Jean Pierre Pillay

In the near future, a filmmaker documents the last traces of life on Planet Earth. As his journey unfolds, fragments of the past resurface in conversation, giving way to invisible histories that begin to speak and unseen presences that emerge, rooted in the memory of a long-lost loved one. Through the act of capturing and recording, he attempts to grasp loss and impermanence.

“10-0” delves into the fleeting nature of life and the importance of family, seen through the perspective of Esther, an embalmer who seems to have it all. When a dead woman she embalms comes alive, pleading to relay her last words to her daughter, Esther helps by recording her message. The realisation that she could do something profound in her life renders her busy in her work life, making her unavailable to her family. In the end, she grapples with the consequences of such a choice and embalms one of them.

The Philippines has one of the biggest diaspora of overseas workers in the world. The term Overseas Filipino Workers (OFWs) is well-known due to this. While the media has always acknowledged the big sacrifices that OFWs make in order to provide for their children an opportunity to live a better life than what they were given, no one talks about the perspective of the children who are left behind, having to grow up and face life without the presence of their parents. This film features Joanna, a Filipina in her mid-20s who has little to no connection left with her OFW mother. As she faces adulthood, she must decide if she wants to let go of her past. Bahay-Bahayan follows Joanna as she reels back to her past through memory and nostalgia.

A cow appears in the dormitory, leaving the migrant workers confused. Amidst the events, Murthi, their lorry driver, discovers an uncanny connection between the cow and his best friend, Murugan.

Beneath the Orchids explores the intergenerational trauma and abuse between three generations – the filmmaker, his mother and grandmother. On a trip to the Philippines, conversations about the abuse unfold openly.