Who is your greatest teacher in life?
This the question that the 2022 Metro Manila Film Festival entry, My Teacher, will have audiences asking themselves, as the Toni Gonzaga starrer explores the impact of teachers in people's lives.
In her return to the big screen, Toni stars alongside veteran comedian and host, Joey De Leon, whom the actress-host regards as one of her very first mentors in show business.
In My Teacher, Toni is Emma Bonifacio, an OFW teacher unjustly dismissed from her former school abroad. She decides to come home and accept the offer to teach senior high students at San Roque National High School in her hometown. By doing so, she's forced to confront past issues that made her leave in the first place.
Not making Emma's situation any better is the class assigned to her, Section Ipil-Ipil, which is notorious for its delinquent and difficult students. But despite her initial reservation, this teacher is not one to back down from a challenge. committing to help her "hopeless" student graduate.
Emma's new teaching job takes a more challenging turn when she meets her senior student, Solomon, played by Joey De Leon. He's already in his 70s, but he's determined to finish school and "learn English" to communicate with his daughter and granddaughter in the US.
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| The Cast of My Teacher at the Mediacon |
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| Pauline Mendoza, Kych Minemoto & Isaiah Dela Cruz |
Emma and Solomon's relationship gets off to a bad start due to clashing views on how to best teach the section Ipil-Ipil students. However, teacher and student will soon see each other in a different light. Emma looking up to Solomon as a father figure, while Solomn treating Emma like his own daughter. Together, they work hand-in-hand in helping section Ipil-Ipil survive academic and personal struggles, and succeed not just in their senior year but also in life.
Joining Toni and Joey in the cast are Ronnie Alonte, Loisa Andalio, Carmi Martin, Cacai Bautista, Kych Minemoto, Pauline Mendoza and Isaiah Dela Cruz.
Directed by Paul Soriano, My Teacher, an official entry to Metro Manila Film Festival is showing in cinemas Dec 25, 2022.
While Joey, who is also considered the "heart of the project", has made some special or limited appearances in film projects in the last 10 years, he hasn't done a lead cast role in over a decade.
He had a straightforward answer as to why he readily said yes to My Teacher: It's because of Toni.
"Si Toni ang nag pitch sa akin. Binasa ko ang script at nagustuhan ko ang kwento," Joey said.
"Basta para kay Toni, gagawin ko. Malakas si Toni sa akin."
As for Toni, it has been a privilege reconnecting with her mentor, Joey, in an acting project. Even as she has already built for herself a successful career straddling both traditional and digital platforms, the lessons she learned as a newcomer from one of the stalwarts of Eat Bulaga remain invaluable to this day. To recall, Toni had her hosting break via the country's longest-running noontime program.
"Actually dati pa, 2020 pa nung I texted Tito Joey because I consider him as my mentor in the industry. I remember when I was starting out, my father would always tell me, ' When you enter the business, don't idolize the most famous. Idolize those who lasted the longest in the industry because it's easy to achieve fame but the most difficult to achieve is longevity,'" Toni recalled in an interview her Daddy Bonoy's advice to study the work ethic and mentality of these veterans.
When she had the chance to join Eat Bulagas as a teenager, Toni made it a point to "observer" Joey as a host, always "talking to him and asking him questions" about the craft. One of the things he taught her was how to carry on with the show even if it meant she would have to do it on her own.
"I would never forget, when I was a co-host on Eat Bulaga, I was still very young at that time, there was a strong typhoon and only a few of us made it to the studio due to the floods", Toni looked back. "I was so nervous because Paolo (Ballesteros) wasn't there, hosts my age (weren't there), and I was thinking, 'How can I do these alone?'"
She continued, " I remember Tito Joey telling me, don't be nervous, don't be afraid. If you're a host, even if you're the only one in front of the cameras, you have to hold your own, don't rely on other people. To this day, I will never forget that. The moment na isalang ka sa TV and you're holding the microphone, you can't rely on anyone else except yourself. Kailangan itawid mo ang programa, maitawid mo lahat yun ng mag-isa na hindi umasa kanino man. Don't depend on the writer, don't depend on the cameraman either. Kahit magkabali-baliktad ang camera, trabaho mo maitaiwid mo yung nais mong maiparating sa audience"
That's why every time Toni sees Joey, she is reminded of how important it is to find a mentor who is willing to share experiences and life-long lessons.
What a privilege it is to work with a legend in the industry. And it's so nice to absorb his wisdom," she said.
"Actually, the mere presence of Tito Joey on set, alam mo na yung seasoned sa industry. Whenever he arrives on the set, you feel you're in the company of one of the pillars, one of the legends, in the industry. It's such a great feeling to do scenes with him." My Teacher also features a refreshing mix of young actors from different networks. Playing Section Ipil-Ipil students are ABS-CBN Star Magic's Loisa Andalio and Ronnie Alone, whose dream was to work with Joey, and also from Star Magic is Isaiah Dela Cruz; GMA Sparkle's Pauline Mendoza and Hannah Arguelles; and Idea First's Kych Minemoto.
Bringing a riot of laughter and undeniable comedic prowess to the film are Rufa Mae
Quinto as statistics teacher and Emma's BFF Golda, Kakai Bautista as the highly-competitive Section 1 adviser Ma'am Love, and Carmi Martin, the tough and quirky principal Mrs. Mission.
Meanwhile, My Teacher is not just an opportunity to celebrate educators, the unsung heroes of our lives, but it's also the producers' way of reaching out to the audiences to help the local movie industry get back on its feet. My Teacher is the first collaboration, "a marriage of sorts," of Toni's TinCan Films and her husband Paul Soriano's Ten17P. Direk Paul, who first directed Toni in the music video for her hit song Catch Me, I'm Fallin (2007) and last directed her in the film A Journey Home (2009), also serves as the film's director.
The country's filmmaking scene became one of the most severely-affected industries during the pandemic lockdowns, with productions halted, theaters shuttered and film workers displaced. As this year's MMFF fully returns to in-person theatrical screenings, it is Toni's sincere hope that audiences make their way back to the cinemas and support the complete slate of entries. The filmfest opens on Christmas Day, Dec. 25.
"MMFF is a yearly initiative of pushing and encouraging our viewers to support Filipino films (so as) to help our local industry. Para unti-unti na mababangon ang local entertainment industry, especially when it comes to movies. So, sana yung mga kababayan natin will participate in the MMFF and support our local film industry. It will be a huge help to our film workers."
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