Young filmmaker wants her work, not her famous last name, to do the talking

Ten Monteverde graduated magna cum laude from New York University.

In the YouTube comments section of “Gabi”—one of singer-songwriter Juan Karlo’s recent releases—fans raved not only about the song, but also about the eight-minute music video’s visual aesthetics and storytelling.

It was described as “dreamy,” “nostalgic” and “quirky” with cinematic elements inspired by filmmaking greats like Wong Kar-wai, Edgar Wright and Spike Lee.

The music video’s director, Kristen “Ten” Monteverde, admitted that she did take a peek at the comments. And she couldn’t be more grateful for all the positive feedback it received from viewers, who didn’t even know who she was, or realize that she comes from one of local show biz’s most prominent clans.

Her work being recognized on its own merits, and not her proximity to her father Dondon Monteverde or and grandmother Lily Monteverde, was something she found reassuring.

“I’m just thankful because, first of all, people sat down to watch an eight-minute music video and paid attention to the story. This is the first time my work got publicized and reached a wide audience. Seeing how well the people responded to my taste or how I direct things… it was a good feeling. It was reassuring for a filmmaking baby like me, who’s still figuring out herself,” she told the Inquirer in a Zoom conference.

Mother Lily is the matriarch of Regal Entertainment, the oldest film outfit in the Philippines while Dondon cofounded Reality Entertainment with acclaimed director Erik Matti.

“I want to become a good storyteller, have my own voice and establish my own identity as a director and a human being. It’s great that outside of my family, I can be recognized as someone who can tell a story well and show that I know what I’m doing. Seeing comments like that makes me smile,” she said.

Ten knew very well that, if she were to pursue a career in filmmaking, the expectations that come with having a famous last name would be inevitable so she made sure to study and hone her craft. Fortunately, all her hard work paid off; she graduated magna cum laude from New York University’s Tisch School of the Arts earlier this year.

“It was important for me to study hard and make sure that I’m creative enough to root myself into this industry. The work has to speak for itself. And I can only do that by working really hard,” she said.

The “Gabi” music video, which also features former IV of Spades member Zild, was Ten’s first mainstream project after graduation. But that didn’t detract Juan Karlos (JK) and his team from putting their faith in Ten, who was given creative freedom to write the script and bring the song to life onscreen.

Striking a balance

“There was pressure, because I wanted to strike a balance between creating something that would match the song and, at the same time, inject my own style, visual language and apply everything I have learned in school. But JK made it very easy. He gave me a lot of creative freedom. He trusted me. And as someone who had just graduated, that made me glad,” she said.

“It was fun, rambunctious and outlandish. I wanted my personality to come through. I’m visually oriented. Every shot or transition has to be planned out—things are colorful, the composition … small details are there,” added Ten, who cited Hayao Miyazaki, Agnes Varda, Celine Sciamma, Edgar Wright and the Coen Brothers as some of her influences.

‘A dream come true’

Ten directing Juan Karlos and Zild —PHOTOS COURTESY OF VIRTUAL PLAYGROUND

Ten has been a fan of Juan Karlos’ work since she was in high school and had nothing but good words for the music artist. “It was kind of a dream come true to have a project with him, to collaborate with an amazing artist who knows exactly what he wants and what he’s doing,” she said.

Ten grew up in the world of filmmaking. She attended the premiere nights of “Shake, Rattle & Roll” and other movies. She visited movie sets and stayed in rooms full of directors, actors and everyone else involved in film production. But she was also drawn to other art forms and media, like painting, which she thought she would end up doing.

It wasn’t until her freshman year in New York that she realized that filmmaking made the most sense in terms of the stories she wanted to tell and how she wanted to tell them.

“I decided not to run away from it. And my family was happy about it. My grandma was very happy. She wants me to make films in the Philippines, but she’s also supportive of me exploring what’s outside of it. That’s because she also did a lot of traveling when she was young,” she said.

And there’s “no pressure whatsoever,” she said, about the possibility of carrying the family businesses in the future. “There was joy in the fact that I found a thing I love, that there was someone to uphold the family name and legacy as a director… but not necessarily take over one day.”

Ten, who wants to work on narrative-driven features next, hopes to work in the Philippines and the United States. “There are lots of things I want to do at home, stories I want to write that take place in the Philippines. Home is also where I want to develop my voice. But if opportunities to work in the US come, then I hope I can handle working in both places,” she said. INQ