'First Light’ gives Cebuana producer her big-screen breakthrough

Christelle Lou Dychangco did not grow up imagining herself in the film industry.

Coming from a Cebuano family known for their funeral business, Christelle said filmmaking was understandably not the expected path for her. In fact, when she first told her parents she wanted to study film, they thought she wanted to be in front of the camera.

“When I first told my parents I wanted to study film, they were really like, ‘Ha?

Mag-aartista ka?’ And I was like, ‘No, no, like, I wanna look into producing,’” she recalled to The Philippine STAR.

That decision eventually led the young producer to “First Light,” the Filipino-Australian feature film debut written and directed by James J. Robinson and starring Ruby Ruiz. It is produced by Gabrielle Pearson of Majella Productions and veteran Filipina producer Jane Pe Aguirre, with Christelle serving as co-producer under her own production outfit Clou Media Productions. The film had principal funding from Screen Australia in association with the Melbourne  International Film Festival Premiere Fund, with additional support from the Film Development Council of the Philippines and VicScreen.

National Artist Kidlat Tahimik is also featured in the film.

Set in a remote mountain community in Luzon, “First Light” follows Sister Yolanda, an elderly nun and nurse whose quiet life of service is shaken after being asked to read the last rites to a young construction worker who dies under suspicious circumstances. As she looks into the tragedy, she uncovers a trail of corruption involving the town’s powerful figures, forcing her to confront difficult questions about faith, justice and the institution she has served all her life.

After making the rounds of festivals abroad, including Melbourne, Rotterdam, Marrakech and Glasgow, it has finally come home for a nationwide run in Philippine cinemas.

Christelle said she became part of “First Light” after being introduced to the team by Jane, a managing director for Indochina Productions.

“In her words kasi, ‘You know, maybe you’ll get along. You’re all what they like to call emerging producers, directors,’” Christelle said.

At the start, she was simply open to helping. But “First Light” immediately caught her interest because of what the story wanted to explore.

“They introduced the project to me as a film about spirituality, which is something that’s very important to me,” she said.

After the team came together, things moved fast. Through Clou Media Productions, they applied for a grant, and once the support came in, the Australian team flew to the Philippines to shoot. The film was shot over 24 shooting days in Rizal, La Union and Manila.

The experience also became personal for Christelle because of how it intersected with her own upbringing.

After all, aside from spirituality, “First Light” also deals with death. Her family background allowed her to bring in details that became part of the film itself. They are the owners of Cosmopolitan Memorial Chapels, one of the country’s oldest and largest funeral chains.

“I didn’t think that there was a connection... (But) like I mentioned, my family is in the funeral industry,” she said.

“The (interesting) part is this film, aside from it being about spirituality, it ended up being about death also. So, it was nice to see it intersect,” she said.

She shared that the production used caskets from her family’s business and even included their pallbearers as extras.

That connection helped her family better understand what she does as a film producer.

“At least now, you know, my family understands. They’re so supportive,” she said.

Being exposed to a business-oriented environment early on also helped Christelle handle the practical demands of producing.

“The film industry, especially being a producer, it’s just like opening a business and closing a business and opening another business,” she said.

“I think producing comes the most natural to me, because I grew up in business. So for me, numbers, project management, hiring, it’s natural,” she said.

The Filipino-Australian co-production ‘First Light’ is directed by James J. Robinson (center) and is starring Ruby Ruiz and Maricel Soriano.

Not Instant

Christelle’s route to film was not instant. After studying communications, she later took a producing course at the New York Film Academy in Los Angeles, where she tried to find opportunities in the movie industry.

“I took a short course in LA in the New York Film Academy. But of course, LA is the most competitive place to wanna be in the film industry and I’m Filipino, I hold a Filipino passport,” she said.

She, nevertheless, asked around for any opportunity that could give her a start.

“When I went there, as in, (I searched for) like anyone that would give me a shot, an opportunity, I asked everyone,” she recalled.

“I feel like I really have to work my way into the industry also, like without anyone just handing it to me.

“In the beginning, my family didn’t understand, they didn’t really support. They were like, ‘Okay, just let her try.’ So I tried it in LA but wala, like, didn’t land any opportunity there.”

Her first break later came through Indochina Productions, where she started from the bottom as a production assistant and met Jane.

“So that was my first entry in the film industry,” she said.

She has since focused on the producing side because she wanted to grasp and appreciate the different facets of film work.

“In the program, it said I would learn the basics of being a director and actor, a writer, basically all of it, because as a producer, you need to know how to do everything,” she said.

Although she is open to directing someday, she said producing remains the path that best fits her at this point in her career.

“It’s definitely my main job now,” she said. “When someone asks me, ‘What’s your job?’ it’s so nice to say, ‘I am producer. I’m a film producer.’”

Still, Christelle is clear-eyed about the realities of working in the creative industry. Aside from films, she also produces and directs commercial work, and continues to be involved in the family business.

“We can’t all just be making films. We can’t always follow passion. So, yeah, I think I have to be practical also,” she said. “I mean, I have a team now that I provide jobs for people.”

Circling the conversation back to “First Light,” Christelle told The STAR her job as co-producer was to support Robinson’s creative vision while working within the limits of the budget.

“James is so empathetic with people. I think he feels deeply also. So I think to be a good director, that’s what you need to do,” she said of the filmmaker.

She added, “He knew his vision very well. For us as producers, our roles were to support him within our budget and whatever he wanted, so we really made it happen and we really respected his creative vision.”

As the Filipino producers on the team, they had to make sure that the story, while coming from a Filipino-Australian filmmaker, remained rooted in the culture and realities of the Philippines. But she feels fortunate to work with a director who valued collaboration.

“I feel very lucky — blessed — that this was my first experience with the director also because after that, talking to my other friends in the industry now, they’re like, ‘Oh, you know, usually the director and the producer don’t get along.’ And I was like, ‘Oh, that really wasn’t the case for us,’” she said.

The film also allowed Christelle to work with respected Filipino actors, including Ruby, Maricel Soriano, Kidlat Tahimik, Soliman Cruz and Rez Cortez.

It was particularly unforgettable for her to see Ruby take center stage in the project.

“I’m excited for her. I think this is also her moment, you know, she’s been doing so many things in this industry,” she said. “She has played so many supporting characters, but it’s so nice to see her in the lead and really up front.”

She also described ‘First Light’ as an art house film. “This is an art house film, which means, you know, every frame is cinematic. Every movement is art and has meaning,” she said.

The film, likewise, made Christelle see the Philippines differently onscreen. She said it does not present the country only through the usual postcard images of beaches and tourist spots, but also rarely seen images of the provincial life. She also takes pride in the fact that it’s a fully Tagalog film. According to her, the film is proof of what the Philippines can contribute to world cinema.

“We have the locations, we have the crew, we’re so talented, we speak English, we’re so friendly, we have great storytellers, we have equipment, we have everything here,” she said. “We’re so capable of storytelling on the world stage... I’m so proud that ‘First Light’ is our first film.”