HOW TO DIE YOUNG IN MANILA

In this evocative, dream-like story a teenage boy follows a group of young hustlers, thinking one of them may be the anonymous hook-up he has arranged to meet for the night. As he anxiously finds a way to get closer, each of the other boys inexplicably turn up as dead bodies strewn in pavements, until only one of them is left. Artistic and perfectly acted, Director Petersen Vargas’s new vision is a must see.

THIS FILM IS AVAILABLE ON DEMAND. 

About the Filmmaker: Born in Pampanga, Philippines, Petersen VARGAS is a 28 year old Filipino filmmaker based in Manila. Vargas is an alumnus of the Asian Film Academy (2018) and a cum laude graduate with a special mention in Narrative Filmmaking from the University of the Philippines Film Institute (2014).

His films tackle Filipino youth through a queer and regional lens. His undergraduate thesis film, Lisyun qng Geografia (Geography Lessons, 2014), fully spoken in his native language Kapampangan and set in his hometown, won Best Direction at the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival in 2015. His short film Swirl (2014) was presented at the BFI Flare: the London LGBT Film Festival in 2016. His coming-of-age feature debut, 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten (2016), set in the late 1990s during the aftermath of the Mt. Pinatubo eruption, was awarded Best Picture at the Cinema One Originals Film Festival, the Best First Feature at the annual Young Critics’ Circle Awards, and the Audience Award at the Torino LGBTQI Film Festival. His latest work, How to Die Young in Manila (2020), which navigates the city’s queer underworld, world premiered at the Busan International Film Festival and competed at the Singapore International Film Festival.

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DON’T SCREAM SHORTS

Don’t scream… or the monster lurking in the shadows might find you. In this terrifying shorts program, these frightening vision of horror will make you laugh, cry and scream. You have been warned.