Gene Cajayon
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''The Debut'' is a 2000
coming-of-age Coming of age is a young person's transition from being a child to being an adult. The specific age at which this transition takes place varies between societies, as does the nature of the change. It can be a simple legal convention or can b ...
comedy-drama Comedy drama (also known by the portmanteau dramedy) is a hybrid genre of works that combine elements of comedy and Drama (film and television), drama. In film, as well as scripted television series, serious dramatic subjects (such as death, il ...
film directed and co-written by Gene Cajayon in his
directorial debut This is a list of film directorial debuts in chronological order. The films and dates referred to are a director's first commercial cinematic release. Many filmmakers have directed works which were not commercially released, for example early work ...
. Incorporated themes of
Philippine culture The culture of the Philippines is characterized by great ethnic diversity. Although the multiple ethnic groups of the Philippine archipelago have only recently established a shared Filipino national identity, their cultures were all shaped by ...
, struggling with heritage identity and
racism Racism is the belief that groups of humans possess different behavioral traits corresponding to inherited attributes and can be divided based on the superiority of one Race (human categorization), race or ethnicity over another. It may also me ...
, the title of the film refers to the traditional coming-of-age ceremony accompanying a young woman’s 18th birthday. A co-production of United States and Philippines, ''The Debut'' is the first film for an independent Hollywood film production (also known as Indiewood) to be written or directed by a
Filipino-American Filipino Americans () are Americans of Filipino ancestry. Filipinos in North America were first documented in the 16th century and other small settlements beginning in the 18th century. Mass migration did not begin until after the end of the Sp ...
and to take place or depicted within the Filipino-American community, and the first film to be produced with a Filipino film production
GMA Films GMA Network Films Inc., trade name, doing business as GMA Pictures (formerly Cinemax Studios and GMA Films), is a Philippines, Philippine film studio, film, television production company, production and distribution (marketing), distribution c ...
. The film grossed $1.745 million in
limited theatrical release __FORCETOC__ Limited theatrical release is a film distribution strategy of releasing a new film in a few cinemas across a country, typically art house theaters in major metropolitan markets. Since 1994, a limited theatrical release in the Unite ...
in the United States.


Synopsis

Ben Mercado is a talented high school senior who enrolls in a prestigious arts institute in order to realize his dreams of becoming an artist. However, his plans come into conflict with those of his strict immigrant father Roland, a postal worker intent on seeing Ben become a doctor. Their long-simmering feud—for Ben, a struggle to be accepted by America and therefore reject his Filipino heritage; and for Roland, a quest to give his children a better life than he had—threatens to boil over and ruin the elaborate eighteenth birthday party of Ben’s sister Rose. For Ben, Rose’s celebration emerges as a cultural stew of old world traditions and contemporary urban lifestyles, challenging his sense of misplaced identity, his choice of friends, and even the way he regards his father. He also finds an unexpected confidante in Rose’s best friend Annabelle. However, the evening’s challenges to Ben are just beginning to surface. The arrival of Carlos, the Mercado family’s overbearing patriarch, exacerbates tensions between father and son, while the temptation to ditch his relatives to be with his white friends at a kegger across town tugs at Ben throughout the evening. A possible budding romance with Annabelle is also complicated by the presence of hot-headed Augusto, a former childhood friend-turned gangsta wannabe and Annabelle’s ex-boyfriend. In one night, Ben will face the true nature of his relationships with his family, his friends, and himself.


