Actress and producer Rebecca Chuaunsu nearly canceled the production of her film ‘Her Locket,’ a full-length entry in the upcoming Sinag Maynila Film Festival 2024, due to her husband’s severe illness.
During a media conference held on August 27 at Oriental Palace Seafood Restaurant in Quezon City, Chuaunsu shared the emotional challenges she faced while bringing the project to life.
Chuaunsu, who stars as the lead character Jewel Ouyang, revealed that the role was initially meant for another actress. “We auditioned people for the role of Jewel, but the director thought it would be best if I took on the role,” she said. However, just a day before shooting began, her husband’s health took a turn for the worse, nearly derailing the production.
“With every injection costing almost 500,000 pesos, I was thinking about allocating money for his medical expenses while also managing production costs,” Chuaunsu explained. Despite these overwhelming circumstances, she decided to push through with the film, a project she had been dreaming about for 32 years. “I’ve been dreaming about this for so long, so I said, go.”
Balancing the demands of shooting ‘Her Locket’ with caring for her sick husband was a daunting task. During the film’s production, her husband was hospitalized, and he passed away while they were working on the Mandarin subtitles for the film.
Chuaunsu recounted a poignant moment when her late husband appeared to her in a dream while she was attending a film festival in Morocco. “On the 40th day of his passing, he appeared to me, looking young again but with a feeble voice, telling me, ‘Rebecca, I haven’t died.’” That same evening, she was awarded Best Actress at the Festival International du Film Transsaharien de Zagora in Morocco for her role as Jewel Ouyang in ‘Her Locket.’
Since then, Chuaunsu has been taking Her Locket to film festivals around the world, including Cannes and London. “I bring this film to different countries. In Morocco, young Muslim girls helped me spread the word about the film, even though we couldn’t speak the same language. I go to Bangladesh, where I was asked to talk about women empowerment,” she shared.
‘Her Locket,’ based on a true story, centers on a locket necklace that helps a Chinese woman with dementia recover her past memories. The film is deeply personal for Chuaunsu, as it draws from her own family’s history and explores themes of favoritism and gender bias.
Playing the complex role of Jewel was challenging for Chuaunsu, who admitted that she initially felt apprehensive. “I was scared because I don’t have dementia yet. I researched and interviewed dementia patients, mostly my aunties and older sister, without them knowing I was studying them,” she said. The role also required her to speak Malay and tap into deep emotional reserves, making it one of the most difficult parts she has ever played.
When asked whether she would prefer to win awards at Sinag Maynila or have the film widely seen by audiences, Chuaunsu expressed a desire for both. “I’d like more and more people to watch it, that’s our goal. Winning awards would be the cream of the crop.”
‘Her Locket,’ directed by J.E. Tiglao and produced by Rebecca Chuaunsu Film Production in cooperation with Rebelde Films, is one of the official entries in the Sinag Maynila Film Festival 2024. The festival will run from September 4 to 10, 2024, under the direction of Brillante Mendoza and in partnership with the City of Manila.
The film will be screened at Gateway 2, SM Cinemas in NCR, Robinsons Galleria and Manila, and Market! Market! Cinema. The cast includes Elora Españo, Boo Gabunada, Sophie Ng, and Benedict Cua.
