We present the selected films for the All Tamaraws Section of the Sinepiyu Film Festival, which will take place from April 29 – May 3, 2024 at the Far Eastern University Manila (Philippines).

Festival Schedule:
April 29, 2024 (Monday) – Opening Ceremony
April 30, 2024 (Tuesday) – On-Site Screening and Talkback All Tamaraws Category
May 2, 2024 (Thursday) – Awards Night
May 3, 2024 (Friday) – On-Site Screening and Talkback Interschool Category

Baka Sakaling Umabot sa Ulap (Maybe If We Reach the Clouds) by Patricia Anne Callanga – 1224 Productions

Baka Sakaling Umabot sa Ulap is a short drama film that follows the journey of Macoy and Louie as they learn to build a kite. When a deceased pilot is brought to Catacutan Funeral Home, the two kids ponder about their own dreams to become pilots and reach the clouds. But after several tries and when the unexpected happened, they both faced challenges urging them to navigate through foreign emotions. It is a story that dives into dreams and friendship, and explores the intangibility of grief through the lens of children.

Bilanggo ng Kinahinatnan by Euxim Valonzo-Garcia – Dulong Bayan Pictures

Wounded from Battle a Soldier collapsed in the countryside due to injury during the war. He was picked up by an old man who is a local in the community. There he found out that this town is a little peculiar, and he can’t seem to escape. It’s a nightmare he can’t wake up from. He will realize that he is in a dynamic realization that will change his character dynamics from here on. In fueled by guilt and resentment due to the things he has done, he struggled to forgive himself and chose to isolate himself in the vast land called purgatory.

Crossing Fields by Gian Linezo – Kaya Creatives

Buknoy, a senior 16-year old student-athlete was appointed as the new team captain of their school’s football team. As the new football season approaches, Buknoy feels overwhelmed with the responsibilities he has to undertake. One day, Buknoy woke up late for their team meeting, but he hurriedly prepared to attend the meeting and meet at the Athletics Office as a captain. Upon talking to the office’s secretary, Janice, Buknoy received an envelope containing 1500 pesos for his allowance, and the condition is it should not be known by anyone else other than him, his coach and Janice.

Duyog by Harbie Lo – Manawari Films

A terrified young maid discovers a way to expose the truth, unaware of the future it brings.

Eskoba by Sherwin De Leon – Purok Dos

Set in 2022 in an urban city, Totoy is the grandchild of a cobbler in a place where no one has shoes; his curiosity begins when his grandfather tells him about the lore of a fairy who continuously robs shoes and controls the economic stability of the barangay. Totoy is driven to know the answers. Through the story of his grandfather, Totoy notices that his grandfather was rewarded to become a cobbler with the expectation of improving the standard of living, only to find out that the place is under the curse of the fairy and realize only Totoy could break the curse.

From Seeds to Blossoms by Aizel Marfil – Rockstars Production

When a budding seed longs to sprout, Olivia, a woman on the eve of her 30s, tries her hardest to keep her plant from withering, with the hopes that it will bloom one day as she languishes in the wistful plight of the corporate world.

Gintong Buhay by Zaki Reyes – Juandar Pétz Productions

In a journey narrated by her “Nanay’s” poems and songs, Isla, a graduating film student, comes back to Mindoro after a year. She steps back into their quaint house with a view of the Verde Island Passage, she feels a sense of both tension and ease, the last time she had been here was her grandmother’s funeral. Memories tainted by comfort and grief then wash her as she tours around various parts of what she used to call home. She then remembers and starts to do what she had been called here to do in the first place as the granddaughter who had been closest to Nanay; help clean up Nanay’s untouched bedroom. Isla came back here never having been healed from what happened to their family a year before. As she cleans up her nanay’s room, she then finds a voice recorder and listens to what we have been hearing since the journey’s beginning, Nanay’s recordings of her various poems and songs. With this, her Nanay imparts to her the lessons she wants her to learn that she may have never heard before or had forgotten about, nonetheless, all of it, Isla needed to hear.

Home Run by Frankielyn Lineses – Huenik Productions

HURI and INO, both 22, lived normal college lives until their senior year came. After a normal day of practice, they look for their missing bat from the locker room to the back of their classroom. Here, they witness an act of killing by the group of frats. They find the stolen bats they are looking for, which are full of blood from the crime. Scared of going to jail and the possibility of not graduating from the incident, Huri and Ino begin a journey of hide and seek with the law after hiding the evidence as they are desperate to keep their freedom. They ended up getting their dream diploma carrying an unsolved murder case.

Lest Believe and Be Saved by James Carlo Martinez – 5 Piece Production

Faith renounces her Catholic faith but pretends to still believe to avoid upsetting her devout mother. When Faith faces a personal crisis, she finds herself drawn back to prayer and rituals as she grapples with her beliefs.

ORO-ORO by Nhestley Delos Reyes – Lumetri Productions

Muyak, an innocent child, is unaware of the abuse that she is experiencing through her mother. One day, she encounters a mysterious woman and as the day passes this encounter continues until she decides to ask the mysterious woman. Muyak noticed that she was holding a pot of gold and was mesmerized by it. She tried to touch the pot of gold but her hands continued to pass through it until she discovered the true identity of the mysterious woman.

patient 08: the case of Seraphiel Manolito’s divine potentiality – year 20 by Vien Simbre – Purok Dos

Seraphiel Manolito, a young boy suspected of possessing god-like potential, is thrust into a furtive government-controlled experiment. Confined in a monochromatic room, Phiel is bombarded with a relentless stream of visions. Flickering from the grainy depths of history to the dizzying heights of an unknown future, these visions are meant to unlock the alleged divinity in him. As Phiel endures this mental onslaught, he suddenly questions the true purpose of the experiment and the nature of a divine entity he’s meant to become.

Take me to an Unbridled Fury by Julia Laplana – Dakilang Yoni

Mabel finds herself yearning for the vibrant rhythm of dance, a passion that had long faded into memory. Dancing with her best friend, Tanya, catches the eye of a female dance group. Recognizing Mabel’s raw talent and untamed energy, they invite her to join their class. As Mabel immerses herself in the world of the dance troupe, she finds solace and sisterhood among them. However, their newfound connection is tested when the coach begins to exert his control, demanding performances even when the dancers are menstruating, revealing his predatory nature.

Tatlumpu Kami Rito by Kiara Ricamara – Salimbayan Films

Ramon (18) woke up in a dark and cramped room. Beside him was an old man named Fredo (63) who was desperately carving at the wall to make a hole. The place they were in was dimly lit, and the only sounds they could hear were their breathing and the scraping noise of the nail against the wall. As they spent long hours making the hole, they also got to know each other and reminisced about their experiences that led them to their current situation. The hole exposed how thirty people managed to fit into a small jail cell behind a bookshelf, unveiling the mystery of the confinement and injustice system.

Walang Sining Sa Ulo (Kung ang lahat ay gising sa walang katapusang sansinukob, sino ang magpapaiwan upang managinip? Ako) by Andre Coros and Karl Ferrer – Sine Sining

A writer faces a solemn death, the death of his creativity, a writer’s block. He then accidentally sees a crime being committed in a dark alley of the city, he has the option to help, but why should he?

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