Interviews with the eight young directors taking part in the Directors’ Factory Philippines were a riot of laughter, anecdotes, and the magic of collaboration.
Eight talented young filmmakers presented their short films made during the intensive bootcamp in the Philippines as part of Cannes Young Filmmakers. The Directors’ Factory is a program aimed at fostering emerging talents on the international stage. It enables four newly formed pairs, each with ambitious first or second-feature projects, to collaborate in co-writing and co-directing. This involves pairing a regional director with an international counterpart, resulting in a total of four films premiering under this initiative.
The four short films, Cold Cut, Silig, Night Birds, and Walay Balay, bring out the essence of youthful ideas and how they visualize their stories on screen. Each one is different yet shows us a streak of life in the Philippines, illustrating how life could be for locals, young people, in love, and trying to keep their roots intact.
Cold Cut is a collaboration between Don Eblahan (27) and Singaporean filmmaker Siyou Tan (35). “When we first started exchanging our short films, we found that we had a common link: making films about young people. Somehow, dance got involved. Initially, we tried to find our similarities and make a film based on them, but then we wanted to concentrate on dance,” said the duo. While writing their script, they were keen on incorporating hip-hop style, but when they cast non-professional actors from the region, new options opened up. “We were really open to what they would bring to the table,” said Siyou.
The main lead is not a professional actor or dancer, and her unique and unorthodox way of dancing stood out. “Incidentally, she also guided us in making the film with her dance style. She mentioned that people often rejected her way of dancing, which is very unique,” added Don.
The film has a mix of contemporary and classical dance, and this influenced their writing process after meeting the actors on location. “We had written a more chronological film, but during post-production, we experimented by following her emotions rather than a sequence of events. This process has taught us both a lot, and we can’t imagine a project without doing it together. We got along very well and clicked on this project, giving us confidence for future collaborations,” echoed the team.
For Maria Estela Piaso (26) and Ashok Vish (36), connecting mythological bird motifs from both countries inspired their short film, Night Birds. Both felt that this collaboration was an incredible, though intense, opportunity to explore and work with a new person. Estela and Ashok connected over gossip and their love for mythology and birds. “The writing process was interesting. We ideated a lot and eventually found a middle ground. It was exciting, though not always easy,” said Estela.
The production process was intense for Ashok, who said, “Going to a new country, the Philippines, involved four days of casting, four days of shooting, four days of post-production, four days of editing, and five days of sound editing. It was like a bootcamp that taught me a lot and honed my filmmaking skills.”
“When we first met on Zoom, I thought we looked like siblings and mentioned it to the producer. When we paired, we almost immediately hit it off. We discovered many shared interests but also many differences. The whole process involved a lot of problem-solving, as we are very different people. We worked on our strengths while working together on the film. While Ashok is social, I come from a post-production background and am more introverted,” said Estela.
Night Birds is based on their shared interest in mythology, with the bird motif in the script symbolizing female empowerment. “The film is not necessarily about birds but about how mythology gets conceptualized to talk about female empowerment. The challenge was the ambitious project with mixed media and animation and the time constraints during post-production,” said Ashok. “I take away many lessons from this collaboration, especially learning to rely on people to realize our vision.”
Speaking about Silig, directors Arvin Belarmino and Cambodia’s Lomorpich Rithy (YoKi) explained the meaning of Silig, a Tagalog word meaning sea dirt. “The protagonist wants to be cremated and have her ashes thrown into the sea. She was abandoned by the place, so for her, being cremated and her ashes considered dirt symbolizes freedom. That’s the subliminal message of Silig. We were inspired by the location, a unique church. We discussed the similarities and differences in our beliefs, religion, and social contexts, including LGBT issues and female figures, which helped shape the film.”
“We delved into how we grieve in the context of the Philippines and Cambodia. The main character, Mamang, is about to pass away and must decide what to do on her remaining days. Silig portrays life, showing two people exchanging grief and happiness and making decisions together.”
The team used witty comedy to address the nuances of dealing with death. “Comedy about serious matters is a key element of our cinema language. It’s sad but playful because it reflects the character’s braveness to live her life,” added the directors.
The final film, Walay Balay, by Eve Baswel (29) and Gogularaajan Rajendran (31), explores the essence and meaning of home. “Walay Balay is a Philippine dialect phrase meaning ‘no home.’ We focused on human truths and the feeling of detachment from home. On a deeper cultural level, our mothers’ experiences of being forced to leave their homes connected us. This generational trauma passed down to us influenced our story,” said the team.
The duo discovered many commonalities and, after many conversations, found ways to tell stories that resonated with them.
“At first, we avoided fights, but as we got to know each other better, we became comfortable expressing our opinions. Our arguments were constructive, helping us understand each other better. This experience taught us how to move forward with future projects,” said Gogul.
They realized cultural similarities between Malaysia and the Philippines. “We call it the Malay Archipelago. Malaysia is a Muslim-majority country, while the Philippines is Catholic. The Philippines used to be Muslim before the Spanish conversion. We see similarities and differences, with Muslims in the Philippines now being oppressed while they hold power in Malaysia.”
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