Epy Quizon is Not Afraid to Get Hurt, Physically and Financially

Words by Trixie Dauz and Evzen Evangelista

Epy Quizon’s commitment to his craft is nothing short of fearless: “Once you hear the word ‘Action!’ you don’t cut… so kung masaktan ka doon, magkadugo ka doon, parte siya ng eksena.” It’s this very willingness to get hurt, either literally or emotionally, that has become his hallmark, whether he’s earning a modest ₱1,000-a-day talent fee or lending his gravitas to emerging filmmakers.

This is the same motivation behind Quizon’s support for Gayle Oblea’s latest short, As The Moth Flies—one of the roster of the first FAMAS Short Film Festival that opens this May 3. “Passing on the baton lang ‘yan eh,” Quizon reflects, recalling how veteran actors like Joel Torre and Ronnie Lazaro once championed him in his early days. Now, he insists, it’s his turn to nurture fresh voices, even if it means humbling himself—“Huwag n’yo muna akong intindihin”—after stepping into the film’s production midway through two lost shooting days.

Under Oblea’s direction, As The Moth Flies plunges viewers into the fractured psyche of someone grappling with mental illness. The film’s title evokes the moth’s fatal attraction to light—a potent metaphor for the protagonist’s own destructive search for salvation. Drawing from a culture that often silences inner suffering, Oblea crafts not comfort but confrontation: a visceral immersion in chaos that demands empathy rather than easy answers.

With Epy Quizon anchoring its emotional core alongside Mina Cruz and Boo Gabunada, As The Moth Flies promises to be both daring and urgent. Don’t miss its premiere at the first FAMAS Short Film Festival on May 3, where pain, resilience, and the human moth’s unrelenting quest for light converge on screen.