MEET THE DIRECTOR Samantha Lee returns to the 19th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival with Rookie (Photo Trish Shishikura)

After directing Baka Bukas (Maybe Tomorrow) and Billie and Emma, Samantha Lee is back with Rookie for the 19th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival happening next month.

From the screenplay of Natts Jadaone, Rookie is about the developing romance of Ace and Jana as they discover their feelings for each other in a volleyball camp. “The script was something that interested me because it reminded me a lot of my experiences when I was younger because I was also the captain of my high school basketball team,” says Samantha.

It is important for queer people to be able to tell their unique queer stories. “Growing up in the Philippines, I never saw a representation of myself (or the self I wanted to be) in local media,” muses the University of the Philippines Diliman graduate. “There were some lesbians, yes, but they weren’t images I could relate to.”

For Samantha, these characters had no depth, no other purpose to serve in the narrative other than to provide some cheap laughs.

In most films, lesbians were portrayed as hypermasculine, a trusty sidekick, or a punchline to a joke. “In a world where mass media has the power to shape mass consciousness, the imagery that people see onscreen can influence their perception of what is real, of what is acceptable,” says the multimedia editor for CNN Philippines Life.

Samantha is keen on fighting for the rights of the LGBTQ+ community using cinema and the arts. “If people think we don’t exist, then we are unable to fight for our rights effectively,” she stresses. “If people think our lives aren’t morally acceptable to be portrayed onscreen, if we only serve as punchlines to jokes, or a lesson to be taught, then how can we be seen as equal?”

Growing up, Samantha craved for stories or films about her experiences but found little. “I’ve always said that my work is what I needed to see when I was younger, things that would have made me accept who I was much sooner,” she says. “I didn’t come out until I was 23 so a part of me mourns all the benchmarks of adolescence I could have experienced if I had come out sooner.”

BEHIND THE SCENES Samantha Lee's Rookie centers around a six-footer teen forced to learn and play volleyball

Samantha puts all her experiences in her body of work, hoping that the new generation of young queers will not be left behind and never miss out these milestones. “That a young queer person living in the Philippines never has to feel that they are less than (anyone) just for being themselves,” says the Emerging Talent Award of Outfest 2017. “I hope they know that they deserve to feel just as happy and just as loved, and just as safe, and that they deserve their own happy endings too.”
Her biggest challenge in making Rookie “was the lack of time and funding to be able to do all the things we wanted to do,” she says. “I understand now why sports films rarely get made in the Philippines.”

Rookie was given a Special Mention award at the SEAPITCH (Southeast Asian Project Pitch) 2022.

Having been a finalist at QCinema International Film Festival and Cinema One Originals, Samantha never thought she would be taking part in Cinemalaya. “Going to Cinemalaya when I was taking up Film in UP was kind of like a rite of passage for me and my friends,” she says.  “Cinemalaya is known for programming just specific types of films, so I’m happy and excited that Rookie is a part of it this year!”
Coming to PICC and Ayala cinemas next month, from Aug. 4 to 13, the cast includes Aya Fernandez, Pat Tingjuy, and Agot Isidro.