Bela Padilla. (Photo from Instagram/@bela)
“I feel like people have yet to take me seriously as a director,” said Bela Padilla, who wrote, directed and starred in the romantic drama “’Yung Libro sa Napanood Ko.”
The film is one of eight entries to the 1st Summer Metro Manila Film Festival, which will run until April 18.
At the Gabi ng Parangal on Tuesday night, it was announced that Bela was nominated for best actress alongside Gladys Reyes (“Apag”) and Kylie Padilla (“Unravel”). Gladys eventually brought home the award.
“Our film also got nominated for best editing, musical scoring and production design. As the director, you are also responsible for those departments because you dictate the tone of the movie. I feel like I also did good because they were nominated. That’s how I chose to look at it,” Bela said, reacting to our question on whether she’d like it better if she got a best director nomination, as well. “I’m still new, so I think they (jurors) aren’t taking me seriously yet. We’ll get there. I know I still have time.”
‘Very chill’
Bela then described herself as a “very chill” director.
“My only rule on the set is ‘bawal sumigaw.’ When someone is angry, I ask them to leave the set for five minutes to calm down. I feel that people are more creative when the atmosphere is calm and relaxed,” she pointed out.
Bela pointed to American actress-director Greta Gerwig as someone she looks up to.
“I don’t know how she is as a director, but I like her works. She seems like a very chill person. I have a feeling that she runs her set the same way. Locally, Direk Irene Villamor is like that. Everyone is relaxed on her set. Since I have had the chance to work with Direk Irene several times, I realized that you don’t need to scream on the set just to make people do their jobs well,” she added.
While Bela said she was happy to have been nominated for best actress, she was more thrilled to learn that her Korean costar Yoo Min-gon received a best actor nomination, as well.
“Of course, when you do something, you don’t always expect to be recognized for it. It’s just work for you. Personally, I’m happier that he got nominated because I saw how much work he put into this project,” she added.
“As an actor, he is very self-aware and confident,” Bela said when asked to describe Min-gon. “From the start, he already knew what he needed to do for his character. He asked a lot of questions. I’m impressed that he did his homework and a lot more. It’s actually nice to work with people who also want to work.”
This week, Bela begins shooting for another film. “I just take each day as it comes. I have not had the chance to process everything that’s going on for ‘’Yung Libro’ yet. I feel that I’d be able to do that when I return to London. Right now, I’m still on cloud nine.”