L-R: Gigi Dement, Stefanie Walmsely, and Stephen Dypiangco
LOS ANGELES---Aside from Oscar nominees Hailee Steinfeld of True Grit and cinematographer Matthew Libatique of Black Swan, we recently met the three Filipino-Americans who produced the Oscar-winning live action short God of Love, namely, Gigi Dement, Stefanie Walmsely, and Stephen Dypiangco.
New York-based Gigi, who was born in Baguio City, is the daughter of Deane Dement, a sailor in the American navy, and Manolita Almario Buenaventura Borja, an actress. A graduate of New York University (NYU), where she took both her undergraduate degree in film and television and her masters in film, Gigi has produced 15 films and directed 4 of her own.
Stefanie, who was born and raised in Manila, was a former Eat Bulaga host who, at 18, also acted opposite Bob Hoskins in Showtime’s Noriega: God’s Favorite, and was later cast as the adopted daughter of Chad Lowe and Kristin Davis in The John Denver Story.
Los Angeles-based Stephen, the son of Filipino immigrants Oscar and Lucila Dypiangco, earned his MFA in film production also from NYU. His short documentary, Made in the Bronx, was a regional finalist for the Student Academy Awards and won the Best Documentary prize at the Starz First Look Student Film Festival. His narrative short Clean screened at the Asian American International Film Festival, the Palm Springs International Short Film Festival and many others.
Below is our exclusive interview with them:
Gigi Dement
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Stephen Dypiangco (SD): Being Filipino has instilled within me a deep commitment to family and a joyful sense of humor, which both impact the films I craft and the filmmakers I choose to work with. Making audiences laugh and collaborating with dependable and witty friends are how I hope to develop my career.
Gigi Dement (GD): Being Filipino has influenced who I am and therefore is integral to my filmmaking.
Stefanie Walmsely (SW): As Filipinos, storytelling is in our blood. And at the end of the day, all I really want to do is help tell a truly fantastic story.
JRN: Who among our Filipino filmmakers do you admire and why? Are you exposed to Filipino films?
SD: Over the past few years, I have been exposed to a few directors from the Philippines, such as Brillante Mendoza, Auraeus Solito, and Lino Brocka. I’d love to see more of their work as well as discover other Filipino filmmakers. Fil-Am filmmaker Gene Cajayon’s The Debut greatly influenced me because it so faithfully reflected my own story of growing up as a Filipino in Los Angeles. I remember watching it at a sold-out screening, hugely impressed by the number of Pinoys on the screen and in the audience. It has been quite a while since a Filipino film has energized American audiences like The Debut [did], but I am hoping to help change that.
GD: She is going to kill me, but I truly admire Clarissa De Los Reyes, my oft-time collaborator and very dear friend. Aside from her immense talent as a writer, director, and cinematographer, she is a dedicated and compassionate filmmaker who is able to take you to a place you have never been to before, while still creating an authentic portrayal of the world (very often the Filipino-American experience). In a large part, it is because of her encouragement that I am a producer today.
SW: There are so many! It's a really exciting time for Pinoy independent cinema. To name a few contemporary filmmakers, I admire the work of Auraeus Solito and Brillante Mendoza. I also have several friends in the industry who have all made really wonderful contributions to independent cinema, namely Paul Soriano, TJ Trinidad, and Carlo Ledesma. I would be thrilled to produce for any of these gifted directors.
Janet Nepales (left) and Stefanie Walmsely (right)GD: It’s so funny. When Luke asked me to come on as the lead producer on the film, one of the first things he used to sell the project to me was that another person he wanted to bring on board was also from the Philippines. I had never met Stefanie at that point, but because the New York Filipino filmmaking community is so tight, we actually knew many of the same people.
SW: I think Luke really likes Pinoy food and figured that having many Pinoys on the project would lead to some adobo on set. But in all honesty, it was really just a coincidence. A really wonderful, serendipitous coincidence.
