There is a distinct, almost palpable mood to an empty cinema. When we arrived at Sinepop in Cubao, the room was completely still. Rows of empty seats faced a blank screen, and the air carried that familiar, comforting mix of cold air-conditioning and concrete walls. It was that specific, suspended hour of the morning; a liminal space where the day hadn’t quite decided what it was going to become.
Standing there, I couldn’t help but wonder how few people get to see the theater like this—solemn and quiet, so different from the moment the projector flickers on and films begin to fill it with stories. Without the music or dialogue, it feels intimate, almost vulnerable.
When Directors JP Habac and Antoinette Jadaone walked in, there was no dramatic entrance and no movie soundtrack playing. Just two filmmakers entering a space built for the very thing they’ve devoted their lives to— storytelling.
We started as we always do. Adjusting lights. Testing angles. Moving bodies across aisles meant for audiences. It was technical, methodical. But as the shoot unfolded and conversations slipped between takes, the mood changed. The theater no longer felt like just a location for the day. It became a shared space for conversation.
Let Them Talk
When Lino Brocka accepted the Ramon Magsaysay Award in 1985, he declared that the artist is a public person not confined to an ivory tower but accountable to the streets. For him, filmmaking was not an escape. It was a confrontation. The duty was clear: investigate the truth, expose what is wrong, and stand beside those who are silenced.
“The filmmaker, like his fellow artists in different media, has now realized that the artist is also a public person. He does not work in isolation from society. Instead of working alone in his ivory tower he is a citizen of the slums, of the streets, of the battlefield if need be. The artist is always a participant. He tries to be true not only to his craft but also to himself. For it is the supreme duty of the artist to investigate the truth, no matter what forces attempt to hide it. And then to report it to the people, to confront them with it, like a whiplash that will cause wounds but will free the mind from the various fantasies and escapist fare that the Establishment pollutes our minds with.”
Decades later, that conviction echoes differently but just as urgently in the work of JP Habac and Antoinette Jadaone.
Their films explore intimacy, love, heartbreak, and longing, but beneath those stories is the same insistence Brocka demanded: that art must tell the truth. Not just aesthetically, but ethically. What they say on screen, they are willing to unpack off-screen.
Through their podcast, Ang Walang Kwentang Podcast, they extend that responsibility into a more immediate space. The podcast may carry a self-deprecating title, but what it offers is far from trivial. It has become a modern-day plaza—an open forum where difficult emotions are named, where personal experiences are politicized simply by being spoken aloud.
“Tayo kasi as Filipinos, madali tayong makalimot. So parang kahit nangyari lang siya two years ago or five years ago, parang ang bilis natin siyang makalimutan. Especially yung mga nangyari decades ago; parang lalo na 'yan, mas nakalimutan na natin.” Direk JP puts it plainly, leaning forward in his seat as if the thought has been waiting to be said out loud.
“And sobrang apparent yun sa political and social landscape natin ngayon. So I think yung sa podcast, parang important para sa amin ito na kailangan siyang mapag-usapan lagi. Na kahit hindi June, kailangan meron kaming topics on Pride about issues ng community; or kahit hindi March, kailangan may awareness tayo para sa mga kababaihan. Alam mo yun? Parang hindi tayo dapat nagiging kampante lang dahil walang issue na nangyayari, or walang violence at discrimination na nangyayari. Parang kailangan tuloy-tuloy yung ganong klaseng usapan kasi, yun nga, dahil madali tayo makalimot,” he added.
Beside him, Direk Antoinett nods, then adds another layer to the conversation. “Although mas katatawanan at humor yung pinupush namin, hindi siya ‘one episode lang.’ Kasi kapag isang beses lang natin siya pinag-uusapan, dadaan lang siya, mawawala rin… Sure kami na hindi siya one episode lang, kasi it will always find its way into our conversations.”
If Brocka believed films should disturb us enough that we cannot rest, then JP and Tonet disturb in another way: they refuse to let silence win. They normalize conversations about mental health, creative burnout, failed relationships, and industry pressures—subjects often dismissed as private but deeply shaped by culture. In doing so, they prove that participation today can look like dialogue as much as protest, honesty as much as outrage.
Moving Pictures
As the morning light finally settled inside the theater, our conversation naturally shifted to the core of their practice: storytelling.
It is easy to define these two directors by their massive commercial triumphs—the iconic, heartbreak-healing journey of Antoinette’s That Thing Called Tadhana or the agonizingly relatable I'm Drunk, I Love You by JP. But a deeper dive into their filmographies reveals a far more radical agenda.
Beyond the blockbuster romances, they are champions of the unseen. Through culturally disruptive works like Jadaone’s Sunshine—an unflinching, empathetic look at youth and autonomy—and Habac’s unapologetically queer hits Gaya sa Pelikula and Marahuyo Project, they have handed the microphone to marginalized voices. They aren't just making movies and shows, but they are starting a conversation.
