Esoterica: Manila

This new production of a gay themed story this time based on a famous Yaoi Manga; turning the cartoon into a cinematographic event.

With a mother and father that are actors, and a rockstar brother, anyone would expect Sena Izumi to eventually enter showbiz himself. However, aside from a commercial for a wedding magazine when he was a child, Izumi has never been in the spotlight; instead, he aims to become a manga artist. But a decade after the shoot, the magazine calls for a 10th anniversary ad, requesting the original child actors for the project. This reunites Izumi with Ryouma Ichijou, now a popular actor who, much to Izumi's shock, has been in love with him ever since their first meeting! However, due to Izumi's feminine appearance, and unisex name, Ryouma believed the boy to be a girl and continues to do so to this day. Izumi's troubles are only just beginning. Based on the hit comedy romance manga Love Stage!! It began serialization in the July 2010. Seven tankōbon volumes was published from May 27, 2011 to November 1, 2016. An anime television series adaptation produced by J.C.Staff aired in 2014.

The story is about a guy who can predict a person’s future by patterns of tea leaves. Our fortune teller is in love with his best friend, but unfortunately, he’s stuck as a love advisor for said friend.

In a small city in the north, the time of midsummer is very short. Two boys get to know each other by chance and agree to meet by a lake. But one of them doesn’t keep the agreement, and it begins to rain heavily.

When Chris arrives at the village of T'boli in lake Sebu, South Cotabato, he thought he has left his dark recent past behind. He is working on commission as a video documentarist to make a profile on the women T'boli and their changing views on multiple marriages. The most affluent men, called Datu, marry more than once and each time pays dowry to the family of the women they marry. When a young T'boli woman, Ngapon, tells Chris that she wants to be free from a marriage that was set by her parents and to go to Manila, Chris begins to confront waht he left in the city. Like the proud Datu with many wives, Chris has Denver, a bronze skinned lover in Manila, who is proud of his relationships. Denver lives with Chris in an apartment as partners yet he still goes into sexual and emotional relationships with other men. Ngapon's quest for freedom becomes Chris journey to a very sad dark past. - Written by Anonymous

A young man, alone in his room, is visited by a mysterious voice, who forces him to reveal the murder he committed.

A romance between a soldier and country boy is ruptured by the boy’s sudden disappearance. Their story turns into a mythical venture based on Thai folklore.

14-year-old Elias increasingly feels like an outsider in his village. When he meets his new neighbour of the same age, Alexander, Elias is confronted with his burgeoning sexuality.

In the hyper-masculine criminal underworld, a masochistic high-ranking yakuza and his newly-assigned bodyguard become increasingly drawn to each other.

The film tells the bittersweet love life of a group of young men who could not be more different from each other: Ryuji is a teenager passionate about rugby, Akira is a beautiful and popular kabuki actor, and Yutaro is the son of a yakuza leader. Their paths come across after they fall in love with the aspiring actor Makoto Hayakawa

The various faces of youth and people in an enclosed space of a convenience store for 12 hours.

A mysterious woman, known as Madame M, kidnaps forty pre-teen girls and transports them to a remote island to train them as the most deadly assassins. CIA operative Jack Chen follows the case for 6 years with no leads, but when a series of assassinations begin to occur, Jack suspects that Madame M is back in business.

A story about the heroism, redemption, and sacrifice of both sides of the Mindanao conflict.

Webtoon writer Seon Ho loses his sex drive after creating steamy comics—until he hires Mu Young, a devoted fan. As sparks fly, so do complications in love.

Gay high school couple - Ivan, a well-behaved local Taiwanese, and Eric, a rebellious international student from the US, take a road trip down the most dangerous highway in Taiwan. Their trip is cut short when Eric reveals that he must return home after graduation, forcing Ivan to confront his darkest demons.

Three uplifting stories of faith, compassion and courage provide the framework for this inspirational film. First, Jocelyn, a victim of the mudslides in Leyte, finds strength in the face of tragedy; next, a family's adoption of a neglected young boy brings healing; and in the final chapter, widower Rudy Abad decides to build a village in the Philippines in memory of his wife, who died in the Sept. 11 attacks.

The loving and nurturing Mariel marries Edward after his first wife abandons him and their three children. Mariel strives to win the acceptance and affection of her new stepchildren, even as she tries to define her role in the family.

Against the backdrop of the Typhoon Yolanda, a mother and her son struggle for survival and deal with absurdity of fate, sustained by the hope that they carry, and what is lost and gained.

Before I Love You PhuXTawan

Lawrence and Jaime were best friends in high school, but attend university on opposite sides of the globe. After four years apart, they reunite for a hedonistic week in Manila, Jaime’s hometown, untouched by Duterte’s War on Drugs but unable to escape nostalgia and ennui. Shot in one of Asia’s fastest growing megacities, An Unscripted Earth is an award-winning film about memory, young adulthood, and the uncertain future of our globalised world.