Dennis Empalmado

As Angelo and his friends struggle to find self validation through music and art, his growing obsession with Lelay – a young cashier drives him to withdraw from reality.

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Pandanggo has three stories with parallel themes converging in one event, the Kasilonawan Festival in Obando: a career woman learning to dance tango who is torn between her dance partner and live-in partner has to choose the man who will satisfy her dream of raising a family; a wife whose wish to conceive a baby boy to make her husband happy brings her feet to the festival, but fate has other plans of bringing the child into her life; and a modern woman who, amidst her medical condition that might render her childless for the rest of her life, finds connection with an ancient lore about fertility.

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Imahe Nasyon is a groundbreaking, conceptual omnibus film by 20 alternative filmmakers who were tasked to present their personal visions on national issues. Renowned line producers Jon and Carol Red hatched the idea of revisiting the 1986 EDSA revolution, challenging directors to answer the question "What happened after 1986?" with a short film not longer than five minutes each. Despite individual techniques, the same goal is shared: to depict a truthful image of the nation at present.

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Set in Philippine post-American colonialist era, where the American influence was still apparent, Ilusyon tells the story of Miguel, a young man from the countryside, who decides to visit his father, Pablo, a Modernist painter in Manila. Upon his arrival, he discovers that his father has decided to leave for the province but he opted to stay in Manila for a vacation. One day, he meets Stella, a nude model originally scheduled to pose for Miguel's father. Struck by her beauty, Miguel does the unthinkable - he pretends to be his father the painter. Developing a relationship based on a lie, things turn for the worse as Stella begets a strange skin disease that turns off Miguel. Surrounded by strange characters - a talking cow, a talkative mailman and a nosy landlady - Miguel is driven into a frenzy realization about beauty, lust, love and being true to oneself. An ambiguous ending underlines the surreal tone of the film.

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A woman becomes entangled in a provocative relationship where her husband begins offering her to others for pleasure. What starts as an exhilarating exploration of desire slowly unravels, forcing her to face the emotional and moral consequences of their choices.

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A desperate man, eager to reclaim his fiancée’s engagement ring, decides to sell their bed—only to find it becoming the stage for passionate encounters, forbidden desires, and the tangled lives of lovers caught between love, lust, and survival.

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The diaspora of Filipinos around the globe is driven mostly by the economics of supply and demand. The yearning for something better, stability, and self-validation leads a handful of sojourners from the provinces of the Philippines into the arms of one of its former colonial masters — the USA. But what happens when they finally get what they want? And how? Filmmaker Dennis Empalmado explores the musings of Filipino expatriates and hopeful immigrants in "Naglalakbay" (Travelers).

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Meet Duewand Collier Jr.-Male, 68 years old, American Citizen, a child conceived in the backdrop of the Philippines-American Mutual Defense Treaty, born and raised with Catholic guilt. He has made peace with his past and now tells his story-a story of love.

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As Angelo and his friends struggle to find self validation through music and art, his growing obsession with Lelay – a young cashier drives him to withdraw from reality.

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Sampaloc Lake - the most prominent of the seven lakes of San Pablo City has provided shelter, employment and inspiration to its immediate community for countless decades. In return, the natural resource suffered from indiscriminate use of the residents themselves and the consequences of rapid urbanization. Recently, the local government have implemented a clearing of all residential structures within the legal easement of the dying lake to pave the way for a tourism master plan that endeavors to balance revenue and environmental protection. In the eve of the clearing operations, film maker Dennis Empalmado documented the final musings of the residents, advocates, and artists whose lives revolved around the 99 hectare crater lake.

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A group of teenage friends who seeks the thrill of ghost-hunting, and stumbles upon an old camera. As they carelessly play with it, they unknowingly summon the demon that exists inside. The demon possesses one of them, thus setting off a chain of horrific events that could turn fatal for everyone.

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An agent partners with the heiress of a Japanese crime syndicate to put an end to the centuries-old curse that could be responsible for the spate of serial murders taking place in Manila.

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The lives of a matriarch, her two sons, and her niece are never the same again as they come to terms with an indiscretion in the family. A pivotal decision is made and a downward spiral ensues wherein the outcome can be no less than earth-shattering.

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Pandanggo has three stories with parallel themes converging in one event, the Kasilonawan Festival in Obando: a career woman learning to dance tango who is torn between her dance partner and live-in partner has to choose the man who will satisfy her dream of raising a family; a wife whose wish to conceive a baby boy to make her husband happy brings her feet to the festival, but fate has other plans of bringing the child into her life; and a modern woman who, amidst her medical condition that might render her childless for the rest of her life, finds connection with an ancient lore about fertility.

Open details →

Imahe Nasyon is a groundbreaking, conceptual omnibus film by 20 alternative filmmakers who were tasked to present their personal visions on national issues. Renowned line producers Jon and Carol Red hatched the idea of revisiting the 1986 EDSA revolution, challenging directors to answer the question "What happened after 1986?" with a short film not longer than five minutes each. Despite individual techniques, the same goal is shared: to depict a truthful image of the nation at present.

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Pinoi Rock & Rhythm sheds the spotlight on four obscure yet significant figures in contemporary Philippine Popular Culture. Rebel Disc Jockey Dante "Howlin" Dave David, Stills Photographer and former stuntman Mr. Johnny Albia, Elvis Presley devotee Mr. Chito Bertol and Pinoy Rock guitar icon Mr. Jun Lopito. The documentary unfolds lighthearted, candid and sometimes outrageous introspection from the four individuals on the ups and downbeats of their respective careers.

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A wounded activist ends up in a toilet and meets two members of the oppressed masses whose only reality is living on toilet fees.

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My country, my family, and our uncertain future

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