Shot entirely in Hong Kong, the film – starring Kathryn Bernardo as Joy, a struggling domestic helper, and Alden Richards as a bartender – is the highest-grossing Filipino film of all time, making more than US$17 million worldwide. The film grabbed top spot from another one of Garcia-Sampana’s romcoms, the 2018 hit The Hows of Us.
Don’t call me gweilo: how Michael Wong got his break in Michelle Yeoh film
Don’t call me gweilo: how Michael Wong got his break in Michelle Yeoh film
But making a number-one blockbuster wasn’t Garcia-Sampana’s main aim. Drawing attention to the vital role of Overseas Filipino Workers (OFW) was.
“It’s very hard to work in another country – and not all employers are good to our overseas workers. That’s the sad reality,” she says. “In the Philippines, we call OFWs heroes because of the sacrifices they make.”
According to the Philippines Statistics Authority, there were an estimated 1.96 million Filipinos working overseas between April to September 2022, the latest period for which data is available, with most working in construction and factories and as domestic helpers and agricultural labourers.
Most (80 per cent) work in Asia, in places including Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Kuwait, Singapore and Qatar. About 200,000 Filipinos work in Hong Kong – the largest ethnic minority group in the city – with most working as domestic helpers.
Garcia-Sampana says overseas Filipino workers are learning to love themselves more.
“Their happiness matters,” Garcia-Sampana says, “and we wanted to feature that, we wanted everyone, not just Joy, the character in the movie, to have that level of something you live for – your own happiness.
“And so it’s not just about women empowerment, it’s for everyone. Whether you’re a man or a woman, you always leave a little portion of what you have for yourself.”
Shining a light on the contribution OFWs make to the Philippines’ economy was also important. Remittances – money sent back home by OFWs – grew 3.6 per cent to US$36.1 billion in 2022, accounting for 8.9 per cent of the country’s gross domestic product.
But the making of Hello, Love, Goodbye, which is available on Netflix, could have been a very different story. Timing was key.
“We wrapped up production in Hong Kong about a week before it erupted into protests … I remember being back home and watching the news of Hong Kong and seeing some of the spots where we filmed up in flames.”
Enough of Macau as Hollywood backdrop – filmmakers tell its real story now
Enough of Macau as Hollywood backdrop – filmmakers tell its real story now
Last week Garcia-Sampana was back in Hong Kong, this time for the screening of her new short film, Toss Coin, which is part of the Hong Kong Tourism Board’s (HKTB) micro-film series called “Hong Kong in the Lens by Asian Directors”.
“I got so excited when I heard I was one of three directors in Asia to get an invitation from the tourism board to join the festival line-up,” she says.
The other two directors involved with the project are Nattawut Poonpiriya from Thailand, known for his box-office hit Bad Genius, and South Korean director Kang Yoon-Sung who directed the 2017 blockbuster The Outlaws.
I didn’t want to show Hong Kong’s grittier side – not the busy streets or the noise or how life is so fast-paced
The brief of the micro-film series, which was selected as part of this year’s Hong Kong Asian Film Festival, was to showcase Hong Kong’s rich arts and cultural sides as well as its nightlife.
“The power of movies extends far beyond mere entertainment – they can entice travellers to explore in person the places they have seen on screen,” Cheng says.
“Through the lens of the acclaimed directors and popular actors in the three key source markets in Asia for Hong Kong, this micro-film series presents Hong Kong’s diverse tourism appeals and broadens its exposure,” he says.
“On top of the screening, we will roll out promotions centred around the featured filming locations to inspire visitors to explore Hong Kong in person.”
For Garcia-Sampana, the biggest challenge with her first micro-film was cramming everything into 12 minutes.
“I didn’t want to show Hong Kong’s grittier side – not the busy streets or the noise or how life is so fast-paced,” she says.
“When I came back to the city I saw its soft side at some of the locations, places where you take your time and smell the air and feel the breeze, so I wanted to show that in the film. I want to slow down the tempo and show Hong Kong in a more romantic light.”
Toss Coin focuses on Hong Kong’s cultural hotspots, including M+ in the West Kowloon Cultural District, murals in Sai Kung, and the Hong Kong Museum of Art and PMQ in Central.
It’s not the first time she has helped promote Hong Kong. So popular was Hello, Love, Goodbye that tourists from the Philippines came to the city looking for selfies at some of the shooting locations.
Seeing an opportunity, the HKTB was set to launch a Hello, Love, Goodbye-targeted campaign focusing on locations in the film, from the Avenue of Stars in Tsim Sha Tsui to Cheung Chau Island and the Lion Rock Hiking Trail. Then the Covid-19 pandemic hit and the plans were put on hold.
Garcia-Sampana says that when she was back in Hong Kong she was keen to try some of the food she fell in love with during the filming in 2019.
“I love the dishes from dai pai dongs,” she says, referring to traditional open-air food stalls. “I recall one place in Whampoa where I had the best steamed bean curd.”
As for the future, she craves a simple life.
“I come from a family where women are strong. The Philippine film industry back when I started, maybe 20 per cent were female, but I did not see it as a problem or as a challenge. I’m a home person – in fact my dream is to be a housewife,” she says.
In May, Garcia-Sampana – who has two children, aged 17 and 18, from a previous marriage – tied the knot with cinematographer Louie Sampana in a pretty-as-a-picture beach wedding.
“For a while we did not tell people because people judge – it’s almost like a taboo when it’s the woman who is much older than the man. But then we thought, ‘Oh, who cares?’” says the 51-year-old of the 20-year age gap.
“My sister lives in New Zealand and we eventually want to live there. We love the trees, the rural areas. I want the mountains, I want the quiet parts. I can garden and he can fish.
“But when I say I am retiring, a project comes up which interests me and I say, ‘OK, I’ll do that first and then I’ll move.’”
She says that a feature film is waiting for her in Manila.
“It’s a love story, but this will be a bit edgier.” Edgy, but wholesome. “I always make sure that my movies can be watched by my children.”
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Khushi Patel is a science fiction author who lives in Austin, Texas. She has published three novels, and her work has been praised for its originality and imagination. Khushi is a graduate of Rice University, and she has worked as a software engineer. She is a member of the Science Fiction Writers of America, and her books have been nominated for several awards.
