WHEN the erotic drama, ‘Dilig,’ was offered to Filipino-Canadian director, Christian Paolo Lat, the cast came with the project and the director couldn’t be any thankful.

“I couldn’t have asked for a better cast to work with,” said Christian. “That doesn’t always happen every time. It’s magical when you see a script. It makes my job way easier. It was exciting for me.

“As a director, I’m very flexible. I appreciate that because even in the workshops, the cast was very game to give it all. They delivered what you wrote on the script even better.

“The magic happens when they start saying the lines. That’s the most exciting part as a director. You’ll really see my touch in Dilig.”

‘Dilig; is direk Christian’s sophomore film outing for Vivamax, after the sexy flick, ‘Sugar Baby,’ was shown last year. He also worked on the six-episode series, ‘Broken Seeds.’

Earlier on, Direk Christian worked on successive film shorts since 2015.

“As soon as ‘Sugar Baby’ was shown last year – I think it did well on VMX Plus – Viva saw my aesthetic as a filmmaker and they offered me this project [Dilig],” Direk Christian said. “Who am I to say no to this opportunity? I am only grateful.”

‘Dilig’ was filmed before the New Year and Direk Christian was truly pleased after his cast delivered everything that was required from them.

“As most people understand, we had long hours on the set,” the director said. “It was raining intermittently at that time we shot last December. I appreciate the work ethic of the cast and their hard work.

“Their dedication toward acting makes my job as a director easier. I see the passion in their eyes. They are all so young.”

From pre-production, ‘Dilig’ was completed in a month’s time. “We wrapped up a day before New Year,” Direk Christian said. “I am doing another film for Vivamax.

“I do spend a lot of time writing. So the next project is another one to look forward to. There’s more to come.”

‘Dilig’ stars Dyessa Garcia, Rica Gonzales, Chad Solano and JD Aguas, with veteran actor Archie Adamos.

The sexy film is a story of greed and deceit, loaded with steamy scenes. “I really like slow burning on the set,” Direk Christian asserted. “Knowing the sequences is important.

“Sugar Baby had 300 sequences. It was more than a three-hour film. Ideally, a movie is like one hour and 45 minutes to two hours max. That’s the basic.”