For Habac, the glaring gap in the industry is deeply personal. As a proud member of the LGBTQ+ community, he feels the momentum for queer stories has stalled. "Nagkaroon ng surge during the pandemic," he reflects, noting the brief rise of queer narratives and Valentine releases fronted by gay men. "Pero after that, parang nawala. I think kulang pa yung matatapang na mga producers para mag-risk sa mga ganong klaseng kwento." He longs for an industry where financiers are brave enough to bet on the realities of his community, rather than treating them as a passing trend.
Jadaone, meanwhile, points to the geographic and linguistic borders that severely box in local cinema. She notes that the industry remains overwhelmingly Metro Manila-centric, heavily prioritizing stories of urban dwellers speaking Tagalog or English. "Mga kwento from regional filmmakers or mga hindi Metro Manila centric na mga kwento kasi admittedly. Nasa Metro Manila talaga yung center ng pagkukwento eh. Karamihan sa mga kwento natin, urban dwellers, pero Metro Manila. Tapos, Filipino, Tagalog, English yung salita," she explains, highlighting the long-standing hesitation of major studios.
Yet, she challenges this deeply ingrained fear held by producers, pointing out a missed opportunity for true representation: "Pag iba yung language mo, like, waray, ano pa, ilongo, ilokano, syempre kumukonti, supposedly, yung audience. Yun, yung tingin ng producers or tingin natin in general. Pero di pa kasi natin nasusubukan na magkaroon talaga ng isang nationwide release for a full-length film na regional yung kwento tapos regional din yung language na ginamit."
Breaking the Fourth Wall
In filmmaking, the fourth wall is the invisible barrier that separates the audience from the art. For Habac and Jadaone, Ang Walang Kwentang Podcast is their way of tearing that wall down entirely. Despite its playful title, the podcast is a sanctuary for their listeners, affectionately dubbed "Ka-Eme."
The profound necessity of this space became crystal clear in the aftermath of the 2022 Presidential Elections. Habac vividly recalls standing at a campaign headquarters in Katipunan, engulfed in a collective sense of hopelessness. "May sense pa kaya 'yung ginagawa nating mga pelikula?" a fellow director asked that night. "Kaya pa bang baguhin ng pelikula 'yung perception ng mga tao tungkol sa mga bagay-bagay?"
In the face of that political and cultural disillusionment, their promise to their predominantly Gen Z and Millennial listeners is simple: the conversation continues. "Kahit feeling mo walang nangyayari o wala nang pag-asang masolusyonan 'yung mga bagay-bagay, kailangang magpatuloy," Habac insists with a resilient smile. "Lalaban—dahil tayo ay pinalaki ng Sexbomb!"
What started as casual banter has evolved into a heavy social responsibility. Jadaone admits they never intended to build a community, but the intimate nature of the audio format forged a powerful bond. "Kapag may pinag-uusapan sa episodes, it feels like you're talking with your most trusted friends," she explains. Because of this, they refuse to treat the platform as a mere side hustle. "Hindi na pwedeng basta-basta na lang... Itituring namin ang bawat episode gaya ng pag-aalaga namin sa aming mga pelikula."
Ultimately, Ang Walang Kwentang Podcast is a masterclass in courage disguised as comedy. By stepping out from behind the camera and directly into the ears of thousands, JP and Antoinette have done more than just break the fourth wall; they have built a table and invited everyone to sit. As they continue to navigate the complex landscape of Philippine cinema, they remind us that the most radical thing an artist can do today isn't just to tell a story—it's to stay, listen, and keep talking long after the credits roll.
#MetrosceneMagCoverStories | February 2026 COVER: LET THEM TALK ft. Antoinette Jadaone and JP Habac of Ang Walang Kwentang Podcast
Executive Producer, Creative Director, Art Director, and Editor-in-Chief: Elwyn Baccay (@markelwyn)
Photographed by Gaile Geriane (@gailgeriane), assisted by Jutam Meregildo (@jutam_meregildo)
Makeup by Jia Achacruz (@jiaachacruz)
Hairstyling by Patty Cristobal Backie (@iambackie)
Styling by Angelo Vasallo (@angelovasallo__)
On the cover: Direk Antoinette Jadaone is wearing a Dona Lim blazer (@dona.lim) and Fatima Beltran trousers (@fatimabeltrancouture ) and Direk JP Habac is wearing a Fatima Beltran blazer (@fatimabeltrancouture) and a Human Made cap (@humanmade).
Videography and Lights Direction By Hans De Barras (@Bastahans) and Cloyde Godoy (@cloydegodoy)
assisted by Ayessa Espinola (@lxspnl)
Story by Elwyn Baccay (@markelwyn)
Shot at SINEPOP (@sine.pop)
Special thanks to
IM Rentals (@imrentals) for the microphones
#MetrosceneMag
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