SD: Luke and I were classmates at NYU, and we worked on many different projects together, including his earlier film Earano, which I produced. Although I helped him on God of Love during the screenwriting and editing stages, I was not able to formally participate in the actual shoot because I live in LA and he is in NY. However, several months ago, I officially joined the team as the producer of marketing and distribution, offering guidance, organization, and leadership on everything from social media and direct DVD sales to publicity and Oscar week planning.
By the time I joined the God of Love team, Gigi and Stefanie were already on board. It was so exciting to realize that there was now a trio of Pinoys on the project. With the three of us working together, I was confident that we could accomplish anything.
JRN: Why do you think Filipinos are having a hard time breaking into Hollywood when our other Asian counterparts—like Koreans, Chinese and Indians—have done better in the industry?
SD: In college at Georgetown University, I met many smart Filipinos who were focused on professional careers in law, medicine, and politics. But there were no aspiring Filipino filmmakers like me. I think this has to do with Filipino parents, who understandably don’t want their kids to become starving artists. I know that the reason I have been able to devote so much time and energy to my less traditionally Filipino career path is my parents. They have supported me all of my life, encouraging me to follow my heart and find my own happiness. Their love and support is a huge reason for my success.
GD: I think now is our time.
SW: I don't completely agree that Pinoys are having a hard time. In the last few years, Filipino filmmakers have won many prestigious international awards, including Best Director at Cannes, Best Short Film at Cannes, and Best Foreign Film at the Independent Spirit Awards. It does seem like Korea, China, and India all make films that are very specific to their culture, and people respond to that. I am by no means any kind of authority on this, but if you look at Filipino films that have made their mark on the international scene, you will find that many of them tell stories that are uniquely Filipino.
JRN: You serve as inspiration to other young, aspiring Filipino filmmakers. What advice would you give them?
Stephen Dypiangco
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GD: What I tell my students is to look inside yourself and find the stories that you want to tell the world, you need to tell world—because no matter where your from or where you are going, filmmaking begins with a good story. Even if you are from the provinces of the Philippines, your life is interesting, and your point of view relevant. The world needs to hear your voice and see the world as you see it or wish to see it. The best films to me are those that take you to a place where you have never been, but have characters that you can identify with.
SW: I don't really feel like I'm in any sort of position to give any advice, but if I'm speaking of my own experience, I'd say that the most important thing to do is to challenge yourself. When you really think about it, it takes the same amount of energy to convince yourself that you cannot do something, as it does to convince yourself that you can.
JRN: Where do you see yourself in five years?
GD: My husband is writing a screenplay based on his novel about a brilliant but troubled teenaged boy that I will produce and co-direct.
I am also finishing three films: a feature documentary about Filipino fashion designer Rafe Totengco; an experimental film about New York called September 10th; and a short romantic comedy I co-directed with my husband, called Keeping up with the Joneses.
I will continue to produce films that draw me into their stories. I will continue to support young directors, cinematographers, production designers, etc., in any way I can. I will continue to learn how to become a better, more effective producer so that I will be able to accomplish all of those things.
SW: I have always had an idea of where I want to be, but I have learned that predicting the future is impossible—and I love the unpredictably of life. Five years ago, I had never produced a single film and would have never been able to imagine all of this. So who knows? It would be wonderful to produce a Filipino film that gets an Oscar nomination for Best Foreign Film. If you are going to dream, might as well dream big, right?
SD: Currently I’m in post-production on my feature documentary, Home Unknown, which follows a trip I took to the Philippines to explore my roots with two troublesome and uncooperative sidekicks—my parents. In five years, I hope to have completed that film, screened it to Filipino audiences around the world, and moved on to writing and directing one of two narrative feature projects I’d like to pursue in the Philippines. One is a coming-of-age story of a young boy in the provinces, and the other is a multi-plot docudrama about a major tragedy that occurred in the Philippines several years ago. I would love to collaborate with passionate producers, actors, and fellow filmmakers in the Philippines and here in the US. If that’s you, please get in touch!
E-mail the writer at jrnepales_624@yahoo.com for your comments or questions.
(Photos by Ruben V. Nepales)
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