Student short films unafraid of uncomfortable truths

On 14 May, five short films by student filmmakers screened in an exclusive block screening at SinePop, Cubao, Quezon City.

Despite their varying genres and styles, the films shared a striking common thread: an unflinching confrontation with uncomfortable realities, social inequities, and emotional wounds often left unspoken.

In Her Dreams
Directed by Kiah Resurreccion and Jana Magos

In Her Dreams follows a 21-year-old aspiring contemporary dancer forced to take on a one-day caretaker job inside a mansion. The film thrives in its atmosphere of unease and slowly exposes a dark and violent family secret rooted in abuse and control. Visceral and emotionally claustrophobic, it captures the terror of entrapment within systems of silence and power.

Oguima
Directed by Zarrina Fernandez

Perhaps the darkest among the lineup was Oguima, a disturbing psychological horror film about a pedophile farmer haunted by a goat-legged entity that stalks his farmland and home.

The film blurs monstrosity and guilt, turning folklore into a manifestation of buried depravity and moral decay. Bodjie Pascua delivers a deeply unsettling performance and shows remarkable range as a man consumed by sickness and paranoia.

The film also screened in curated UPFI/FDCP programs, including “Walang Maoy sa Mayo” and Earth Day 2026 screenings.

ANI
Directed by Ayessa Tan

Ayessa Tan’s ANI imagines an alternate reality where a struggling farmer falls under the influence of a powerful trader and turns against fellow farmers for survival. Through its carefully constructed production design, striking color palette, and composed cinematography, the film paints a suffocating portrait of greed and farmer exploitation. A constant sense of entrapment reflects the harsh realities faced by agricultural communities under oppressive systems.

The film premiered under Sinepiyu XVIII at FEU Manila and later screened in curated UPFI/FDCP programs, including “Walang Maoy sa Mayo.”

Coding si Papa
Directed by Michael Pogoy

Coding si Papa takes a gentler but equally heartbreaking approach. Set in a rural town, the story follows a young boy who tries to earn enough money to give his tricycle-driver father a day off so he could watch him perform at a school poetry contest. Beneath its warmth lies a painful truth: for many impoverished families, even time with loved ones becomes a luxury.

The film also screened at the CineMapúa Film Festival and became an official finalist at the FDCP Sine Kabataan Short Film Festival 2025, where it received a Special Mention.

Someday in May
Directed by Yesha Aureus

In the stop-motion animated film Someday in May, director Yesha Aureus explores longing and self-discovery. The story centers on a woman who realizes that despite a life already mapped out for her, a part of her still longs to bloom. The handmade texture of the animation provides charm and earnestness to the film.

Together, the five films demonstrate a level of thematic maturity rarely expected from student works. Rather than settle for surface-level storytelling, these student filmmakers confront exploitation, abuse, poverty, repression, and moral corruption head-on. The showcase reflects not only technical promise, but also a generation of young filmmakers unafraid to examine the darker truths of society.