The leads, director, and cast members welcomed press and content creators to the film’s exclusive media launch
MANILA, PHILIPPINES — August 12, 2026 — The table is set for a family reunion like no other! Netflix Philippines’ GANITO, GANYAN, GANOON held its much-anticipated media launch at Casa Buenas, Newport Mall, bringing together leads Jodi Sta. Maria and Agot Isidro, as well as director and screenwriter Cholo H. Laurel, for an afternoon of good food, heartfelt conversations, and stories about finding one’s way back home.
Leading the official launch were Sta. Maria and Isidro, two of the biggest actresses in Philippine entertainment, who opened up about their characters and what it took to prepare for the drama-heavy film.
Isidro, who plays Paz, described her character’s complicated return to her family:
“I made a grand homecoming to a family I did something to in the past. I was an absentee mother. I was the one who really opened the wounds of the family.”
Alongside her is Sta. Maria as Jo, a hyper-independent writer with big dreams. She described how her character’s carefully put-together life is disrupted by Paz’s unexpected return:
“Just when she thought she had it all together, biglang dumating ang isang ‘storm’ sa buhay niya sa katauhan ni Paz. Umuwi para manggulo. Paano siya ngayon mabubuhay sa presensya ng babaeng kilala niya bilang ‘ina’, pero hindi naman nagpaka-ina?”
Director and screenwriter Cholo H. Laurel, who returns to filmmaking after a 10-year hiatus, also shared how Netflix became an important part of bringing the project to life.
“It was in 2018 when I felt that there was a chance to jump into the arena again. With Netflix — they had the proper budget, they had the proper organization. Inantay lang namin ‘yung tamang opportunity, kasi may requirement kami dito sa pelikula.”
That requirement meant bringing the cast together in Marinduque, where the majority of the film was shot at Laurel’s home, Balai La-hi.
While GANITO, GANYAN, GANOON is packaged as a family drama, its creative team also wanted to capture the humor that naturally exists alongside conflict, reflecting the complexities of a typical Filipino family.
Laurel summed it up simply:
“For drama to be effective as a tool, it has to be funny.”
At the heart of the film is the question of forgiveness and whether true closure is possible even when the answers we want never come.
GANITO, GANYAN, GANOON explores these questions through familiar family dynamics, choosing authenticity and honesty over easy answers. Laurel explained that the film does not dictate whether characters should forgive or who is right or wrong, but instead emphasizes the importance of communication:
“It prescribes that we have to resort to proper communication. It requires only that. That you talk. That you expose the wounds. It does not prescribe you to do anything: it does not prescribe you to forgive, to say that this is good, that it is bad – no. It just tells you that this is the Filipino family; these are what relationships are like. You decide.”
Isidro echoed this sentiment, sharing her belief that peace, healing, and forgiveness ultimately come from within.
“I just turned sixty, mas ngayon, parang for everyone, ayaw na natin ng bagahe sa buhay. Naiisip mo na that the healing and forgiveness ay nanggagaling sa sarili. It’s really an inner work.”
The media launch also treated guests to an exclusive clip that offered a glimpse into the chaos awaiting viewers, including one of the film’s two pivotal dining-table scenes.
More than a story about one family, GANITO, GANYAN, GANOON reflects the universal yet deeply Filipino dynamics that shape our relationships with the people closest to us. It asks viewers to consider what they bring to the table, what remains after they leave it, and what it means to return home—even when home is the last place they want to be.
The film invites audiences to sit with uncomfortable feelings and complicated relationships, while exploring how the same wounds can be remembered differently by the people who experienced them.
For Isidro, the film is also a reminder that every person’s experience is valid because it happened. For Sta. Maria, it is about finding empathy for characters whose experiences and stories may reflect realities closer to our own.
Laurel further explained the film’s exploration of truth and the absence of absolute right or wrong:
“Walang absolute na tama, walang absolute na mali. There is good, there is bad, and there is real. And then you piece together why this is happening. Lahat tayo may pinanggagalingan, lahat tayo ay tao lamang.”
Other cast members Gabriel Lazaro and Ruby Ruiz were also in attendance, offering more insight into their respective characters.
Lazaro plays Matti, a troubled character who is also navigating his own journey of self-discovery and reconnecting with his family:
“He’s kind of a troubled guy. Throughout the film, he’s also trying to discover his identity, kind of reconnecting with this side of his family as well.”
Ruiz plays Des, the loyal helper who has quietly witnessed the family’s complicated relationship over the years.
“Para na din nilang kamag-anak; na parang surrogate mother din ni Jodi. Dahil nga wala si Paz. Ako ‘yung nakakakilala ng husto sa pamilya, despite all the odds, despite all the imperfections.”
GANITO, GANYAN, GANOON joins Netflix Philippines’ growing lineup of local productions, bringing distinctly Filipino stories and perspectives to audiences in the Philippines and around the world.
For Sta. Maria, having Filipino stories reach a global audience is an opportunity to showcase the country’s culture, identity, and talent:
“Now, they get to see us. The Filipino people. A glimpse into our culture. Who we are as a people and as a nation. ‘yung great talent na meron ka.”
GANITO, GANYAN, GANOON premieres on Netflix, inviting viewers to come home, take a seat at the table, and confront the stories—and wounds—that families carry with them.
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