A romance between a man and a woman in the media is what members of today’s generation usually witnessed growing up.

There’s the story of a prince saving a damsel in distress, of a rich girl falling in love with an ordinary guy, or of a marriage contract between an heir and heiress. There are many types of plots involving love stories, but these usually have one thing in common: their subjects are a male and a female. 

But as Philippine cinema progresses, people have come to realize that romance is not just only for men and women falling in love. Movies about the LGBTQIA+ community have since emerged to tell people that love is for everyone, regardless of their social status and gender identities.

Gen Z queer director Julianne Reyes hopes to highlight this message in her debut film Kung Hindi Na Dumating Ang Bukas, a romance between two queer individuals in the working class.

Reyes is currently holding a crowdfunding campaign  to help her raise the amount to complete the short film. 

Representing queer, working class

The project of Reyes, a 20-year-old film student at the University of the Philippines, presents the challenges of queer working class individuals through the story of Angie and Badine. 

Kung Hindi Na Dumating Ang Bukas revolves around the reunion of these two main characters, following Angie’s deportation after her 40-year marriage to a white man ended.

When their paths crossed once again, the two ex-lovers end up rekindling their relationship.

Angie and Badine’s love story is Reyes’ manifestation of a happy ending, which unfortunately doesn’t happen a lot in many people’s lived reality.

“Sa kanila ko binuhos yung fears ko of our world and yung hopes ko of surviving in it with my community. Kasi alam kong hindi naman totally possible ang happy ending sa kondisyon natin ngayon, pero silang dalawa, they can define and take control of their own narrative,” she told republicasia.

Reyes explained that the film is not meant to romanticize the struggles of the queer and lower-middle class Filipinos, but to be a story that they can relate to. It seeks to relay to viewers that there are real-life Angie and Badine in our society who are just trying to have a happy ending and to survive.

Many have heard about the different journeys of the LGBTQIA+ members who are fighting for love, acceptance, and justice. Angie and Badine are just a few of the embodiments of these stories, which Reyes aims to tell “in the most sensitive way possible.”

“I want the viewers to see that the road to queer liberation is tightly woven with the road to other freedoms. This is because oppressive systems affect everyone, not just queer people,” she said.

The film will not just tackle the struggles of the two main leads, but also that of the people around them who are living in the same condition where their spaces are being taken away from them. 

“The struggles of the marginalized are intersectional, so I hope we also uplift, stand behind, and protect the most vulnerable of our communities,” Reyes said.

Making of the film

Telling Angie and Badine’s story is not without any challenges.

Reyes said the elements of the story are close to her heart since the film took inspiration from her own personal experiences. This also made it difficult for her to find a focus.

“Gusto namin magawa yung film in the most sensitive way possible kasi to us, these are real people and real experiences,” she stressed.

“I want to give justice to the queer audiences’ expectations,” she added.

Reyes acknowledged the support and trust she received from her community that pushed her to continue doing the film. Two of these people are Sophia Sibal and JT Trinidad, producers of Kung Hindi Na Dumating Ang Bukas.

Sibal and Trinidad are Reyes’ friends and orgmates whom she had worked with in previous projects. 

Trinidad is one of the reasons why Reyes decided to be a Film student at UP. He is also the first person to receive Reyes’ concept for her debut film.

“[M]alaki talaga ang influence niya sa works ko, especially malapit din siya and yung works niya sa themes ng film na ito,” the young director said of Trinidad.

Sibal, meanwhile, is the first producer that Reyes had thought of when she was still writing the film’s concept. She said Sibal became a big help to her in fleshing out her vision for the film and materializing it.

Crowdfunding for film

Crowdfunding has been a big help to aspiring filmmakers who want to get their projects off the ground.  

It has helped a number of movies to be produced, including The Eventologist and Lumpia with a Vengeance by Filipino directors Oscar Yema and Patricio Ginelsa, respectively.

Reyes, Sibal, and Trinidad also hope that their own crowdfunding campaign would bring Kung Hindi Na Dumating Ang Bukas to life. 

The film has already been a grantee of Film Development Council of the Philippines’ (FDCP) student film assistance program (SFAP) for its first cycle. 

The program is offered to students of Academic Film Society (AFS)-registered colleges and universities who will be producing their thesis film. Only students taking up AB Film, Communication, or any related programs in these schools can apply to the program.

Under the SFAP, chosen works will be granted a production fund amounting from P30,000 to P50,000.

Reyes said that they have now secured around 62 percent of their funding target, and have extended the crowdfunding campaign to July 25. 

She expressed her gratitude to those who have shown support for their project.

The principal photography for the movie is scheduled in August 2023 to give ample time for the development stage and funding efforts.

“Right now, we are moving into pre-production as we have already solidified our materials such as the script and treatment of the film. It really matters to us that we do this right and with utmost care,” Reyes said.

Kung Hindi Na Dumating Ang Bukas is expected to premiere in the first week of September, alongside UP Film Institute Directing films during the university’s Black Beret.

About the director

The film came about as a requirement for Reyes’ directing class. For this project, she thought of a story that is not only close to her own personal experiences, but also to her family.

Having an interest in art isn’t new in the Reyes household, as some of its members pursue artistic careers. It’s no wonder why the young director chose filmmaking as her college program given that the media, particularly films, have the most influence in her life.

But it’s not that she intended to follow the footsteps of some of her family members when she decided to take up a film degree. If truth be told, it wasn’t part of her initial plan for college.

After graduating from a science high school, Reyes’ first choice was actually to take up a course related to the Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) strand.

She shared that her family was not well-off, and pursuing a career that is not commercially profitable doesn’t just add up.

But what pushed Reyes to make this hard choice of taking filmmaking instead was her desire to give representation and celebrate her colorful community.

“I wanted to push through kasi gusto magkaroon ng place ang pelikula at pagpepelikula for people like me,” she said.

While there were days when she had pangs of regret about this decision, Reyes said these were nothing compared to the fulfillment she gets whenever she tells stories and celebrates the LGBTQIA+ community.

More LGBTQIA+ stories

While there are already a lot LGBTQIA+ stories in the Philippine media, Reyes believes that there are still more stories about the community that need to be represented.

“A single queer film cannot be everything (fluffy, messy, high school, middle-aged, angsty, playful, etc.) all at once,” Reyes said.

“Hindi rin pwedeng sabihin na kulang ang queer media kasi maraming queer stories and creators out there! Hindi nga lang nabibigyan ng platform at support ang marami. There’s also a factor of safety, of course,” she continued.

Kung Hindi Na Dumating Ang Bukas is an addition to the growing list of queer stories in the Philippine media. She hopes that more LGBTQIA+ creators will have the opportunity and the support of many to produce their works that will represent more members of their community who deserve to be seen and heard.

Reyes acknowledged other filmmakers who are trying to redefine the limitations of film practices that they grew up with.

“I find their stubbornness inspiring because they no longer ask to be given a place in cinema. Instead, they create it themselves,” she said.

Reyes also gave advice to filmmakers who are planning to tackle societal issues on their projects, saying that they must thoroughly conduct research and talk to people who are knowledgeable on their topic.

“Be careful and be sensitive. Remember that you are a storyteller, but you cannot talk over people whose experiences are not your own. So, listen, listen, listen,” she said.