How faith and fate made it all work out for ‘Kono Basho’ director

It hit close to home,” said actress Gabby Padilla as a way to explain why she considers it very special to have played Ella, her character in Jaime “Jay” Pacena II’s dramatic feature “Kono Basho.”

In the film, Gabby, as Ella, travels to Rikuzentakata City in Japan to attend her estranged father’s funeral. There, she is forced to navigate the cultural and emotional complexities of his second family, including her Japanese half-sister, Reina (Arisa Nakano).

As they confront their intertwined histories, the two find solace and connection, each reevaluating their perceptions of their father.

The film is an entry to the 20th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival in August.

For Gabby, the challenge in making the film had something to do with the subject matter.

“I lost my father a few years ago. The story of grief is something that runs deep. I feel that when a person loses someone, a parent or sibling, it’s something that stays with you. It’s a lens that you kind of see life through,” Gabby told Inquirer Entertainment in a recent interview.

“When you go into the psyche of someone who has just lost someone like that, it brings out a lot of traumas, a lot of your own emotions that need to be processed. But it was good, it was a cathartic experience.”

Personal reflections

Gabby had personal reflections on the story, which centered on grief. “It hits you like a bus out of nowhere. All of a sudden, you’re already so inconsolable. There were big moments like that, and you will see them when you watch the film,” said the actress, who was vacationing in Sapporo, Japan, at the time of this interview.

“There were a lot of emotional milestones while shooting the film, and that’s why this project is special. I feel that there’s so much growth, not just for the character but also for me, personally.”

She continued: “I was lucky enough to have a team that was very supportive, gentle and respectful in terms of how we were telling the story. And also, working with a Japanese team wasn’t challenging because it was enjoyable, but it was a very different experience.”

Inquirer Entertainment sought her reaction on comments of people who rooted for her to win best actress for her performance in last year’s Cinemalaya entry, “Gitling.” Many of them were surprised that Pat Tingjuy, star of “Rookie,” got the coveted trophy instead.

‘Fate and faith’

“I watched ‘Rookie’ and really enjoyed Pat’s performance. I remember seeing it with my boyfriend and telling him that Pat was so endearing and her emotions were so raw. I have no negative feelings about her winning. I find it flattering that people feel that way, but honestly, I’m just so happy that we were able to tell the story of ‘Gitling.’ That was enough for me,” she said.

Meanwhile, writer-director Jay described “Kono Basho” as a project made with the perfect mix of fate and faith. He explained that the initial story was about a son traveling to Japan.

“After I watched ‘Gitling,’ I felt that it was my story, but in reverse. There’s a Japanese male character and then there’s Gabby. I really liked the film but felt worried that people would think my story was just a reverse of it, so instead of a male character, I decided to change it into female.”

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In terms of casting, Jay said his producers initially went for a different Filipino female lead. “Things took a different direction with this particular actress. We were very lucky to have gotten Gabby. I kept telling Gabby that it was fate—she was there to save us, to be our Ella. Of all the actresses who could play Ella, the one who eventually did was the female lead of ‘Gitling.’”

Jay said his partnership with Dan Villegas of Project 8 Projects and Brian Dy of Mentorque was all about having faith in oneself and trusting that fate would lead you to people who share the same goal.

“I told myself I had to have faith because, in 2019, I gatecrashed a dinner party at the Tokyo International Film Festival to be able to talk to Dan. At the time, I had been working in Japan since 2013 as an artist and curator, and it was my connections there that helped me pull off the plan. I introduced myself to Dan and told him of my plan to write a story in Japan. He said, ‘Let’s talk when you’re done writing it.’ Fast-forward to the present, and this incident has become a crucial part of the ‘Kono Basho’ story.”

‘Easy yes’

In 2023, “Kono Basho,” which translates to “this place,” got picked to join Cinemalaya. “I pitched it to Dan and he accepted the project. Our line producer, Catski, was also part of ‘Mallari.’ She referred me to Brian, who eventually became one of our executive producers.”

Gabby said she instantly liked the script, which Dan sent to her, and so it was an “easy yes” for her. “And then all the other things, like logistics and schedules, kind of aligned. As much as it was a buzzer-beater kind of situation, I feel like the universe aligned and made all of these happen. Just like what Direk Jay said, faith and fate made all of this work out.”

In the end, it didn’t matter anymore how it came to be, said Gabby. “What mattered was that it all worked out. I’m happy that I said ‘yes’ to Direk Dan, and all the more when I spoke with Direk Jay about the content of the project and learned how it had developed after he saw ‘Gitling.’ All the more I thought that it was meant to be this way.”

The 20th Cinemalaya will run from Aug. 2 to 11 at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay in Parañaque City.