and the emotional toll of being separated from loved ones in her latest project, "Remember." Speaking about the realities these families face, the filmmaker pointed out that many households are separated when a parent is forced to leave home for work. "Ang mahirap kasi marami sa migrant families nahihiwalay, kasi iniiwan… kumbaga there's a family [na] hindi na buo agad," Alviar explained. Following the success of her 2025 film "Rewind," Alviar reunites Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera for another family drama. They play an estranged couple who pretend to still be together for the sake of their daughter, who has metachromatic leukodystrophy (MLD) and is gradually losing her memory. While the story tackles a difficult subject, Alviar said it ultimately offers a message of hope and resilience. She stressed how separation can affect the entire family, particularly the children. "There is hope in building the family together and the importance of the family to be one," she said, adding that the impact of separation on children is one of the story's key themes. Alviar also urged audiences to pay closer attention to these often-overlooked emotional struggles instead of getting caught up in everyday worries. She noted that people can become so consumed by financial concerns and personal conflicts that they overlook the effects these challenges have on their families. A 2024 study published in the Asian Journal of Education and Social Studies examined the psychological distress experienced by OFW parents and their children. Involving 50 parents working in Dubai and 50 children living in the Philippines, the study found a positive correlation between the length of family separation, which averaged 3.5 years, and psychological distress. Meanwhile, the Department of Migrant Workers reported that 10,580 OFWs, other overseas Filipinos, and their dependents had been repatriated from conflict-affected areas in the Middle East as of July 2026. "Importante ay tingnan natin, pakiramdaman natin, ano ang naapektuhan nito sa pamilya," Alviar concluded. "Remember" joins the tradition of Star Cinema films exploring the lives of migrant workers and their families, following titles such as "Anak" (2000), "Milan" (2004), "Dubai" (2005), and "Caregiver" (2008). The latest DongYan project also brings Dingdong and Marian together in a Star Cinema production following the 2022 partnership between ABS-CBN and GMA Network. (✍️🎥: Rafael Asonza) #radarPHEntertainment  #radarPH