Synopsis

Here, Here reimagines the coastal town of Lobo, Batangas, years after a foreign extraction company began its mining operations. Koi, a fresh graduate in his 20s returns home after more than two years to accompany his mother, Tonet, in waiting for the former’s father. Koi and Tonet are clueless as to whether Koi’s father could make it home alive after an accident in the extraction tunnel. Tonet, strong but tender, prepares herself and her home for either of the two possibilities.

Director's Statement

I was raised in Batangas, a province that is rich in mountains and bodies of water and all the natural resources that grow and flow through them. Here I was taught to value and respect the spaces that I inhabit. About three years ago, news came out that in Lobo, a town in my province, a foreign extraction company sought to take over the area in the hopes of mining gold. If the project were to push through, waste generated by the mines would pass through rivers and could potentially end up along the Verde Island Passage hailed as the center of marine biodiversity. Thankfully, the local government backed up the community in expressing their strong disapproval. In that same year, I was able to meet locals of a mining community from the Cagayan Valley Region. Several women who led the opposition in their area spoke of the weight of protecting our lands to be able to altogether nurture lives. These combined experiences plus a lot more have continuously shaped my beliefs and my sensibilities. 

The Team

In making this film, our team hopes to revisit the collective and intuitive means of filmmaking.

Joanne Cesario
Director, Writer, Editor

Alyssa Suico
Producer

Kweng Aguirre
Line Producer

Pat Pamintuan
Production Manager

Mervine Aquino
Assistant Director

Jippy Pascua
Jhayle Meer
Cinematographers

Miguel Hernandez
Sound Recordist

Alvin Francisco
Production Designer

Project Timeline

Preproduction is now ongoing until the second week of August. We are planning hold our shoot anytime between Aug 12-18, which will give us time for post-production up until the first week of October 2019.

The film is slated to premier during the QCinema International Film Festival on October 13-22, 2019.

Project Budget

Bulk of the costs will definitely go into the production itself.

Of the 80.5% allotted to the production, 42.10% of the budget will go to the talent fees of our dedicated crew. 6.99% is set for our actor and actresses and 31.70% will go into the rental of equipment, location permits, food, and transportation.

Most of the pre-production and production in terms of money just barely consumes the already generous grant of QCinema, but of course we can't stop the filmmaking there. We're hoping to raise more funds so we can finish the film, but importantly make sure we give proper compensation to everyone and everything that contributed to this project.

Past Works

Short Film:

Uwian Na (2016) Trailer from Joanne Cesario on Vimeo.

Zines:

No Surprises - part of Pinoy Komiks - a benefit anthology for the victims of Typhoon Haiyan / 2014

Additional Payment Details

You can use our QR code to deposit via BPI so that you don't get charged an extra P10 service fee.

Just let us know if you have any problems, we are eternally grateful!

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This project is an official selection in the short film category of the QCinema International Film Festival 2019.