Joselito Altarejos

Directing

Joselito Altarejos

Joselito Altarejos is an accomplished Filipino filmmaker having won several prestigious awards in the Philippines as well as internationally. He is well known for his ground-breaking openly gay-themed film features like The Man in the Lighthouse (in Tagalog Ang Lalake sa Parola), Antonio's Secret (in Tagalog Ang Lihim ni Antonio), Kambyo, The Game of Juan's Life (in Tagalog Ang Laro ng Buhay ni Ju…

Known For

The Revolution Knows No GenderThe Revolution Knows No Gender · 2021
The Revolution Knows No Gender
3.02021
MovieDrama
With his family life in shambles amidst the government's war on drugs, a young man transitions from being an ordinary filmmaker to being a full-fledged member of the revolutionary movement, proving that conviction knows no gender.
Antonio's SecretAntonio's Secret · 2008
Antonio's Secret
5.72008
MovieCrimeDrama
The story about a teenage boy, Antonio, whose emerging gay sexuality alienates him from his friends and family, until his libertine uncle, Jonbert, comes to live with him and his mother.
Boy ToysBoy Toys · 2010
Boy Toys
4.82010
MovieDrama
Laruang Lalake is a realist film that portrays the workers within the Filipino gay film industry and their personal stories - from the naughty to the gritty, from the horny to the hopeful. The film weaves the journey of ambitious probinsyano actor Samuel, Marc the idealistic film crew member who is secretly in love with Samuel and Wilredo a filmmaker on the brink of bankruptcy. And then there is also Peejay who is determined to steal a name for himeslf. As the camera grinds between naked bodies in homerotic play, its all in a day's work for eveyone living in a society that is yet to acept the Filipino gay man.
Greatest PerformanceGreatest Performance
Greatest Performance
MovieDramaMystery
During a film shoot where abuse is disguised as artistic direction, a comeback actress commits a devastating performance to survive, exposing how cinema can construct and legitimize violence. In Ang Lihim ni Teresa (Teresa's Secret), she enters a set where authority is absolute and cruelty is framed as discipline. As production unfolds, she loses control over body, emotion, and authorship, where survival is mistaken for consent. When violence escalates, she chooses to live, burying the truth as the director’s collapse is rewritten as myth. The set becomes a crime scene without witnesses. In the aftermath, she is praised for her “courage” while a sound technician retreats into silence. At a commemorative screening, celebration fractures, revealing cinema’s ability to transform violence into narrative and absolution. The myth of the Kataw appears briefly through Ang Lihim ng Kataw (The Secret of Kataw).
Lonely ConnectionsLonely Connections · 2023
Lonely Connections
2023
MovieDrama
The protagonist and his boyfriend Marco have a steady relationship, but when he meets Joaquin at the same time, he develops an unexpected connection.
Tale of the Lost BoysTale of the Lost Boys · 2018
Tale of the Lost Boys
4.62018
MovieDrama
Tale of the Lost Boys is the story of the friendship between two men Alex, a Filipino mechanic, and Jerry, a Taiwanese aborigine student. The two meet randomly when Alex flees to Taipei from Manila, upon learning that his girlfriend is pregnant. A casual conversation develops into a surprising personal connection between them. Both realize that they yearn for a more intimate connection with their mothers, since Alex’s abandoned him for a new family while Jerry is afraid that his traditional parents will reject him for being gay. The two men go on a road trip and end up at Jerry’s tribe. The trip eventually makes them reconnect with their mothers and both discover a certain sense of identity and freedom.
In a Time of UncertaintyIn a Time of Uncertainty · 2025
In a Time of Uncertainty
2025
Movie
In the final hours of 2021, a chance encounter between two out-of-luck young actors leads to an intimate but unstable relationship. With their careers stalled and their emotions unbalanced by the epidemic, they seek solace in each other, but they can't tell if it's love or just a physical need. How do they find true companionship when everything is uncertain, and desire and vulnerability are intertwined?
The Man in the LighthouseThe Man in the Lighthouse · 2007
The Man in the Lighthouse
5.32007
MovieDramaRomance
Mateo is a lighthouse caretaker dating a teacher Suzette. The small town they are in is trying to increase tourism. Jerome stumbles across Mateo and Suzette having sex, whilst he is on holiday from Manila. A local a gay man, who pays local teenage boys for sex, talks to Mateo about the negative aspects of being gay in the Philippines. According to local legend, a lighthouse fairy seduces desirable men who then never marry. Mateo's relationship with Jerome leads to self reevaluation

