Rose van Ginkel’s ‘Kitty K7’ draws the line between erotica and pornography

Rose Van Ginkel

Frustrated and disheartened by her seemingly stagnant career, Rose Van Ginkel once contemplated quitting acting altogether. But now that she has found a potential niche in sexy-themed dramas and love stories, the actress feels like she’s on a fresh start.

“I still don’t feel that I have earned my place in the industry. Every day when it comes to work I feel I still have a lot to learn and do and experience. Marami pang mangyayari. I’m excited about my upcoming projects that will allow me to grow more. I feel like I’m just starting again,” she said in a recent virtual conference for the Vivamax film “Kitty K7.”

The 27-year-old talent— who used to be part of the music group Pop Girls with Nadine Lustre and Shy Carlos—had spent the first six years of her career playing support. Now she gets to play starring roles in movies.

Produced by Dan Villegas and Antoinette Jadaone’s production company Project 8 Projects, “Kitty K7” follows Hana (Rose), a heartbroken young woman who deals with her breakup with her longtime boyfriend by seeking companionship from other people.

She meets Krishna (Marco Gallo), a talented, well-traveled photographer. She agrees to Krishna’s request to take erotic pictures of her. The chemistry between the two was instant. And before long the two are sleeping together and taking videos of their intimate moments. Hana never imagined she would do such a thing. But the act ignited something in her.

Criticism, judgment

Though Hana eventually loses contact with Krishna, she continues her road to self-discovery, which leads her to a new life as a camgirl with the alter ego Kitty K7. She finds happiness in this new path, but now she has to face criticism and judgment from her family and friends.

“Hana grew up religious and obedient. She was always faithful in her relationships. Sometimes, she borders on being boring since she just focuses on what’s needed to get by. But soon she will discover what she really likes for herself. And I relate to that, because in the end she chooses the one thing that will make her happy,” she said.

In terms of baring skin, this was Rose’s most daring project yet. “I think what I showed here in this film is the extent of what I can show in general,” the actress said. “I auditioned for the role. I loved the script—I knew that I was going to get challenged. The movie has a beautiful message that I want to share with the viewers.”

According to Dan, cofounder of Project 8 Projects, “Kitty K7” was inspired by the popular camgirl and adult model Salome Salvi, whom the creative team interviewed for the movie.

Fine line

“The concept started when Viva Films asked us to do something sexy. But we didn’t want to come up with just another T&A film (tits and ass); we wanted something special,” he said. “We talked to Salome and learned about camgirling as an actual job that also deserves respect … That’s what Salome is also fighting for. That’s one of the movie’s statements: Hindi porke’t naghuhubad ako eh bastos ako,” he said.

There’s a fine line between erotica and pornography, Dan pointed out. And the production team made sure not to cross that line. “They say that erotica is like using a feather while porn is using the whole chicken. In this case we used just the feather,” Dan said. “We’re more sensitive in treating the story.”

A female director, Joy Aquino, was also chosen so that the story is told from a female perspective. “We felt that it would be better to have a female director so that the sensibility isn’t about objectifying the woman. It’s seen from the point of view of a woman. Yes, there’s nudity but it’s not just for the sake of showing a body,” he said.

Rose’s takeaway from playing Hana is that there’s always a reason why people do what they do. “Not all camgirls do it because they have no other means of earning money. I want to show the audience that there’s always a story behind every person,” Rose said. “I don’t judge a person because of his or her profession.”

But more than anything it also reaffirmed in her that she doesn’t need to hinge her happiness on what other people think. “I’m an overthinker. When I do things, I think about other people—kung OK lang ba sa kanila … may masasabi ba sila sa ‘kin? I have been like that ever since. Now I just think about what makes me happy, especially if it’s not harming anybody. It feels great doing what you love without worries.” INQ