Iris Prize Shorts 2021

How to Die Young in Manila

A young boy braves the streets of nighttime Manila to meet an anonymous hookup. Thinking one of them is the guy he’s meeting he trails a pack of young hustlers who then draw him into their strange world of death and desire.

DIRECTOR:

Petersen Vargas

PRODUCER:

Alemberg Ang, Jade Francis Castro

WRITER:

Petersen Vargas, Kaj Palanca, Jade Francis Castro

RELEASE YEAR:

2020

Philippines, 11 Minutes 35 Seconds

A teenage boy follows a group of young hustlers when he sees them on the street, 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.

Check Out The Trailer: How to die young in Manila

Petersen VARGAS is an alumnus of the University of the Philippines Film Institute and Asian Film Academy. His films tackle Filipino youth through a queer and regional lens. His short Geography Lessons (2014) won Best Direction at Cinemalaya. His feature debut 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten (2016) won the Audience Award at Torino LGBTQI Film Festival. He is developing his second feature, Some Nights I Feel Like Walking. He lives in Quezon City with his cat, Wong Kat Wai.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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