Filmography

Sort
Greatest PerformanceGreatest Performance
Greatest Performance
MovieDramaMystery
During a film shoot where abuse is disguised as artistic direction, a comeback actress commits a devastating performance to survive, exposing how cinema can construct and legitimize violence. In Ang Lihim ni Teresa (Teresa's Secret), she enters a set where authority is absolute and cruelty is framed as discipline. As production unfolds, she loses control over body, emotion, and authorship, where survival is mistaken for consent. When violence escalates, she chooses to live, burying the truth as the director’s collapse is rewritten as myth. The set becomes a crime scene without witnesses. In the aftermath, she is praised for her “courage” while a sound technician retreats into silence. At a commemorative screening, celebration fractures, revealing cinema’s ability to transform violence into narrative and absolution. The myth of the Kataw appears briefly through Ang Lihim ng Kataw (The Secret of Kataw).

Director

KambyoKambyo · 2008
Kambyo
4.12008
MovieDrama
Great story and a really touching one. It talks about a group of 4 friends going on a road trip, in search for goals and inner-self To "Macky" he's going because he's searching for his long lost best friend from college, whom he had grown to care and loved. To others this was just a vacation or so they thought. Along the travel they realize the emotional and deep attachment to each other, that they are there for each other from best friends to lovers. The story shows some contentment when you finally found the one that you have been searching for. The feeling of doing what you always wanted, its the relief of having said the words that you have been hiding, yet been wanting to shout for a very long time. Its a story of coming clean with your feelings. Kambyo: Filipino from 'gear shift' to adjust your erection to a better position as to either a.) lessen its bulge, or b.) avoid the waistband of your underwear

Story

T.P.O.: Temporary Protection OrderT.P.O.: Temporary Protection Order · 2016
T.P.O.: Temporary Protection Order
4.82016
MovieDrama
Miguel is an abusive husband to Teresa, a former town-beauty queen. They have an eight-year old son, JR. Their small family lives with Miguel’s parents. The family is shattered by the vicious cycle of domestic abuse. After a night of beating, Teresa, goaded by a friend, seeks TPO (Temporary Protection Order) from the court. TPO is a legal remedy that a woman can avail of under Republic Act 9262 (Violence Against Women and Children Law) to protect her and her child against anyone harming them. Teresa is granted the TPO against Miguel. But in this legal tug-of-war of familial rights, their son ,JR, is ignored. Until, he shows aggression in school.But Miguel’s parents coax Miguel to file for Child Custody.

Director

LegacyLegacy · 2012
Legacy
2012
SeriesDrama
Legacy is Filipino drama series created by Dode Cruz, written by Denoy Navarro-Punio, under the directions of Jay Altarejos and Andoy Ranay, and produced and aired by GMA Network. The series premiered on January 16, 2012, replacing the epic series Amaya on GMA Telebabad block and January 18, 2012 worldwide via GMA Pinoy TV. The series features a star-studded cast headed by actresses Heart Evangelista, Lovi Poe and Alessandra de Rossi as the major characters of the story. With them are Sid Lucero, Geoff Eigenmann and Mike Tan as the leading men. This series is set mostly on the fictional beauty company called Legacy Corporation where the three main characters are vying to be the sole heiress of the said company. Also big part of the series are veteran actors Eddie Garcia who plays the role of Don Romualdo Alcantara, the patriarch, founder and president of the Legacy Corporation; and Cherie Gil as the main antagonist. The series concluded on June 1, 2012. It ran for 20 weeks, with 98 episodes all in all. It replaced by Makapiling Kang Muli on its timeslot.

Director