Filipino director Antoinette Gadon has unveiled the trailer for her latest film, “Sunshine,” set to have its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival.
The film, which was selected for the Toronto International Film Festival's Centrepiece programme, deals with the sensitive issue of teenage pregnancy and abortion in the Philippines, and also highlights the difficulties faced by aspiring Olympic athletes.
Sunshine follows a young gymnast who discovers she is pregnant shortly before the national team tryouts. The film explores the challenges faced by pregnant women in the predominantly Catholic Philippines, where abortion is illegal and unsafe procedures are common.
Known for films like That Thing Called Tadhana and Fangirl, Jadaun seeks to highlight pressing social issues. “‘Sunshine’ represents the hundreds of thousands of girls who became pregnant as teenagers,” the director says. “Some 500 Filipino teenage girls become mothers every day.”
The film stars Maris Racal as the lead. Racal said, “I am grateful to have played this important role especially since abortion is a very sensitive topic in the Philippines. I learned the burden you carry when you are an athlete, the things you have to give up and the hours you have to dedicate to training.”
The film also addresses the struggles of athletes in underfunded sports, with the Gymnastics Association of the Philippines working together to ensure accurate representation. This aspect of the story resonates with the current climate in Philippine sports, as Jadon notes: “With the meteoric rise of Filipinos aiming for gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics, now is the time more than ever to tell stories of local athletes fighting every day for their dreams.”
“Sunshine” was produced by Project 8 Projects, Anima Studios, Happy Infinite, and Clawy Duck. The film received support from several film development programs, including Busan Asian Film School, Full Circle Film Lab, Film Development Council of the Philippines, and CreatePH.
“Sunshine deals with a taboo subject that is of utmost importance in a world that constantly hinders women’s freedom to control their bodies,” said producer Bianca Balbuena of Anima Studios.
Watch the trailer here:
The 49th Toronto International Film Festival takes place from September 5 to 15. Gadon and producer Gio Lomontade will be attending the festival to represent “Sunshine.”
