iChill Productions is the studio of Kuya Manzano: 28 years of making stories happen, on stage and on screen, across Spain and the Philippines. Making films, theatre and stories since 1998.
Producer, director, actor, casting director and writer. The studio brings all of that experience to every project.
Founder / Creative Director
Kuya Manzano
A Spanish-Filipino actor, singer, host, director and producer, performing since 1998.
Born in Spain, he sang in around 30 zarzuelas and operas in major theatres across Spain and Portugal, did musical theatre such as Man of La Mancha and Peter Pan, and hosted TV programs for Zarzueleros.com, Debates de VTV and Carabanshow.
Since 2011 the Philippines has been home.
28 years
Making stories happen
1998
Performing since
~30
Zarzuelas and operas sung
2011
Based in the Philippines
Career
A career in five roles
Producing & directing
- Director–producer of the feature film Changing Direction (Spain–Philippines), an official selection at Festival del Sol (Spain) and El Lugar Sin Límites (Ecuador).
- Director, producer and writer of the short films Marriage War and El sexo enemigo.
- Director–producer of the theatre play El Mal de Sirenita, of Disney in Concert and of Broadway in Concert in Spain.
- Executive producer of the musical A Chorus Line and of the Raza Hip-Hop 99 concert in Spain; producer of the children’s theatre show Saint John’s Night.
- Directing and producing shows at iChill Theater Cafe in Manila; video producer for Musicals on line and Zarzueleros.com.
Acting & performing
On stage: Ibarra in Noli me tangere (Dulaang UP), Spanish General Ramon Blanco in Miong (Repertory Philippines), General MacArthur in Sindak 1941, Kublai Khan in Marco Polo at the CCP, and Hamlet.
On screen: GomBurZa, Heneral Luna, Sisa, Lav Diaz’s Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis, and series including Can’t Buy Me Love, Bad Genius and I Love You Since 1892.
Casting
- Casting director for Dojo TV and for opera and zarzuela in Spain.
- Casting associate at Rainbow Modelling Agency in the Philippines; casting assistant on the feature film Juana la loca.
Writing
- Feature film script for Changing Direction; scripts for Marriage War, El sexo enemigo and the play El Mal de Sirenita.
- Script collaboration on the feature films Heneral Luna and Pedro Calungsod.
Teaching
Former theatre teacher at Candil Theatre School in Spain; today he trains people in storytelling.
Our story
The iChill chapter
In Manila, that career found a home of its own. For seven years iChill Theater Cafe in Sampaloc was a venue for the arts: plays, concerts, open mics and screenings.
From 2016 to 2020 it hosted the iChill Manila International Film Fest, welcoming films from around the world.
When the worldwide lockdown closed the physical venue, iChill moved online, and the café has since closed for good. Today it is iChill Productions: a Manila production house for film, theatre, social media and AI content, working 24/7 with clients across time zones.
What we’ve made
Highlights from the archive
Changing Direction
Feature film (Cambio de Sentido).
Marriage War
Short film (En el amor y en la guerra).
El Mal de Sirenita
Theatre play produced and directed in Spain.
Kuya Manzano on Broadway
Free concert at Rizal Park, 22 August 2014.
iChill Manila International Film Fest
Editions from 2016 to 2020. Read more
Digital publishing network
An independent network, from Philippine news to musical theatre. Meet the sites or see how we build sites like them for clients.
How we work
Warm, direct and collaborative
We work in English and Spanish, around the clock, with clients in the Philippines, Spain and anywhere online.
Get in touch
Tell us what you are making, when you need it and where it will live.
Prefer email? Write to sales@ichilltheatercafe.com.