Cast


Production


Development

''The Debut'' is based on a ten-minute
short film A short film is a film with a low running time. The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS) defines a short film as "an original motion picture that has a running time of not more than 40 minutes including all credits". Other film o ...
Cajayon had made as his thesis project at
Loyola Marymount University Loyola Marymount University (LMU) is a private Jesuit and Marymount research university in Los Angeles, California. LMU enrolls over 10,000 undergraduate and graduate students, making it the largest Catholic university on the west coast of the ...
in
Los Angeles Los Angeles, often referred to by its initials L.A., is the List of municipalities in California, most populous city in the U.S. state of California, and the commercial, Financial District, Los Angeles, financial, and Culture of Los Angeles, ...
,
California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
,
United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...
. He incorporated themes from co-writer John Manal Castro's short film, ''Diary of a Gangsta Sucka.'' After shooting the first ten minutes of his thesis project, Cajayon sent the movie script to potential private financial backers but was turned down. Cajayon and Castro shopped the film to major Hollywood studios, but were rebuffed. At one point, producer
Dean Devlin Dean Devlin (born August 27, 1962) is an American screenwriter, producer, director, and actor of film and television. He is best known for his collaborations with director Roland Emmerich, and for his work on the The Librarian (franchise), ''Li ...
, who is half Filipino, became associated with the project, but the film was still unable to secure funding. Eventually the film was able to garner a grant from the NAATA ( National Asian American Telecommunications Association). Cajayon tapped ''
Picture Bride The term picture bride refers to the practice in the early 20th century of immigrant workers (chiefly Japanese, Okinawan, and Korean) in Hawaii and the West Coast of the United States and Canada, as well as Brazil selecting brides from their nat ...
'' producer Lisa Onodera, Greg Spence, and Celestial Pictures to produce the film.


Casting

Adult roles in the movie were cast in the
Philippines The Philippines, officially the Republic of the Philippines, is an Archipelagic state, archipelagic country in Southeast Asia. Located in the western Pacific Ocean, it consists of List of islands of the Philippines, 7,641 islands, with a tot ...
, where casting director Ernest Eschaler held casting sessions in
Manila Manila, officially the City of Manila, is the Capital of the Philippines, capital and second-most populous city of the Philippines after Quezon City, with a population of 1,846,513 people in 2020. Located on the eastern shore of Manila Bay on ...
. The filmmakers were able to cast
Tirso Cruz III Tirso Silvano Cruz III (; born April 1, 1952) is a Filipino actor, comedian, and singer. He was the Chairperson of the Film Development Council of the Philippines after one year and seven months for personal reasons. Regarded as a "matinee ido ...
,
Gina Alajar Regina Liguid Alatiit (born June 28, 1959), professionally known as Gina Alajar (), is a Filipino film and television actress and director. One of the most awarded actresses in Philippine cinema, she has won the Philippine movie grand slam, r ...
,
Eddie Garcia Eduardo "Eddie" Verchez Garcia (; May 2, 1929 – June 21, 2019), colloquially known as Manoy, was a Filipino actor, television personality, and filmmaker. Widely regarded as the greatest Filipino actor of all time, Garcia appeared in nearly ...
, and comedian Fe de los Reyes. Back in the US, the filmmakers put out a casting call for the lead character, eventually selecting
Dante Basco Dante Roman Basco (born August 29, 1975) is an American actor. He is known for his role as Rufio, the leader of the Lost Boys, in Steven Spielberg's ''Hook'', Dolph in the cult film '' But I'm a Cheerleader'', the lead character Ben Mercado in th ...
, who played Rufio in the 1991
Steven Spielberg Steven Allan Spielberg ( ; born December 18, 1946) is an American filmmaker. A major figure of the New Hollywood era and pioneer of the modern blockbuster, Spielberg is widely regarded as one of the greatest film directors of all time and is ...
film ''Hook''. Actress
Joy Bisco Jocelyn "Joy" Bisco (born October 15, 1975) is a Filipino American actress. She graduated from University City High School in San Diego, California. Her movie credits include '' The Debut'' and '' Not Another Teen Movie''. Film credits *'' Gh ...
was cast as the female lead. In addition to Dante Basco in the lead role, the film also features other members of the Basco family (Derek, Darion, Dion, and Arianna).


Filming

Production started on October 21, 1997 at the
Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary High School Cantwell-Sacred Heart of Mary High School (CSHM) is a private Roman Catholic high school located in Montebello, California, United States, precisely on the border of East Los Angeles and Montebello. It is owned and operated by the Roman Catholic ...
in Montebello, California. Reshoots were done a year after production finished. The musical score and licensing of songs for the soundtrack was done in 1999. The full-length film took eight years to produce and raise funding for (from 1992 to 2000), another year to be released in theaters, and two years to go on DVD in 2003 and television.


