MANILA, Philippines—Quark Henares wears many hats: He writes, directs films, commercials and music videos, manages a band and even owns a bar and a recording studio.

But, the one thing that he enjoys doing most is teaching. “For me, it’s the one pure thing—the most rewarding experience ever!,” he tells us with passion.

For six years now, the Ateneo communications management graduate has been teaching in his alma mater. “It’s my way of paying it forward,” Henares declares. “Teaching gives me such a good feeling. In the future, even if I don’t do well myself, I know I’ve played a small part in helping my students become who they are!”

Rules

What kind of teacher is he? “I’m the type who says, ‘Guys, I’ll teach you the basic rules, but I want you to eventually outgrow them. Master the rules, and you can later experiment and add to the language of the cinema.’”

At 26, the son of Vicky Belo and Atom Henares has already made a name for himself as the director who megged a full-length mainstream film at age 21 via the sexy hit movie, “Gamitan,” a film that Quark has not seen in years—and perhaps will not see again, because, he confides, the experience was both painful and traumatic.

“It has something to do with my Catholic guilt,” he admits. “You see your teachers in Ateneo and they’re all saying—hey, why did you do a bold film?” Scarred by that first film experience, Henares soon got back into the groove and, in 2003, surprised everyone by writing and directing his second movie, “Keka.”

Today, he’s wrapping up production work on his next film, “Rokenrol,” and is excited at the prospect of surprising the public once again. Excerpts from our interview:

How did you get into films?

Back in grade school in Montessori, I was already a film fan. I’ve always wanted to become a storyteller, but it took me awhile to find the right medium—until I saw “Pulp Fiction,” which became the triggering point.

After college, I went to New York to study filmmaking; when I got back, I directed music videos for Viva, and that led to the offer to direct “Gamitan.”

Commercial run

Critics noticed you more in “Keka”…

Making “Keka” was one of the happiest moments of my life. It was what I thought filmmaking was all about. Yes, critics loved it. But, when the movie had its commercial run, people were torn about it. I think it hit a nerve.

Is it true that you knelt down in front of Quentin Tarantino when he visited here?

Yes! (Laughs) I said, “Mr. Tarantino, I became a filmmaker because I was inspired by ‘Pulp Fiction!’”

What do your films reveal about you?

From what people say, I like scrutinizing pop culture. I also like love stories because I’m a hopeless romantic. Music is a very strong element in my productions—I don’t just use it as a background.

If you had an unlimited budget, what film would you make?

A romantic comedy set in the future. There would be flying jeepneys and tricycles. I’d show Malate with video screens all over the place!

Popular parents

What was it like growing up with popular parents?

I’m very lucky because, when I was growing up, they were still not popular. My mom became popular when I was in college. There’s this tendency for kids of popular parents to be messed up, because you become mere shadows of them.

When I was starting, I was always introduced as the son of Vicky Belo, and people would ask me, ‘Ba’t ’di ka pa nagpapa-lipo?’ (Laughs)