Will Fredo

Wilfredo Cruz Manalang was born in Manila, Philippines. He finished his college education in Hawaii with a degree in Information Systems/Computer Science and landed a job at Microsoft Corporation in Redmond, WA. After several years engaging as a software engineer and executive, he pursued his passion for film and storytelling by attending film programs at the New York Film Academy and University of Washington. Using Will Fredo as his signature for his directorial pursuits, he made his first film in the Philippines, "Compound" (2006), a psychological thriller starring John Arcilla. With the critical acclaim and independent success of the film in the Philippines, he followed his work with "At A Touch of A Butterfly" (Sa Pagdapo ng Mariposa, 2008), a movie in collaboration with independent rock bands for its connected soundtrack and a concert tour. The reimagined director's cut was released under a new title "The Caregiver" (2012). Supporting Filipino women artists and directors, Fredo produced "Garden of Eve" (Ganap Na Babae, 2010) with women writers and directors Rica Arevalo, Ellen Ramos, and Sarah Roxas. The film opened the highly prestigious Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The film won Mient's Pick: Excellence in Cinematography Award and nominated for Best World Showcase in Soho International Film Festival 2011. Fredo followed his work with the Flamenco dance-drama, "In Nomine Matris" (2012) which premiered as one of the first new wave films at the Metro Manila Film Festival winning Best Actress for its lead Liza Diño. The movie also won the Gender Sensitivity Award and was one of the most viewed new wave films. During the award season, the respectable Gawan Urian (Critic's Choice) cited acting nominations for its lead and supporting actress Clara Ramona. The musical score and colorful cinematography launched this film into various festivals including an invitation from Seville, one of the Flamenco capitals of Spain. The movie presented opportunities for Will Fredo that led him to Philippine Television. Through ABS-CBN Corporation, he started with the primetime hit "Legal Wife" (2014) through the mentorship of directors Rory Quintos and Dado Lumibao. But his big break in television was the highly acclaimed and International Emmy nominee "Bridges of Love" (2015) with his directing partner Richard Somes. The tandem continued their work with "The Story of Us" (2016), a primetime series shot in the Philippines and New York, USA. Other notable television works, Fredo was a guest director for the highly successful "The Promise" (Pangako Sayo, 2016) and "La Luna Sangre" (2018). While doing television, Fredo also directed "Filemon Mamon" (2015), a movie about an overweight kid who wants to be the hero in a musical play. The movie, written and based on the children's book of the same title by Christine Belen, has repeatedly shown and toured nationwide with the endorsement of the Philippine Department of Education. Fredo was one of the Executive Producers as well of the retelling of the life of the Filipino saint "Pedro Calungsod" (2013), the movie was an official entry in competition for the Metro Manila Film Festival. He ventured in documentary films with the QCinema International Film Festival - DocQ grant awardee "Traslacion: Ang Paglakad Sa Altar ng Alanganin" (2015). The film won Best Documentary at the Soho International Film Festival that year in New York City and received the highly respectable Gawad Urian (Critic's Choice) nomination. In 2016, Fredo took a break from television by serving the Philippine government as Executive Director of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP). For 3 years, he was a Philippine representative in major film markets and festivals in Marché du Film (Cannes), Marché International des Programmes de Communication (MIPCOM), Annecy Festival and Market, Shanghai International Film Festival, Asia TV Forum, to name a few. He led, supported, and promoted various programs for the film industry. After his stint in government, Fredo went back to television to direct episodes for the long time ABS-CBN television drama series "Ipaglaban Mo" and "Maalaala Mo Kaya". His work has won acting awards and nominations for its lead actors in 2019. He also performed as Managing Director of International Production and Co-production for scripted series content at ABS-CBN Corporation. His notable work in this executive position was Dean Devlin's "Almost Paradise" (2020), the first Hollywood series shot entirely in the Philippines. He was also tapped as a casting director for the entire USA series. A Board Member and Secretariat for the Directors' Guild of the Philippines (DGPI) since 2018, Will Fredo is an active member of both Film and TV industry in the Philippines.