Manuel was selected from three finalists — the other two being directors from India and Greece — due to Jia's admiration for Filipinana and his wish to provide help to Manuel, who was then preparing to shoot his feature-length movies.

Describing it as a valuable and stimulating experience to become Jia's "protege", Manuel recalls that he originally watched Jia's directorial effort Ash Is Purest White during a flight from London to Manila. He met Jia for the first time at the 70th Berlin International Film Festival in early 2020.

The mentor-protege interaction not only provides Manuel with access to how Jia handles his daily work and obtains his inspiration, but also gives Jia an unexpected chance to examine his initial enthusiasm about cinematic art.

"In the past, I had got used to traveling the world with my movies. However, in the past few years, my identity has turned into 'a resident of Beijing's Chaoyang district'. I have rarely met fellow (foreign) filmmakers," says Jia.

"I think it's important to keep communicating with the world, whether it's for individuals or countries," says the director, adding that he appreciated the two months he spent with Manuel.