Jake not after profit as indie producer

MANILA, Philippines - Jake Cuenca has made a career out of portraying different roles on the big and small screens and he never stops improving his craft through attending acting classes here and abroad.

Now, he is set to try his hand at another endeavor by taking part in this year’s Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival not just as an actor but also as a producer of Requited, which was written and directed by Nerissa Picadizo.

Requited is one of the 10 finalists in the Full-Length Features category of the 13th edition of the indie filmfest. It is Jake’s second Cinemalaya outing — after his lead starrer Nuwebe in 2013 — and his first venture as a producer.

According to the Kapamilya actor, he fell in love with the story right after reading the script that was personally presented to him by direk Nerissa. In fact, he didn’t just agree to star in it but he also waived his talent fee and shelled out an undisclosed amount — aside from the P750,000 grant from Cinemalaya — for the film.

“Making this film was very fulfilling for me that I didn’t think about the returns but in what way I could help for it to come out more appealing than what it was,” said Jake during the presscon for Requited held last week.

He added, “At the same time, sobra ‘yung attachment ko dito kasi on- and off-screen, nakasama ako sa proseso kaya nakakatuwa.”

With director Nerissa Picadizo

The dramatic biking love story with splashes of adventure took three years to complete. Direk Nerissa shared that writing the story lasted a year with only Jake in mind as the most fitting to play the character. She knew then that the actor was busy with his ABS-CBN soap Pasion de Amor, “but I was willing to wait for him.”

Until the two met during awarding ceremonies for Ani ng Dangal and Indie Bravo where they both won awards for their respective works. The director took the opportunity to pitch a proposal to Jake that led to their partnership for Requited. But prior to becoming a Cinemalaya official entry, Requited has already been selected as a finalist at the 2015 Manila Film Financing Forum and the 2016 Cinemalaya DGPI Film Pitching. “And I presented the story to Jake even before it was accepted for the filmfest,” direk Nerissa said.

The film centers on the journey of former lovers Matt (Jake) and Sandy (Anna Luna) who travel from Manila to Mt. Pinatubo on a bike in order to fulfill the former’s wish who is suffering from Parkinson’s Disease.

Jake is certain that the film’s narrative can be easily understood by everyone. He was impressed at how the director clearly put the message of the story without requiring an extended viewing time. “And one more thing, unlike other indies na pag-iisipin kang masyado instead of you enjoying the film, ito madaling sakyan; it is easy to understand.”

Despite several challenges during the shoot, Requited was completed without flaws. One challenge was the need to finish shooting the scenes before dusk rapidly falls. Scenes were mostly shot at Mt. Pinatubo “kaya may oras (na sinusunod) kasi pag-kagat ng dilim, kailangan na namin umalis,” recounted Jake.

The filmmaker also expressed admiration for the kind of attitude Jake displayed towards his work. He’s already in character even before the cameras started to grind. But his character didn’t require him to show an intense level of acting.

Direk Nerissa had instructed him to portray the character as natural as natural can be. “Ako kasi ‘yung hiniwalayan at iniwan dito at ako yung kawawa,” said Jake. Requited revolves around three themes: Unrequited love, health struggles and the process of moving on.

Jake also admitted that his attachment to the film is on a more personal level. Is it because he invested so much particularly in the financial aspect?

“I am not looking at the numbers; ‘di ko tinitignan ‘yung returns pero sasabihin ko rin naman na may potential ‘yung movie na maging commercially-released kasi ang ganda nung story. When direk and I were talking, we’re really wishing for a commercial release after Cinemalaya. From there, maybe we’ll think about the numbers and returns. But when it comes to doing the film, gusto ko lang makabuo ng magandang pelikula,” answered Jake.

Are they, at this point, wishing to bag an award?

Direk Nerissa replied, “In the beginning, of course, those thoughts came into my mind but the process of making the film and how hard it was, just finishing it was the biggest achievement. There were financial problems that came along so nung natapos nakakatuwa talaga. Everything is just icing on the cake. Indie film is such a hard thing to put together sobrang saludo ako sa gumagawa ng indie. With an award, we can only hope but I feel good about the project and I’m really proud of it.”

Asked if Jake has plans to produce more films in the future, the actor said he sees himself leading towards film directing. “One day, I want to study (film directing) and then be a director also, parang mas doon ako papunta.”

(The 13th Cinemalaya Filmfest runs until Aug. 13 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines [CCP] and selected Ayala Cinemas. Requited’s gala night will be held on Aug. 8 at the CCP Main Theater.)