Antoinette Jadaone is the future of mainstream cinema

MANILA, Philippines - 2014 was exceptionally great for a talented female artist whose work resonates with millions of young women: No, we’re not talking about Taylor Swift; we’re talking about Antoinette Jadaone (say it with us: Ha Daw Ne.) Last year, the writer-director released a string of hit movies that you have certainly heard of: the comedy Beauty in a Bottle, the young adult romance, Relaks, It’s just Pag Ibig, the sweet, funny, and painful That Thing Called Tadhana and the sleeper hit of the Metro Manila Film Festival, English Only, Please.

Releasing four films in the span of a single year is an unprecedented feat, but even more importantly, Tonet hit the mainstream movie industry with both quantity and quality. All four of her films were well-received by critics and loved by viewers. English Only, Please won seven major awards at the MMFF, including second best picture, best actress for Jennylyn Mercado, best actor for Derek Ramsay, best director for Dan Villegas, and best screenplay for Tonet and co-writer Anj Pessumal. Meanwhile, That Thing Called Tadhana is set to become one of the rare independent films to transcend to the multiplexes, with studio giant Star Cinema picking it up for a pre-Valentine’s release next month.

Tonet seems to be single-handedly stirring change in mainstream cinema, as her films bring not just a breath but a flurry of fresh air. It’s getting a lot of people to ask: Just who is this young woman? And where did she come from?

FROM THE BOTTOM

The petite director’s success did not come overnight. This Film and Audio-Visual Communication graduate from the UP Film Institute began working her ass off when she graduated in 2006, first paying her dues as an assistant at advertising production house Abracadabra (“Ako nag xe-Xerox ng mga bagay bagay, nag te-text sa mga tao, nagbibigay ng kape.”). At just 22 years old, Tonet’s boss Ross asked her to produce a Super Ferry TV commercial, her first real break as a director. “Sobrang pangit niya [TVC]!” she declares with a shudder, recalling how she literally knew nothing about directing TVCs when the assignment came along. The money was good (“Lord! Ganito pala kalaki!’ P20,000 for eight hours of work lang yata. Papano na lang pag magtagal ka na, di ba?”).

For anyone, that would be a tempting reason to stay in advertising, but for Tonet, a much better, more fulfilling offer eventually came along: Joyce Bernal, director of Don’t Give Up On Us, a.k.a. the game-changing film that sealed Tonet’s decision to pursue her dream of becoming a director, offered our heroine a spot in her team as a script continuity supervisor. This was nothing short of epic: Bernal was and is still Jadaone’s personal Jesus. “Hindi na magustuhan ng lahat, basta magustuhan ni direk Joyce, okay na ako.”

In case you’re wondering how she managed to get a mentor like Joyce Bernal, Tonet chalks it up to having a healthy amount of bravado, kapalmuks if you will. They met during a seminar Tonet helped arrange, a college org talk where Bb. Joyce Bernal gamely shared hints, tips, and smart advice with aspiring filmmakers. “Wala kaming koneksiyon ha, hindi ko siya kamag-anak, hindi ko siya naka trabaho ever. Pero sabi ko nun, ‘Direk Joyce kapag may libre kang slot sa team mo, pwede po ako,” she shares. So when the director did come knocking, Tonet easily and happily joined her team, wads of cash be damned. From earning 20 grand a day, girl had to make P5,000 a month work. “So in between, rumaraket ako. Nag e-edit ako ng mga ballet recitals. Nag shu shoot ako ng kasal, binyag, para lang may pera,” she recalls.

GRAND EXPECTATIONS

Things have finally turned around for Tonet, of course. These days, she is in the middle of meetings upon meetings with a major network about possible TV and movie projects, but she doesn’t have any grand expectations this 2015. “Hindi ako yung tipong ‘I own 2015!’” she says with a sardonic smile. “Inyo na! Minsan pag inaangkin mo, dun pa nawawala.”

Her successes last year were unplanned, she says, just by-products of following her intuition and lots of hard work. Only her boyfriend, fellow filmmaker Dan Villegas, plus select close friends, are privy to the epic meltdowns she inevitably has every time she makes a movie. “Laging napapangitan ako sa gawa ko, hindi ko alam kung matatapos ko,” she reveals. “Kasi mataas yung standards ko for myself. Napaka unforgiving ko.”

So, in the near future, don’t be shocked if you find her seated next to you inside a theater watching her own movie. “Pumupunta talaga ako ng screenings,” she says. “’Ay, sh*t, di sila natawa sa punchline na yun.Bakit kaya?’ Lalo mong natututunan yung taste ng audience mo.”

With a work ethic like that, it’s small wonder that when she was starting out, the late respected film critic Alexis Tioseco called her “the female Filipino version of Wes Anderson.” She has certainly come in to her own, however. She’s now the one and only Antoinette Jadaone.

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Photo by PATRICK DIOKNO

Produced by DAVID MILAN

Makeup by ANTHEA BUENO of MAC Cosmetics