Our selection of girls’ love (GL) stories and queer media just got bigger, and we have this new student-led mini-series to thank. For most of us, true love might feel a lot like a scene from our favorite romantic comedy (rom-com). But for these two headstrong university rivals, it’s anything but.
Meet Rosalinda “Ros” Mahalamanan and Madeleine “Maddy” Miranda, two outstanding students who can’t see eye to eye. Together, they make up the heart and soul of Ours to Write (OTW) Productions’ Sine Sana, a four-episode sapphic web series by Communication majors of the University of the Philippines – Baguio (UPB). With cheeky banter, heated arguments, and undeniable chemistry in every chapter, Sine Sana has all the makings of a classic enemies-to-lovers dynamic with a touch of Pride Month feels.
Photo: Ours to Write
Sine Sana began as a rough draft that carried heaps of potential. With proper guidance, the right support system, and a team with unparalleled passion for queer narratives, the project blossomed into a labor of love that OTW produced for UPB’s Program Planning and Building course.
Soon enough, Sine Sana has successfully brought color and light to our timelines throughout Pride Month. The series has garnered over 600,000 likes online so far—a major win for local sapphic media, as well as every Ros and Maddy in our lives who longs to be seen, loved, accepted, and celebrated unconditionally.
If you haven’t watched Sine Sana yet, there’s still plenty of time to board the “RosMad” hype train on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok. Our chat with OTW Productions delves deeper into their relationship and the conversations the series has sparked on female-led queer narratives in mainstream media.
Two Young Women from Opposite Worlds
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“‘Old money’ meets no money” in Sine Sana, as Ros and Maddy struggle to find common ground beyond their academic accomplishments.
Ros is a bubbly working student who’s almost always on the clock, while the nonchalant Maddy prides herself on a well-off upbringing and remarkable influence over her schoolmates. Chaos ensues when the two pair up in class to review an iconic Filipino romance film of their choice. But it won’t be long until a deeper bond forms beneath their disagreements.
This timeless “opposites attract” dynamic finds a new purpose in Sine Sana, which Ros and Maddy’s actresses have brought to light.
“The love and support we’re receiving [online] feels like a stepping stone towards embracing who I really am and finding peace in being known,” shares Rizza Dequilla, who plays Ros. “So many [queer] stories are still overlooked or underrepresented. Seeing works like ours take up space matters so much. The more films and shows like [Sine Sana] reach wider audiences, the more inclusive Philippine media can become.”
Lucci Castillo, Maddy’s portrayer, adds, “Sine Sana is a love letter to the sapphic community. It puts queerness in a tender light and offers a fun twist on the classic Filipino rom-com that everyone can get behind. It’s already an honor to witness OTW’s vision take flight, but it’s another thing entirely to see LGBTQIA+ Filipinos embrace the series altogether.”
Nods to the Local Love Stories That Shaped Us
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Ros and Maddy’s journey wouldn’t be complete without the iconic Filipino films they take after—namely, She’s Dating the Gangster (2014) and I’m Drunk, I Love You (2017). They go back and forth trying to settle on one movie to review, unaware that the same titles they’re debating over will also fuel their budding romance.
Sine Sana jumps from Ros and Maddy in the present to their imaginations, where they transform into the leads of their chosen films. From butting heads as Athena and Kenji to learning the ropes of yearning as Carson and Dio, the two young women soon discover that their true feelings for each other have been right in front of them all along.
“Nostalgia played a major role in the series’ completion,” Ezekiel Magsumbol, Sine Sana’s co-director, explained. Older youth-oriented movies like First Day High (2006) and Labs Kita, Okey Ka Lang? (1998) also came to mind upon fleshing out each episode.
Finding Love? In This Economy? “RosMad” Can Make It Happen
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Class disparities are a constant focal point in Sine Sana. It’s no secret that Ros and Maddy actually like each other, but addressing that becomes a challenge when they’ve grown up in opposite environments.
As Ros struggles to balance her studies and work, she can’t help but grow distant from Maddy, knowing she has yet to experience the same hardships. Conversely, Maddy can’t figure out how to approach Ros and make amends amid their jam-packed schedules.
Sine Sana doesn’t tiptoe around this gap in the girls’ socioeconomic statuses. They still face various hurdles after putting their “beef” to rest, but their freedom to choose love despite them all is an act of resistance in itself that we can learn a lot from.
Taking Up Space as Queer Filipino Creatives
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Though Sine Sana is reveling in its online prominence now, bringing it to fruition in just 11 days wasn’t free of setbacks and obstacles among the team. The web series’ segment producer, Amanda Villaroman, recalls powering through every shoot with just two vlogging cameras and borrowed equipment.
She shares, “We had ring lights and tofu lights that needed occasional adjustments, two mics that malfunctioned sometimes, a tablet as a teleprompter, and only the free features of our editing apps.” But even those limitations didn’t hinder them from finishing a student production on a high note.
“We simply learned from our mistakes to fully grasp what we were doing because these things aren’t just taught inside the classroom,” adds Hezekiel Oliva, Sine Sana’s director. “Thanks to our post-shoot assessments, we got to pinpoint errors and help one another improve.”
Sine Sana’s cast and crew took time out of their hectic schedules to pour their heart into Ros and Maddy’s love story, which they had rooted for since day one. Their Pride Month feats are proof that queer storytellers will always have a place to thrive in this world, no matter how daunting the community’s fight for freedom may get.
ALSO READ: FTLOW Builds Community Spaces for Queer Women in Manila
Have you already watched Sine Sana? What are your favorite scenes from the series? Share your thoughts with us in the comments below!
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