Six individuals from different generations recall the golden age of Cebuano cinema, modern Cebuano cinema, their experiences, and discuss their aspirations about the future of Cebu’s film scene.
A one-of-a-kind legacy project produced by TBA Studios, Habambuhay is a homage to the centennial anniversary of Philippine cinema–an insightfully entertaining documentary series, revisiting the personal experiences of those who work in front of or behind the cameras, those who have shaped the film industry of the Philippines for the longest time.
2019
An unseen narrator travels down the “river” of Cebu City in search of a cheesecake. Accompanied by brief meditations on time, memory, and society, the film shows a raw portrait of a city moving too fast to hold onto itself.
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Suffering from blindness since childhood, Tatay Ening continues his life pursuits from climbing bamboo shoots to selling bamboo coin banks alone in a city, kilometers away from his home. His light to the darkness keeps him safe during unimaginable times.
2021
Carbon vendors fight for their rights to protect their stalls from oppressors.
Despite being only a five-minute boat ride away from Cebu City, at the foot of the country’s record-breaking new expressway, Shell Island is an unfamiliar name to many Cebuanos today. “Dalangpanan” sheds light on the island, following a day in the life of one of its residents to uncover the stories and struggles of living on a forgotten, desolate land amidst progressive, bustling cities. Through the voices of the Shell locals, audiences learn why and how they ended up settling there, and what their future could possibly be. The documentary’s title, which literally translates to “refuge” in Cebuano, is a nod to what the island might mean to those living on it—a home, a source of hope, or even more.
2024
Film: American Beginnings of Philippine Cinema is the second episode in Deocampo's evolving saga of the country's history of Philippine cinema. Based on his recent book, Film: American Influences on Philippine Cinema, this 3D-animated documentary ventures from Escolta through Avenida as we discover how film came to be in the Philippines.
2012
In this heartwarming ensemble comedy, Mary’s adoptive gay mother’s last dying wish was to reunite their all-queer volleyball team. Even with the challenges that she is faced with, including her own personal affairs, and financial troubles, Mary tries to fulfil the wish. She must convince her disjointed chosen family to join the one day volleyball league, with hopes of winning the cash grand prize to pay for a proper funeral for Mary’s mother.
Berting and Cosme fake their social status to make the ladies they dreamed of fall in love with them.
1996
David asks help from Elise for a special occasion during the pandemic in which everyone is required to stay at home. Will things be successful when unspoken feelings become more visible in one of them?
2020
Two elderly women bear the consequences of a crime involving their respective grandsons. One is the victim, the other is the suspect. Both weak and poor, they laboriously solicit money in the midst of a storm, one for the victim's burial, the other for the suspect's bail bond.
2009
Employees and customers are trapped in a supermarket while, outside, a typhoon ravages the country. It's time for confidences and revelations. Zombies, they say, in a society that is not easy for any of them. In a limited space, they try to discover their stories. And that could be their last day.
Inspired by true events, a gifted yet rebellious high school student transfers from a prestigious academy to a notorious "cursed section" in a public school. There, he befriends a group of misfits known as "The Boys at the Back" and embarks on a mission to help them graduate, showcasing the transformative power of unity and friendship.
When Iyay, a single mother, learns that her estranged husband has died, she drags the entire family on a road trip from Cebu to Dumaguete to attend the funeral.
2017
Jacob, a breadwinner call center agent crosses paths with a nurse every night in the most unexpected location — the terminal.
A self-centered influencer on his way to a gig finds himself babysitting a lost, loud-mouthed, 9-year-old girl who snuck into his van to find her way back home.
An experimental lo-fi love story told through still photographs, an unseen character longingly admires a young woman from afar.