“Maybe It’s Just The Rain,” a documentary short film directed by Philippines’ defender Reina Bonta, premiered this month at Asian film festivals in California.
Bonta was among a group of Filipino-American players on the first Philippines team to qualify for the Women’s World Cup. The Filipinas upset 2023 co-host New Zealand, 1-0, before exiting in the first round. After intimate scenes from the World Cup, the film pivots to Bonta’s post-tournament journey with her “Lola” (grandmother) Cynthia Bonta, to her home province in the Philippines.
Cynthia Bonta recalls going into hiding during the Japanese World War II invasion and her post-war childhood in Dumaguete City. After emigrating to the USA, she became a community organizer and activist in California.
Cynthia’s son Rob Bonta, Reina’s father, is the first Filipino-American Attorney General of California. He played soccer at Yale, was part of the U-20 national team pool in the early 1990s, and played for 1996 USISL runner-up SF Seals.
Reina Bonta starred at Yale after youth soccer with De Anza Force. She debuted for the Philippines in 2022 and joined Brazil’s Santos in early 2023.
“Maybe It’s Just The Rain” premiered this at Asian Pacific Film Festival in Los Angeles and CAAMFest in San Francisco.
- SA Reading:
Reina Bonta on playing pro ball in Brazil: Friendships, fireworks and creative futebol By Reina Bonta
Californian Reina Bonta on playing for Brazil’s Santos FC and the Philippines: ‘Experiencing something very special’ By Mike Woitalla
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