Antoinette
"Direk Tonet" Jadaone truly has a heart of a filmmaker. She found herself
growing up with fascination to films and playing with Hi8 cameras. While
studying in the University of the Philippines, where she switched majors
from Broadcast Communications to Film, she made her first movie—“Plano,” a
short film about a little girl and her paper airplane that’s under three
minutes long. Antoinette says that she knew as early as college that what
she really wanted was to be a filmmaker : “’Yun talaga gusto ko,
mag-direct ng romantic comedy for Star Cinema just like my idol Direk Joyce
Bernal".
She made a promise to herself to meet the director, telling her org at the
university that if they needed a speaker for their workshop, she’d take care of
contacting Joyce, even if she had already graduated. “Gusto ko lang ng excuse
na ma-contact siya. Mabait naman siya. Nakuha ko siya and si Mae Cruz for the
workshop. Sabi ko, ‘Direk Joyce, kapag may bakante ka na slot for PA
(production assistant) or intern, kunin mo ako kasi gusto ko.”
To her surprise,
Joyce did call, telling her she needed a script continuity supervisor.
Antoinette immediately quit her job. Months later, Joyce gave
Antoinette her first break—as a script continuity supervisor in “Paano
Kita Iibigin,” a Star Cinema film starring Piolo Pascual and RegineVelasquez.
Her first
full-length film, one that she can actually call her own and which she
wrote and directed, is “Six Degrees of Separation From Lilia Cuntapay,” a
bittersweet mockumentary about the veteran “extra". The film was lauded by
critics, and won six awards at the 2011 Cinema One Originals Digital Film
Festival, including a best actress nod for Lilia. “Six Degrees” also made the
rounds in film festivals abroad.
Soon after, she worked as co-writer on “Ekstra,” sharing the credit with
Jeffrey Jeturian, who directed the film and Zig Madamba Dulay.
Although directing
was the dream, writing screenplays came naturally to Antoinette. She has
been writing all her life—for her school paper, for Junior Inquirer, on her
blog, and she’s had a number of pieces published in Inquirer’s Youngblood
section.
2014 was a huge
year Antoinette. Four of her films hit the big screen: “Relaks, It’s Just
Pag-Ibig” which she co-wrote and co-directed with Irene Villamor; “Beauty In A
Bottle” which she wrote based on a story by Chris Martinez and directed;
“English Only, Please,” the Metro Manila Film Festival entry that she co-wrote
with Anjeli Pessumal; and the film that’s closest to her heart, “That Thing
Called Tadhana,” the dream project she wrote, directed and bagged major awards
in Cinema One Originals.
“English Only, Please” was a huge hit, raking in almost all the awards at
the Metro Manila Film Festival. “Nagulat kami, as in. ’Di namin in-expect. Ako
gusto ko lang manalo si Jennylyn na best actress and si Dan na director.” The
film got those awards and more and people are clamoring for a sequel. There
will be one. Next on her plate was the very first team up of Toni Gonzaga and
Coco Martin - Star Cinema's "You're My Boss" which was also a
certified blockbuster.
It was also rom-com that led to Antoinette’s real-life romance with
“English Only, Please” director Dan Villegas. “Kilala ko siya sa pangalan,
sikat siyang DOP (director of photography). Nag-meet kami sa set ng “Bakit
Hindi Ka Crush ng Crush Mo?” Nag-stop ’yung shooting namin, raket-raket lang
kami tapos nung nag-resume ’yung shooting, kami na.”
Direk Tonet and Dan
have formed a dream team, having worked together on “Relaks, It’s Just
Pag-Ibig,” “Beauty In A Bottle,” “English Only, Please” and “That Thing Called
Tadhana.” Thanks to Star Cinema, “That Thing Called Tadhana,” her film starring
Angelica Panganiban and JM De Guzman,
In 2015, she
directed her first ever Metro Manila Film Festival entry “All You Need Is
Pag-ibig” under Star Cinema starring an ensemble cast including Kris Aquino,
Bimby Aquino Yap, Derek Ramsay, Kim Chiu, Xian Lim, Jodi Sta. Maria and Ian
Veneracion.
For Antoinette,
making movies has never been about the money. She says her biggest joy as
a filmmaker is seeing people go to the cinemas to watch her movies. Antoinette’s
focus may be on romantic comedies, but the truth is, we think she can do
anything. But for now, she wants to give us love stories that thrill, tales of
hugot and kilig.
Enjoying its
overwhelming ratings on primetime is Direk Tonet's latest "baby"
"On the Wings of Love" starring James Reid and Nadine Lustre in their
first full length television series. The romantic comedy centers around two
different people — Leah, a simple girl with an American dream; and Clark, a boy
living his American life — who are forced to marry in order to legally stay and
continue working in the United States.