The Other Philippine History Textbook by Christine L. Diaz

Did being a woman help or hinder you on this film?Ī: I think sometimes it was to my advantage. Q: The rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle is very male-centric.

It would have been deemed a vanity project, which it isn’t. If Journey had funded it, there would have been strings attached to it.

Q: Didn’t the band want to kick in some funds?Ī: There are certain boundaries you don’t cross. The title song, “Don’t Stop Believin’” that’s us - the crew, me and my producer. So it was on our dime, on our credit cards, small investments from family. Was it easy to raise the money because of the band’s name?Ī: I’ve done three other features and I thought it would be very easy to fundraise for this because (the subject matter) is very accessible, but no. Q: The budget for this documentary was under $2 million. There were certain things I don’t think I would have gotten from him emotionally or with such strength and passion if he had to stick to English. I actually encouraged him to speak Filipino in the documentary. Sometimes the same sentence is a mixture of both.Ī: We call that ‘Taglish.’ Taglish is very common in the Philippines. Q: In the film Pineda switches between speaking English and Tagalog. The second year he had a roadie, his wife was traveling with him, and it would have been a completely different dynamic. We (a crew of five) became his sounding board because no one else was traveling with him. That first summer when he toured with Journey, he had no entourage. Did it help that you were Filipino?Ī: I think so, mostly because of the language. Q: It seems like you really bonded with Pineda. He saw this as an opportunity for him to really get his life together. He had already lived the rock ‘n’ roll life, even without the money - the drugs, the women. I think he was 40 the year he joined the band. Success happened to him later in his life. I can handle rock bands!Ī: He was a street kid in Manila. After that experience, I thought, I can handle anything now. She ended up suing me because she didn’t like the film. She was very powerful and she was difficult.

Q: Were you worried about dealing with all the different personalities of a famous band?Ī: My very first film was about the former first lady of the Philippines, Imelda Marcos. She spoke to Reuters about Pineda’s story and working with the band. “Don’t Stop Believin’: Everyman’s Journey,” directed by Filipino-American filmmaker Ramona Diaz, picks up Pineda’s story soon after he was chosen to join Journey in 2007 after the group saw him on YouTube.ĭiaz’s documentary film opens in theaters on Friday. rock band Journey chose unknown Filipino singer Arnel Pineda to become their new frontman it inspired a filmmaker to capture his rise from obscurity in the streets of Manila to performing on arena stages. LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - When veteran U.S. Singer Arnel Pineda of Journey performs at the 2012 CMT Music Awards in Nashville, Tennessee, June 6, 2012.

The Other Philippine History Textbook by Christine L. Diaz