The Debut (2000)

Filipino-American high school student Ben (Dante Basco) works in a comic book shop to earn money to pay his way into Cal Arts. His father, a postman, is determined that his son–who has won a pre-med scholarship to UCLA–will become a doctor. The eighteenth birthday party of Ben’s sister, Rose, sets off a comedic and touching series of events and family struggles that will in turn determine young Ben’s future. This fresh independent production from Gene Cajayon presents a lighthearted and warm coming-of-age tale filtered through the eyes of an American subculture rarely seen on film.
Gene Cajayon
Dante Basco, Jayson Schaal, Brian Card, Mindy Spence, Nicole Hawkyard, Brandon Martinez, Ernie Zarate, Gina Alajar, Bernadette Balagtas, Derek Basco, Joy Bisco, Rawlins Apilado, Tirso Cruz III, Darion Basco, Dion Basco, Eddie Garcia
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