One of the underrated sources of Pinoy Pride today, UST alumnus makes Cannes entry via Pixar Films’ “Inside Out”. The successful UST alumnus is Ronaldo “Ronnie” del Carmen. His feat of co-directing (with Pete Docter) the animated film about how the mind works is happily reported by his fellow UST alumnus, Inquirer Hollywood correspondent Ruben V. Nepales.

Yes the topic where the UST alumnus makes Cannes entry is about the mind. The mind handles several emotions that most of us do not understand. What more if presented in a film with kids in mind as audiences? A fun romp is expected without making it look complicated but inventive and imaginative. The moment audiences discovered that these emotions are converted into characters residing in humans’ heads, expectations shot through the roof.

A story that everyone can relate to

The main character whose emotions the story chose to focus is Riley. And the main emotions are human-like characters appropriately named Disgust (voiced by Mindy Kaling), Fear (voiced by Bill Hader), Anger (voiced by Lewis Black), Sadness (voiced by Phyllis Smith), and Joy (voiced by Amy Poehler). So where did del Carmen get his idea? It does not happen everyday that UST alumnus makes Cannes entry with a Filipino sharing directing credits.

Ronaldo del Carmen earned a degree in Fine Arts major in Advertising at the University of Santo Tomas. The UST alumnus makes Cannes entry in the out-of-competition category. He shared the main inspiration for this film – his daughter. Del Carmen had to move his family with him upon bagging a job at Pixar in San Francisco. The same emotional turmoil that Riley went through in the film was based partly in the stress that he saw in his daughter’s eyes. He shared to Inquirer how his daughter cried upon coming home because no one talks to her. Being new makes it hard for her to make friends. It broke even her dad’s heart.

It was not the first time he moved his kids due to his work. The first time he took his family to the US was when he got a job in the Midwest. His kids were aged 8 and 6 then. Then they moved to the Bay Area when his kids were already at middle school. This was one of the concepts behind “Inside Out”. The UST alumnus makes Cannes entry possible by presenting a story that kids and parents alike can relate.

Every parent wanted their children to be happy. Audiences can easily relate to Riley this way. At the same time, they can relate to Joy too. Joy is that part of our brain that keeps on reminding us to be happy. Joy and Sadness will always be part of the main set of emotions though. Sadness makes most of Joy’s attempts at keeping Riley happy difficult. This is the main conflict in “Inside Out”. As the UST alumnus makes Cannes entry, he makes “Inside Out” as a light-hearted way to assess emotions that even del Carmen himself and his fellow director, Pete Docter, handled.

Returning as the UST Alumnus Makes Cannes Entry

In between his schedule now as a UST alumnus makes Cannes entry this year, he still finds time to return to UST. He walked around the campus where he met his wife and former classmate.

Since he can manage to go back-and-forth to the Philippines, he would provide lectures in universities. He would be invited as a resource speaker in events within the animation industry. Since the UST alumnus makes Cannes entry just recently, knowing how talented homegrown animators can go, the challenge of making this talent go global is a topic openly discussed.

The art of telling stories, according to del Carmen, should start at home. Authenticity is one of the keys to how a UST alumnus makes Cannes entry possible. He then shared his insight:

We should not tell our stories as if we were from a different country or culture. We need to tell stories about ourselves, our families, our culture …

This is why even his childhood in Cavite is a source of inspiration for “Inside Out”. The UST alumnus makes Cannes entry from a craft that he nurtured and honed through the years. It is a constant evolution from simply sharing an experience or a story to getting feedback on how it can be done better. For him, there are no small stories. Just story-telling methods that keep on improving in every turn.

Ronaldo del Carmen’s story as a UST alumnus makes Cannes entry brings inspiration to students currently studying at UST. But his advice regarding authentic story-telling is the easiest to remember. This gives courage to everyone with a story to share but not enough confidence to do it. Very inspiring indeed.

Stories like these inspire readers more than the story-tellers think they could. Surely, there would be more stories to come. Keep yourself updated with the latest articles here at the iChill Theater Cafe blog. Like our official Facebook page and follow us on Twitter @iChillTheater. See you around.