KANTIL

KANTIL
by JOSHUA CAESAR MEDROSO

120:00 minutes | Queer Science Fiction | PG

CAST
Edmund Telmo, Andre Miguel, Sue Prado, Raul Arellano, Ram Botero, Perry Dizon, Fe Gingging Hyde, Tads Obach, Alyssa Makiling, Ryle Equia

PRODUCTION
DIRECTOR/SCREENPLAY – Joshua Caesar Medroso
CINEMATOGRAPHY – Arnel Barbarona
PRODUCTION DESIGN – Perry Dizon
EDITOR – Edmund M. Telmo
ORIGINAL MUSIC SCORE – Allan Balberona
SOUND – Allan Balberona, Jen Balberona
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS – Teng Mangansakan II, Jake Muñoz Consing, Dean Marcial, Galileo Mondol, Braden Friedman
LINE PRODUCER – Teng Mangansakan II

LOGLINE
The discovery of a mysterious alien shell in a trench transforms the lives of two star crossed lovers – Paleng and Eliong – and their threatened coastal village in Davao City, unearthing secrets deeper than the surrounding perilous waters.

SYNOPSIS
Star-crossed lovers Paleng and Eliong bid farewell as their love is threatened by the imminent demolition of Paleng’s coastal village. However, when a fisherman discovers a mysterious alien shell lurking in a trench, the community is confronted with a wave of hope and intrigue, jealousy and fear. As tensions surge like an incoming tide, their tangled lives unravel secrets on how to navigate the turbulent waters ahead, their ultimate survival depends on hidden truths that need to be retrieved from the depths of the trench.

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

A discovery of a mysterious alien in the Filipino slums. No invasion. No global war. Just a small town fighting for its place in the world and the universe. Kantil follows a small coastal community of informal settlers, who are forced to fight for their homes when a demolition order was placed to give way to the construction of a new commercial harbor. Days before the imminent demolition, a miraculous alien shell has been discovered in the area. But the people are yet to see if the alien truly is a miracle or a menace. As someone who had grown up in Purok 12, Tibungco, Davao City, well-exposed to the sub- culture and the plights we had to endure as impoverished informal settlers, all the years living in the coast with the constant threat of being evicted, this story is very personal and dear to me. The community and their generous contribution is the true essence of this film. More to this, as someone who is extremely fond of science fiction and stories with cosmic themes, with the scarcity of unique science fiction stories in Philippine cinema, I believe that this is the perfect story for me to tell. Alienation, dehumanization, and displacement loom over the Filipino poor. The Philippines claims to move in the name of “progress”, but in reality, robs the marginalized of opportunities to move with it. Apart from intimidation and physical abuse, land-owners in tandem with local governments resort to inhumane methods like burning down houses, eradicating them from their homes like rodents – forcing them into relocation sites without proper access to water and electricity. Kantil vividly portrays the harsh realities of the inhumane displacement of the Filipino poor, juxtaposed against the backdrop of the Philippine drug war and the struggle to preserve a fading cultural identity. This film culminates in the intense confrontation between the settlers and the authorities, where we see that in their alienation, the poor have become aliens in their own world. In the end, they finally realize their place in the world, the alien’s part in humanity, and humanity’s future in the grand scheme of things.