Baconaua

A mischievous child arrives on an enigmatic island and learns the value of time and life as he finds his way back home to his father.

A story of Ilyong, recently-dead man killed by the police, after he was caught stealing. This is the beginning of his story, his death. Soon after, he was brought into a sleazy funeral home, run by Violet, a greedy homosexual who has learned to survive by renting out the dead bodies in his funeral home to Simon. Along for the ride is Jojo, a police officer who is under the payroll of Simon and who supplies the dead bodies for Violet to take care of and make money from. Violet has two workers, On-on and Dyograd.

Inspired by the actual story of one of the youngest mothers in Philippine history, “Nuwebe” follows the story of Krista who at the tender age of 9 got pregnant from the sexual abuse perpetrated by her own father. What follows is a story of struggle and renewal. Krista’s story is complex. She refuses to see herself as a victim. Despite her situation, she demonstrates an incredible level of resilience and determination to overcome the trauma of her past. Her mother on the other hand is torn between her love for her child and her love for her husband.

A woman relieves the heavy burden from her past when she finally exacts revenge on the man who murdered her entire family.

Based on a true story, Cuchera is about Filipino drug mules, drug couriers and their recruiters. It follows the story of Isabel, a veteran drug mule, in her first attempt at running her own drug transshipment operation between Manila and China. Isabel’s character is based on the story of an actual Filipina drug mule who was caught with eight capsules of heroin lodged in her sex organ, 48 in the rectum and 11 in her abdomen after an x-ray was conducted by Chinese authorities. Cuchera presents an accurate depiction of how some Filipinos end up becoming entrenched in the world of illegal drugs. Currently, the Philippines leads all Southeast Asian countries in the number of nationals arrested for drug smuggling charges in China. As of 2009, there are currently 95 Filipinos languishing in various jails in Chinese territories---four of whom are on death row. Violators include minors who enter China with fake passports.

On the eve of her school’s annual Talent Show in a small rural village in the mountains of Iloilo, twelve-year-old Thirdy is worried she will not be able to perform because she could not afford to rent a traditional costume and pay the required contribution. Her ailing but affable grandfather, Cesario, acts as her sole guardian. He works as a bamboo farmer, but they could barely make ends meet. In the midst of all these, Thirdy starts having visions of a mysterious man. She believes the apparition is that of her long dead father while everyone else dismisses her visions as nothing more than fantasies or illusions. On the day of the Talent Show, everything unravels as village problems and family secrets finally collide.

The Probe Team traces the roots of two Muslim youths who are currently studying in the U.S.: Khalid Dimaporo and Romina Bernardo. More than another war story, this is a tale of two individuals who are out to discover what it means to be a Muslim of their generation. Both come from prominent political clans in Mindanao, but consider themselves “modern Muslims,” having been raised and exposed to different cultures in other countries.