Release


Film festivals

The film had its world premiere as the Opening Night Attraction of the 15th Annual Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film & Video Festival on May 18, 2000. It played the film festival circuit around the United States, including the
Hawaii International Film Festival Hawaii ( ; ) is an island state of the United States, in the Pacific Ocean about southwest of the U.S. mainland. One of the two non-contiguous U.S. states (along with Alaska), it is the only state not on the North American mainland, th ...
(HIFF) in November 2000. American film critic
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...
, who was in attendance, was given a private screening of the film and gave the film a "thumbs up." ''The Debut'' won the 2000 HIFF Audience Award for Best Feature Film, beating out the heavily favored ''
Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon ''Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon'' is a 2000 epic romantic drama wuxia martial arts film directed by Ang Lee and written for the screen by Wang Hui-ling, James Schamus, and Tsai Kuo-jung. The film stars Chow Yun-fat, Michelle Yeoh, Z ...
''. ''The Debut''’s success on the film festival circuit inspired the filmmakers to launch a theatrical self-distribution campaign. For two years, ''The Debut''’s promotional team (consisting of Cajayon, co-writer John Castro, associate producer Patricio Ginelsa, and a full-time staff of five) traveled to fifteen major cities across the US and promoted the film directly to Asian Pacific American and mainstream communities. TV commercials were shown on local channels and on local cable systems.


Theatrical

''The Debut'' was given a limited theatrical release on March 16, 2001 and eventually grossed $1.745 million at the box office. It was released in the Philippines by
Columbia Pictures Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc., Trade name, doing business as Columbia Pictures, is an American film Production company, production and Film distributor, distribution company that is the flagship unit of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group ...
on August 13, 2003. The film's success in theaters led to a domestic and international distribution deal with
Sony Pictures Sony Pictures Entertainment Inc. is an American diversified multinational mass media and entertainment studio conglomerate that produces, acquires, and distributes filmed entertainment (theatrical motion pictures, television programs, and rec ...
. The film has been made available for home viewing on iTunes, Amazon Video, and VUDU.


Reception

The film received positive reviews. On
Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...
, the film has a 74% "fresh" rating based on 24 reviews. The site’s consensus stated, “Although ''The Debut'' offers few surprises, it remains an engaging and well-acted look at the multi-generational immigrant experience.” Film critics like
Roger Ebert Roger Joseph Ebert ( ; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American Film criticism, film critic, film historian, journalist, essayist, screenwriter and author. He wrote for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. Eber ...
of the ''
Chicago Sun Times The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily nonprofit newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has long held the second largest circulation among Chicago newspaper ...
'' and Kevin Thomas of the ''
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' is an American Newspaper#Daily, daily newspaper that began publishing in Los Angeles, California, in 1881. Based in the Greater Los Angeles city of El Segundo, California, El Segundo since 2018, it is the List of new ...
'' applauded the movie.


Accolades

''The Debut'' won a 2001 Ammy Award for Best Independent Feature Film. It also won the Best Narrative Feature award at the
San Diego Asian Film Festival The San Diego Asian Film Festival (SDAFF) is an annual film festival in San Diego San Diego ( , ) is a city on the Pacific coast of Southern California, adjacent to the Mexico–United States border. With a population of over 1.4 million, ...
.


References


External links

* .
Wayback Machine The Wayback Machine is a digital archive of the World Wide Web founded by Internet Archive, an American nonprofit organization based in San Francisco, California. Launched for public access in 2001, the service allows users to go "back in ...
. Archived fro
the original
on 2001-04-01. * *
Director Gene Cajayon's official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Debut, The 2000 films 2000 drama films 2000 independent films 2000s coming-of-age drama films 2000s teen drama films American coming-of-age drama films American teen drama films Asian-American drama films Philippine comedy-drama films Philippine coming-of-age films Philippine independent films Films about father–son relationships Films about families Films about Filipino Americans Films about Filipino families Films about immigration to the United States Films about parties Features based on short films Films shot in Los Angeles County, California 2000s American films 2000s English-language films