Filipino American visual artist Jefre Manuel Figueras, more popularly known as Jefrë, aired his frustration over being allegedly denied entry to the premiere afterparty of the new Superman movie in Los Angeles despite talking to its producer beforehand and being assured he would be taken care of.

“I’ve never been so humiliated in my life. I don’t usually do this kind of post,” Figueras said in a selfie video posted on Instagram on July 8.

He recalled that after the movie’s premiere, he met with Peter Safran, the co-chief executive officer of DC Studios and producer of Superman.

“[I] shared with him that I wanted to thank him for coming to Manila and sharing the first premiere of the movie in our homeland and especially in front my Victor sculpture,” Figueras said, referring to his 60-meter creation in Bridgetowne, the real estate development spanning the border of Pasig and Quezon City.

“I was so honored for that to happen, to share who I was. [Safran] was excited to meet me and even shared my life with his wife, who said if I was going to be at the afterparty,” he said.

While not planning to at first, Figueras said he was told to reach out to a certain Candace.

“She said, ‘Get with Candace. Candace will take care of you.’ So I said, ‘Ok.’ I decided to go,” he said.

Upon going to the venue, Figueras recalled seeing Safran again, but said the latter “kinda just brushed [him] off for some reason.”

“His demeanor has totally changed, and I don’t know why,” he said. Candace, meanwhile, instructed everyone to “enter,” except for Figueras, who recalled being told to step to the side.

“I said, ‘Sure.’ I did step to the side and just kind of waited and understood what was going on,” he said. “She whispered something into some guy’s ear and walked away.”

Figueras said he then asked Candace if he may enter already, only to be told, “Who are you?”

Clarifying that he came from the premiere, he said Candace told him, “Well, we are at capacity for the afterparty.”  He showed her his ticket, only to be told, “Where did you get this?” A member of the security allegedly took the ticket from Figueras and told him, “Sorry, we can’t give you access.”

Figueras asked for a reason behind the denial of entry and recalled being told, “We don’t know who you are or who you claim to be. We would like you to leave.”

“They didn’t believe that I was Jefrë the artist that created The Victor in the Philippines,” he said, adding that he didn’t know what happened between the time he introduced himself to Safran and entered the gate “10 minutes later.”

“For some reason, they got word that I am not who I am,” Figueras said. “It’s really embarrassing to think that I was there to support a movie that is about humanization, being encouraged, the idea of freedom and empowerment, and all things that are part of my sculpture, The Victor.”

“To feel belittled like that, without any explanation of how they got this information, thinking I was just sneaking in, was just embarrassment,” he added. “I don’t know if this is what Hollywood is. But if it is, no thank you.”

Nevertheless, Figueras thanked the Superman team “for honoring the Philippines” with its Superman Look Up Fan Meet in Bridgetown on June 19, and for “actually putting The Victor on the global map.”

He also called the movie “amazing” and praised its stars, David Corenswet, Rachel Brosnahan, and Nicholas Hoult, for their performances.

Concluding his video, Figueras said he’s at the airport already, “getting out of Hollywood and getting back into reality.”

In his Instagram Stories, he was filming scenes from the red carpet and showing the face of a woman, narrating, “What bothers me the most is the fact that she said, ‘He (me) is with us,’ twice, to security although I already had a ticket and waited to get to the entrance of the VIP party and said access is denied.” It wasn’t immediately clear who’s the “she” he was referring to.

The Victor

Weighing 330 tons (660,000 lbs), “The Victor” stands at roughly 60 meters, equivalent to a 20-story building. This makes it significantly taller than the Statue of Liberty (47 meters, excluding its pedestal) and the Great Sphinx of Giza in Egypt (20 meters).

The Victor, made of bronze and steel, depicts a man with his right arm extended and his fist raised, exuding confidence and strength.

During the Superman Look Up Fan Meet, drones lit up the night sky with images of Superman, his iconic “S” logo, and Krypto the superhero dog, as well as the words “MANILA LOOK UP,” “SUPERMAN,” and “ONLY IN CINEMAS JULY 9.”

The Victor, meanwhile, had the Superman “S” logo on the chest for the event.

Figueras, whose family members hail from Laguna and Ilocos Sur, is known for creating immersive, large-scale multimedia artworks and installations that transform urban landscapes.

He studied at the School of the Art Institute of Chicago before getting a landscape architecture degree from Ohio State University. He also took graduate courses in landscape urbanism at the Architecture Association in London.

In 2012, Figueras was named Emerging Artist of the Year, and in 2016, was awarded “Consultant of the Year” by the American Institute of Architects. He was also given the title “Up and Coming International Public Artist” by the Marlborough Gallery in New York.

He has won several sculpture competitions worldwide, including in Washington DC, New Orleans, San Antonio, London, Rome, and Miami.

Figueras is also known for “The Time Sculpture” at SM Megamall in Mandaluyong, “Selfie” in Bonifacio Global City, as well as “The Beacon” and “The Code Wall” in Florida.

PhilSTAR L!fe has reached out to Warner Bros. for comment but have yet to receive a reply.