Kyla Romero
Directing
Biography
Kyla Romero is a screenwriter, director, and filmmaker from La Union, Philippines. Her debut short film, Dosena (2022), became part of Busan ISFF under the Rendezvous with AFiS Hub of Asia. Moreover, it received a Best Short Film nomination from the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) Awards, one of the oldest and most prestigious award-giving bodies in the Philippines. Kyla also wrote HINAKDAL (2023), a short film which won the Audience Choice award, NETPAC award, and Best Screenplay award at the Cinemalaya FF Short Film Category. Since 2021, Kyla Romero has been the co-writer of Dir. Arvin Belarmino in Ria (2021), a feature film project which gained a special mention in Talents Tokyo and received the CNC Pitch Award at the 2022 Festival de Cannes La Résidence. She is also the co-writer of Dir. Belarmino in Radikals (2024), a short film competing at the 63rd Semaine De La Critique short film competition, an official competition section of the Cannes FF. Her most recent work, Agapito (2025), co-directed with Arvin Belarmino, was selected at the Cannes Short Film Competition.
Known For
In a coastal town, women are not allowed to sing. A teenager joins a singing competition for a chance to move to the city, while hiding his true voice in a sinister way.
Ali
A young man must choose between his mother's plans or to follow his lifelong goal as a session musician.
Mi Unico Hijo
A young rookie from a bizarre chicken-dance group faces a heckler after being the worst dancer at a performance -- leading him to a series of strange events that reveal what the group does to their weakest link.
Radikals
A zombie family gets their isolated life disturbed by a human being who attempts to steal their livestock.
Condemned
Gem is all hustle and grit, moving to Mati, Davao to chase a childhood dream. JC is a wealthy, easygoing cafe owner who never needed one. Their clashing worlds and beliefs surprisingly spark a meaningful romance. But when Gem’s big break finally comes, she must decide - should she chase the future she planned or stay with the love that changed her?
Fleeting
It's the last day of the month. Bowlers flock to the lanes of a bowling alley that has seen better days. Mira, the bowling alley's manager, decides to close early. She's awaiting the arrival of a special visitor.
Agapito
A timid young boy who grew up with misfits deals with confusion and tragedy on the night of his 12th birthday.
Dosena
The night before local elections, a single mother takes her son to a final campaign rally to get his lost scholarship back — unaware that in the midst of the dense crowd, a morbid disaster awaits them.
Abanse
After reconnecting through a phone call, Justin, an analog filmmaker, and Grace, a frustrated poet, reminisce about the day they first met — a day that Justin tries to recreate from memory.
Transients
On New Year's Eve, a cemetery demolition wakes the ghost of a man who longs to see his living wife and daughter, hoping to lay his bones back to rest.
Courting
Mike frolics. Shot on Super 8mm.