Better Dead Than Dying

A struggling shirt printer reconnects with his aging father, the former owner of their now-fading family business, as they confront the changes time has brought to their craft and relationship.

Two farm boys, Isagani and Tomas, accidentally start a catastrophic rumor mill that an old farmer, Nong Anil, is a witch, as they always catch the wind coming when he whistles, driven by the belief that this is a long-forgotten practice of witches.

A handmade spear, oval mask, and single makeshift fin is all that a Sama Dilaut diver needs to brave the waters—scouting seafloors bare with breaths held. Eksmen entails the extraordinary diving ability of Badjaos (Sama Dilaut) in Simunul, Tawi-Tawi, in which a similar case has sparked inspiration in biological and physio-ecological research. The sea is their home and source of livelihood, but as they voyage to the open waters, bits of their culture is swept by the passing tides of time. A question lingers: should the Sama Dilaut cling to their ways of life, or should their adaptive nature be utilized to instead keep up with the fast-paced society? Uncover the hidden, revolutionary potential of indigenous breath hold diving, and plunge into the abyss where culture and science intertwine.