ALL ASIAN INDEPENDENT FILM FESTIVAL STUDENT CORNER SELECTION 2022
The All Asian Independent Film Festival is back for its third edition! We’re excited to announce that alongside the films from the Official Competition, AAIFF will be screening 6 films made by students from the Philippines, as part of the Student Corner selection. The films will be shown both in the online version and in the Power Plant Cinema -Manila, Philippines- between the 16th and the 20th of November.
WE WERE NEVER REALLY STRANGERS
DIRECTOR Patrick Pangan
COUNTRY Philippines
Two strangers, Gio and Miguel, spark a
connection after meeting randomly in
front of the church. After Gio invites Miguel for
lunch, the conversation starts to
create curiosity for both of them. When
Gio enjoys the company of Miguel, he
dives into the profundity of his being.
Their meeting will ultimately
guide them to a different direction, a different
fate.
ROSARIO
DIRECTOR Niko Chu
COUNTRY Philippines
A suicide calls for a deeper investigation when a peculiar sigil is
unearthed in the crime scene.
Convinced this was no mere
coincidence, a detective dives into a
hundred years’ worth of unexplained
deaths, all of which occur in a single
room.
MARA
DIRECTOR Jan Pauline A. Dacop
COUNTRY Philippines
Mara, an 18-year-old closeted queer girl, is spending her birthday at a house party. While flirting with a female stranger, she receives a text from her OFW (Overseas Filipino Worker) father, asking her to spend her holidays at home and be with her distant and homophobic mother. Unaware of her daughter’s true sexuality, her mother insists on having a traditional debut for Mara and pushes her to consider her childhood friend as an escort. Mara attempts to show romantic interest in the boy and appease her mother, but this takes a toll on her as she continues to keep up the charades.
KAHILWASAN (SAFETY)
DIRECTOR Stephanie Metcalf
COUNTRY Philippines
As the only child to a hardworking mother, the lively and curious Cora spends a lot of time on her own, but she makes the most of it. She spends her days playing in luscious fields; relishing in the peaceful landscape her mountain village has to offer. One day, peace is disrupted as Cora’s mother, Esther, notices army planes and helicopters flying by. Fear and paranoia set in as Esther takes Cora to hide in a cave in order to escape what she believes is an imminent war. But, as Cora will come to realize, not all wars are external.
DYING ON BORROWED TIME
DIRECTOR Sean Tongco
COUNTRY Philippines
Two immortal enemies reminisce their long and violent history over drinks, to finally settle things once and for all.
PHILHARMONIC
DIRECTOR Arthur Benedict Dugan Eustaquio
COUNTRY Philippines
A young man, disaffected with his studies, longs to pursue his passion for music. He struggles between the encouragement of his late mother and the orders of his agitated father.