Spotlight on Sunshine (2024): Film Screening and Talkback

On the 14th of October, the Loyola Film Circle participated in the Ateneo de Manila University’s annual Talakayang Alay sa Bayan (TALAB) with “Spotlight on Sunshine (2024): Film Screening and Talkback.” Breaking barriers and stereotypes, Sunshine serves as a piece to reflect on how women like Sunshine are left to choose between their dreams and the societal pressure to become a mother. 

The event aims to highlight the power of film as a representation of real experiences from those whose voices are often ruled out of our consciousness through the story of Sunshine, a rhythmic gymnast who encounters the harsh realities of women's healthcare and rights in the Philippines after an unplanned pregnancy, in alignment with this year’s TALAB theme, “Walking with the Excluded.”

Held at the Henry Lee Irwin Theater, the event was sold out with 820 attendees. The host, Zyrah Abejuela, began the welcome remarks and enthusiastically greeted the audience, composed of college students from Ateneo. 

The film garnered lively reactions from the audience, most of whom cheered and clapped for Sunshine’s triumphs and empowering moments.  Meanwhile, the talkback featured Sunshine's writer-director, Antoinette Jadaone, alongside Ateneo instructors Jessica Claudio (Development Studies) and Mariel Quiogue (Political Science). Esteemed speakers shared their insights into their film through the lens of their expertise. 

Ms. Quiogue talked about how Sunshine represents women whose dreams were cut short because of motherhood, exhibiting an increasing demographic of teenage pregnancy in the Philippines. Meanwhile, Ms. Claudio expressed her satisfaction with how the film puts relevant issues into the limelight and invited the audience to walk with those excluded from society.

After the exchange, the host interviewed the director about the film process and its overall message. She shared that Sunshine was written during the pandemic as a way to release her creative juices. She also emphasized the importance of proper research as a filmmaker. Besides spreading awareness, it also conveyed the unconditional love of two sisters. To further strengthen the plot, she watched documentaries and films on the issues and interviewed people with experiences similar to Sunshine's. 

The speakers were then asked to discuss how Sunshine's story relates to this year's TALAB theme. Ms. Quiogue mentions the various layers in the film and how it shows the multiple burdens that women face in society, how differently the pregnancy affects Sunshine and Miggy, and adds her own personal experiences of seeing how young girls are left vulnerable to patterns of abuse due to oppressive societal norms. In relation to this, Ms. Jadaone mentions statistics regarding how young girls are getting pregnant because of incestuous pedophilia, adding that it is hence the character of Menggay was added to the film. Lastly, Ms. Claudio highlights how gossip spreads in the movie and how Sunshine's alienation from her peers demonstrates a form of exclusion. Moreover, presenting the Theory of Intersectionality and how the domino effect of the social class and gender issues has a mutual impact on the film. 

Subsequently, audience queries via Slido were directed to the speakers. Addressing a question about the expected backlash, Director Jadaone admitted she was surprised that the negative public response was not as intense as she expected, and even devout Catholics could understand Sunshine’s perspective.

Concluding the session, the guests shared their final takeaways. Ms. Quiogue states, “We are women and we are more than what society is painting us to be.” She argues that the definition of womanhood is not limited to motherhood, calling for women to be the voices of minorities. Ms. Claudio reminds the students to be understanding of people's contexts and their reasons for making certain decisions, and Director Jadaone appeals to the audience to vote for leaders who support the youth and advocate for women.