Development

Whether the Weather is Fine has been in development since 2014. The project started from a screenplay by Manatad that did not initially use the typhoon as a backdrop.^[1] However, the completed film is ultimately based on Manatad's personal experiences of the 2013 typhoon in Tacloban.^[7] Manatad's original concept for the film was also more "narrative and dramatic."^[1]

The project received the Asian Cinema Fund, for script development, from the Busan International Film Festival in 2014.^[1][8][9] Manatad and his project were also among the invitees selected in 2016 to be a part of La Fabrique by Les Cinémas du Monde, a professional program collateral to the Cannes Film Festival which helps young directors develop their films.^[10]

In 2017, the film participated in the TorinoFilmLab, where it eventually won a TFL Co-Production Award, in the amount of €50K or ₱2.85M. The following year, Whether the Weather is Fine was selected to be a part of the 14th edition of the Cinéfondation L'Atelier, a program under the auspices of the Cannes Film Festival.^[11] The film also received the Berlinale's World Cinema Fund and substantial funding from the Aide aux Cinémas du Monde (France's World Cinema Support) and Institut Français, both in 2019.^[12][13] In 2021, the film received a second award from the TorinoFilmLab, the TFL Audience Design Fund.^[14]

Through these development labs, as well as Manatad's success in submitting a short film to the Cannes Film Festival (Jodilerks in la Semaine de la Critique in 2017), he was able to attract interested producers to the project.^[1] The film ultimately became a co-production between six different countries, and its international rights were picked up by Beijing-based distributor Rediance.^[1][15]

Casting

Manatad has described the cast as a "good mix", as it includes a veteran actress (Santos-Concio), a popular actor (Padilla), and a rising talent (Rifol).^[16] Manatad had long wanted to work with Padilla, but was uncertain if he would be able to secure him for the project.^[16] Padilla, who is mostly known for his love team romantic comedies and dramas with actress Kathryn Bernardo, did not join the project immediately. Concerned that the material was too heavy and that he would not be able to give justice to the role, Padilla eventually accepted the role after being given two weeks to decide by Manatad.^[17] Manatad has stated that Padilla was able to embody his character more easily because he is a native speaker of Waray.^[16]

The film also features actress Rans Rifol in her film debut. Rifol was formerly with the Filipina girl group MNL48 before switching to acting.^[18]

Filming

Principal photography for the film was completed in February 2020.^[18]