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'Plan 75' director, Filipino cast, producers reflect on their Cannes win
LOS ANGELES — "I assume that this will make it easier for me to find film making partners for the next film," Chie Hayakawa said after her first feature film, "Plan 75," won the Camera d'Or Special Mention Award at the Un Certain Regard division at the 75th Cannes Film Festival.
The Japanese-Philippine-French collaboration movie, which features Filipina actresses Stefanie Arianne and Sheryl Ichikawa and co-produced by Filipino producers Alemberg Ang and Will Fredo Manalang, tells the story of how a government program in Japan, Plan 75, encourages senior citizens to be euthanized to remedy the increasingly fast-growing older society in the country.
So, who did she call first and how did she celebrate after the win, we asked Hayakawa.
"I called my family in Japan. When I came back, they were waiting for me at the train station and handed me a bouquet," she said.
Hayakawa, who has always wanted to become a film director since she was 13 years old, studied photography in the School of Visual Arts in New York. After she came back to Japan, she decided to go to a night film school as she had a full-time job at the time. Her thesis short film was accepted to Cinefondation at Cannes Film Festival in 2014, that opened the door for her to become a professional filmmaker.
She made one of the five short omnibus films, "Ten Years Japan" (2018), executive produced by Hirokazu Koreeda. She made a short version of "Plan 75" for that project and developed it into feature length film which she entered in Cannes.
Hayakawa, who proceeded to the star-studded after-party celebration at Cannes after their win, said she bonded with her producers Eiko Mizuno Gray and Jason Gray at the after-party.
"It was so nice to meet staff members and producers from France, Philippines, and Japan all together. Because of COVID-19, we never had a chance to meet each other in person all at once," she said.
"Actually, I didn't have enough time to enjoy the party because I had a press conference for Japanese media until 2 a.m. Then I went back home to pack my luggage as I had to leave at 5 a.m. to the airport the next morning," she added.
When she arrived in Japan the following day, Hayakawa said that they had a premiere screening in Tokyo. "It was nice to see Chieko Baisho (a lead actress who played Michi) to celebrate our award," she said.
As for her memorable Cannes experience, Hayakawa said, "A memorable moment for me was when an audience member came up to me in tears after the movie and told me how much she was moved by the film."
Stefanie Arianne, a Filipina-Japanese actress who portrays Maria, a young Filipina worker who takes a low-level job at the company to help pay for her daughter's surgery, talked about the significance of the film's Cannes win.
"Knowing that the Camera d'Or Special Mention award is very prestigious and out of all the directors, Chie won, this made me feel empowered as an Asian woman in the film industry. This win is a great representation in the international community. Truly very inspiring and celebrates the passion and hard work for it to come into fruition."
Asked how she found out about the win, Stefanie replied, "I was still struggling with my jetlag, so I was on the couch past midnight just scrolling through social media when notifications started coming in."
"When I saw the news, the first person I messaged was director Chie Hayakawa via messenger. I was very happy and excited. I remember congratulating the 'Plan75' team all night long. I was also reposting articles on my socials because I was very proud of her and the team! I believe I was up till 6 a.m. that day!"
As for her memorable first Cannes experience, she said, "Before I went, I prepared myself to have zero expectations and come as an open book. It's an event where I can say I was truly in the moment. It was so exciting, and everything happened so fast! It felt like a fairytale, but I had to remind myself that this is reality."
"Something I won't forget is when the audience gave us a standing ovation. I couldn't keep my tears of joy from flowing. I was overwhelmed with the love and happiness. Once a dream but now I am living it. Definitely a one-of-a-kind experience. I am forever thankful."
Asked if she is going to other film festivals with the film, Stefanie said, "I am hoping we do! The film may have a dark and serious tone to it, but it also showcases the delicate bits of joy in our daily lives."
Co-producer Alemberg Ang, for his part, revealed that he was already in Paris when he found out about the Cannes win. "I have another Pinoy director who's doing his residency in Paris. And then, I got people telling me to watch the YouTube live streaming of the awards ceremony and that's when I saw Chie giving her speech. I was even in my pajamas and had a couple of glasses of wine already, so I was tipsy. My director even took a video of me at that moment, and he posted it on his IG Story."
He continued, "I didn't get to talk to Chie anymore because I knew she had a super early flight to Japan and once she lands, it's the film's premiere in Japan. I remember Chie and I were messaging each other a few days later because a photo of our Talents Tokyo batch was posted on Twitter, and we were actually side by side in the photo. It was like everything was fated to happen back in 2014."
As for the significance of the win, Ang said, "I have been producing indie films since 2009 and there have been so many highs and lows in my career that there were so many times already that I wanted to quit. This win just validated all the hard work that I have been doing all these years. May pay off din pala!"
What was memorable in Cannes for Ang were all the get-togethers he had with his friends in the industry.
"It really reminded me of the importance of physical connection and it's always great to have a break and spend quality time with friends. I still remember my last dinner in Cannes, and it was with you, Ruben (Nepales), Evelyn (Vargas-Knaebel) and her daughter, Bianca (Zialcita), and actress Dolly (de Leon). That was the only time that I finally got to slow down and actually enjoyed a dinner after hustling and bustling for more than a week."
"Plan 75," it was reported, will be distributed in Italy (Tucker Film), China (Dddream), Benelux (September Films), Taiwan (Sky Digi), Singapore (Lighthouse Film Distribution), Japan (Happinet) and France (Eurozoom).
—MGP, GMA News
