Gene Cajayon

Gene Cajayon's Philippine debut
The Fil-American director talks about his acclaimed film The Debut

Suddenly, everyone who breathes movies are talking about Gene Cajayon. Until we met him last week at a press conference hosted by Columbia Pictures, we knew very little about Gene. We did know that his first film, aptly titled The Debut, which told the story of a Fil-American family, had won good notices in the US and garnered a number of accolades.

Thankfully, Columbia Pictures acquired the rights to distribute this independent film in the Philippines. So now Filipino audiences have the opportunity to see the film that made Cajayon, whom some film buffs hope would be our answer to Ang Lee.

During the media conference, Gene Cajayon described the debut in his film as not just a coming-out party for the lead protagonist's daughter. The party itself reveals much about the issues Fil-Americans have to cope with.

Gene is only in his early 30s, but he looked more mature than his actual age. It might be due to the film, which took him several years to put in the can. Making the film had been stressful, but he soldiered and kept his creative juices going. Tirso Cruz III, one of the stars, noted, "He's stubborn and he knows what to deliver".

The Debut tells the tale of Ben Mercado, a Filipino teenager trying to fit in with the Yanks and live the American dream. He comes of age, however, during his sister's 18th birthday party.

Ben could well be inspired by Cajayon himself, who is half-Filipino and half-Vietnamese. Gene was born in Saigon, Vietnam during the War to his Filipino father and Vietnamese/French mother. As an infant, his family migrated to the United States, and eventually settled in Orange County, California. Since childhood, Gene has had a passion for movies, and he says he is influenced by the works of Ang Lee and Spike Lee (no relation).

Gene attended film school at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, where he began to work on The Debut. The latter was completed eight years later.

The director admitted that he took up Asian-American Studies to learn more about his roots. Gene could relate to the awkwardness and struggles that Ben goes through, but he insisted, "The story is more of an amalgamation of different Filipinos who grew up in the US."

He enlisted the help of many Filipinos to make his first feature a reality. One of them is Dean Devlin, co-producer of such big-budget Hollywood fare like Independence Day and Godzilla. Devlin helped Gene obtain a grant to help finance The Debut. "Asian-Americans aren't a big force in Hollywood at the moment, so it wasn't difficult to bump into each other," noted Cajayon.

Cajayon went on to assemble his cast. A family of actors, composed of Dante Basco and his brothers, were among the first to audition. Multi-awarded actor and director Eddie Garcia recalled that he was offered the part of the Mercado patriarch while doing a film with Janno Gibbs. He accepted the offer, as he was deeply honored to be part of the cast.

Gene, on the other hand, told the press he decided to cast Garcia after seeing him in one of his numerous military officer roles. Cruz and Gina Alajar, who play the parents, also auditioned.

Alajar see the movie as an opportunity to penetrate the international market, and a chance for foreign distributors to consider Philippine Cinema, which has been in a dire state since Lino Brocka passed away a decade ago. She relished working with her young co-stars, praising them for their professionalism.

The actress also believes that The Debut is the reason why American Adobo was made in the first place. However, the latter miserably failed to present an accurate look at Pinoys in the East Coast, so there's no comparison to speak of.

For Gene Cajayon, the trials have all be worth it, and he credits his cast for their dedication and for believing in this project. "It's both surreal and amazing to be sitting in front of you promoting the film," he exclaimed.

The movie had a limited release in the US, and with its $1-million budget, it shouldn't have a hard time making back its cost. It's not about to make the director and his cast richer, but Cajayon hopes the film will pave the way "for more features about Filipinos in America in the near future."

Indeed, The Debut is a welcome change from the Hollywood films that tend to typecast Filipinos as domestic servants (read: Her Alibi and Two Weeks Notice). Garcia agreed, "To get to the top of the stairs, one has to take the first step. Gene just did that."

Gene is presently preparing his next project, Nickle and Dime, which touches on the Asian-American gangs in San Francisco. Somebody asked if Cajayon is open to making a sequel to The Debut. His reply, "Why not? Perhaps Ben Goes to College?". Anything but Fil-American Pie.

(First published in The Manila Times on August 13, 2003)