Kristen 'Ten' Monteverde

Having graduated magna cum laude in filmmaking and television from New York University last December, the young and talented filmmaker Kristen "Ten" Monteverde is brimming with excitement as she embarks on her career in the Philippines.

During a recent Zoom session with the entertainment press, Ten passionately expressed her deep affection for returning home where she can find more avenues to tell her stories. She eagerly shared her plans to reside in the Philippines.

"But I know that there's a lot that I want to do at home. There are still so many stories that I want to write and put on the big screen one day that do take place in the Philippines. Also, there are a lot of people that I want to work with," said Ten.

She added: "And I think also, being back home, is where I want to develop my voice and very important to me, I think I will be living in the Philippines for now. That's what I have planned."

Ten is the daughter of producer Dondon Monteverde, of Reality MM Studios; and Dr. Grace Monteverde. She is the granddaughter of Mother Lily Monteverde of Regal Films. Ten is the youngest and the only girl among three siblings.

"Right now I'm floating, as I'd like to call it. So I've spent a good few years here in the US and just graduated. Now, I'm just navigating post-college life, where it's all confusing and like a crazy mix of feelings and emotions. I'm still figuring out which direction I want to take," she added.

Directorial debut

Ten has recently completed her directorial debut for JK Labajo's latest music video, "Gabi." The Filipino filmmaker considers it a dream come true to work with the "Buwan" hitmaker.

Ten (center) with father Dondon, mother Grace and brothers Matthew and Theo

"Well, I have been familiar with JK's work ever since I was in high school. I really admired his music and have been listening to it nonstop. So naturally, it was really like kind of a dream come true that I had this project with him and was able to work with him on it and collaborate with such an amazing artist.

"I think he's an incredible musician and knows exactly what he's doing, and everyone agrees because his songs have been so successful. I admit, there was a little bit of pressure. It was my first project after I graduated, and so I wanted to then establish my own voice through that project.

"I needed to create a balance where I was creating something that would match the song very well and create visuals that accompany the song itself. I try to inject my own visual style and visual language so that I can apply everything I've learned in school and put them into one music video and show what I can do," she added.

Ten admitted there was pressure when she directed the video. But she said that JK made everything easy.

"He gave me a lot of freedom in how I could make the music video. He really trusted me with it, especially as someone who had just graduated from school. I'm glad he gave me that much creative freedom to do what I wanted with a video, and he was happy to go along with it. So yeah, it was a great experience overall," she also said.

Asked about her next project after she finished the music video, Ten answered: "Oh, well, I've always wanted to do something narrative. I've always been attracted to narrative films, feature films. I've only ever directed short films. And now I have a music video, and I love the short form. But my dream really is to get into feature filmmaking because it's so challenging, and it's a whole other beast."

Ten added: "But I hope one day I'll get there. I'm writing a few statements now. Both shorts and features, but it's getting there. It's a whole process. Writing is difficult. But yeah, that's what I hope to do next, but I just think, if not, I would also be really happy with commercials and music videos because like I said short form. It's very fun, especially music videos, where it's also narrative driven. And where I can also exercise that kind of storytelling, the same that I would apply in a feature film."

As the first director of the Monteverde clan, Ten expressed her utmost delight in having finally discovered her true passion and found her own joy. She takes great pride in upholding the family's prestigious name within the entertainment industry. After showing a keen interest in both painting and journalism, she made the bold decision to change her path by taking up filmmaking and television. "The first person I told about the shift was my dad."

Favorite directors

Ten also shared her influences who really got her into filmmaking.

"When I think about the filmmakers that have really inspired me, oh God, there's like a huge, huge list. I think I can start off with well, I'll go in sequence I think some filmmakers I really inspired me include. Well, there's Miyazaki.

"I've watched even before like I decided to pursue filmmaking. I think I could go back as early as that. In my head, I think what I liked the most about those films is the fact that there are no clear protagonists and antagonists, and it is sort of like mirrors. Like the real world where you know, there are good and bad people. But it's all like, we're all dimensional, and we all have our flaws. And I like how his characters are reflective of that how it's not just like this is the villain and this is the hero. It's more you know, they've all rounded out and every one those good and bad things every single day and it's all about learning from them and so that the reason why his films really attract or attractive to me.

"And there's also Agnes Varda, who I think is just so iconic. When I really started to explore her filmmaking when I was in school, it just kind of created that bridge between realism and fiction and I felt like it addressed women's issues so cleverly and in the various authentic way. I just really admire her visual style.

"Another person I think, who inspires me is Celine Sciamma. She's just incredible. I love her films, just all like female-driven narratives, and she passed everything so smartly, and it's just so personal and intimate and it's exactly what I would also like to achieve in my own film. So she's very inspiring to me.

"The Coen brothers are like a big inspiration for me. And so is Edgar Wright. They are also expressive in their work, and I feel like you walk out of their films, just always feeling good and happy. And it's always just a good time. And that's also something I'd like to achieve in my own films one day, so that sort o. I thought it was a kind of a long list and I could keep going on and on. But I think those are the ones that kind of come up in my head right now," she said.

Films, she said, just made sense in terms of the type of visual language that she wanted to pursue.

"You dabble into so many different things. It's more than just  a spill image because you're working with actors, you're working with crew. It's collaborative which I love. It's more than just you as a director. It's everyone around you that's making your vision work."