Payong

Rooted in Filipino realities – both concrete and cinematically reimagined – John Torres’ meticulous yet generous approach is a synthesis of the personal and the political. Assembling fragments of discordant images and murmuring voices, this inventive parable creates a present that appears alien and a future that feels familiar.

A widowed father must secure a death certificate to bury his daughter, only to learn that without proof she was ever born, the law leaves him no choice but to break it.

In honor of their aging music teacher suddenly retiring, a group of underdogs sets out to give the best Battle of the Bands performance before their moving-up ceremony.

A young woman determined to find her mother is about to become their town's first OFW, sending the townsfolk into a frenzy of over-the-top reactions.

After Faith undergoes a procedure to erase her traumatic childhood memories, she decides to confront the truth about her seemingly happy family.

A short film by Samantha Santelices.

Niño, a high-school graduate from Northern Mindanao, dreams of leaving his small farming town after receiving a scholarship. Inspired by the freedom of birds, or “langgam” in Tandaganon, and despite his mother’s refusal, he leaves for Metro Manila. He learns that in the city, "langgam" holds a different meaning.

A thesis short film by Kyle Demot

After a violent encounter with the police during a rally, a young boy is offered possible release by his detainees at great personal cost.

An unlikely friendship forms when a fifteen-year-old graphic designer helps his stubborn grandmother digitally color her old black-and-white photos. But as they bicker and bond through each photo, they soon realize that memories are anything, but black-and-white.

A commuter waits for a ride under the sweltering Manila heat. As his impatience grows, he sets off on his walk home, putting on a pair of earphones as he begins listening to some music...

In a small farming town, a graduating high school girl struggles to convince her distrustful father to allow her to continue her studies in college after her older sister gets pregnant while being sent to the same university.

A call center applicant manipulates time during his interview only to find out his interviewer could do the same. The two become stuck in a limbo as they accidentally stop time at the same moment, leading them to confront the frozen world together.

A production thesis by Aimeery De Castro.

Facing the imminent death of her people, the leader of a group of young rebels must decide whether she will take the risk of freeing her people by challenging their oppressors: an aging tyrannical king and his loyal knight.

A graduating college student and her ill grandmother explore the nuances of their so-so relationship when grandmother suddenly requests help to acquire a vintage sewing machine. As they accumulate funds, the two realize their occasional bond through a challenging journey alongside grandmother's declining health.