Photo: ©Gate 11 Collective
When two young siblings are accused of theft by a convenience store owner, their family's deep-seated trauma is brought to the surface. Inspired by 8-bit video games, the unlikely protagonists find an uproariously offbeat way to extricate themselves from this harrowing mess.
These seven superlative short films from emerging and established Asian and Asian diasporic filmmakers explore and reconfigure the relationship between humankind and animals.
Johmar Damiles, a graduate of the University of Santo Tomas majoring in Communication Arts, is a filmmaker based in Manila. He served as the cinematographer and co-writer for Heist School, a Cinemalaya 2019 Shorts entry that won the Audience Choice Award and screened at local and international film festivals. Additionally, he is the director, co-writer, and editor of Hot Seat, which was featured in both the 6th SineKabataan Film Festival and the 2024 New York Asian Film Festival. He received a special citation on Children's Rights at the 4th Lagerway Awards for Hot Seat. Currently, he works as a motion graphics designer and video editor in the advertising industry while pursuing his filmmaking dreams.
