Sunday 18 June 2017

ToFarm Film Festival 2017 Official Entries









‘Instalado’ is a social science fiction set in a farming village in the not-so-distant future. Victor lives in a time when the dominant form of education is through installation, a process wherein bodies of knowledge can be installed directly into people's brains using technology owned by big corporations.

However, like many others in the agricultural town of Porac, Victor cannot afford the sky-high cost of installation; which he believes is the key to escape his rural life. To raise money for installation, Victor abandons farming and works as the housekeep of a wealthy childhood friend who has become extremely successful after undergoing a series of installations.


Starring: McCoy De Leon, Junjun Quintana, Francis Magundayao

Written and Directed By: Jason Paul Laxamana







A coming of age story of a fishpen boy who is learning to dream big, triggered by his sexual awakening from his boss’ new lover. He starts to find ways to elope with the woman. But his dreams will only produce devastating results, not only for him but also for people around him.

This is the story of one of the most neglected people in the Philippine workforce and society --- the fishpen boys. They give us the fish we eat every day, but we never know that like the fishes, they are also drowning in sorrow and dreams of breaking free from the nets of poverty and swim towards freedom. 


Starring: Ronwaldo Martin, Elora Españo, Rafa Siguion Reyna


Written By: Sigfried Barros-Sanchez

Directed By: Topel Lee







“What Home Feels Like” tells the home life of father and seaman, Antonio, who is forced to spend most of time at home upon learning that he can never aboard a ship again. Facing struggles as he doesn’t know what to do next, he follows the footsteps of his parents and buys a farm using their family savings.

Dealing with his forced retirement gives him several realizations. Spending his last 33 years as a seaman caused him to not know his family on a personal level. What's even worse is now that he has the chance to catch up, his kids are leaving and his wife is used to living without him.


Starring: Bembol Roco, Irma Adlawan, Rex Lantano, Aaron Rivera, Elijah Filamor, and Biboy Ramirez

Introducing Bianca Libinting


Written and Directed By: Joseph Abello







When her husband unexpectedly died, Sinang had to take over their farm. A strong-willed daughter of an old farmer, she has the heart and the touch. While her sisters consider selling their inherited parcels of the land to a subdivision developer, Sinang firmly refuses to sell hers. Resolutely, she plows it, nurse the rice seeds, going through the whole process with diligence. The experience is filled with happy and sad moments, still in the end -- love for family and for their farm prevails.


 Starring: Sue Prado, Julio Diaz, Lou Veloso, Lui Quiambao, Star Orjaliza, Gab Pangilinan, Jayvhot Galang, with Anjo Padilla, Chesko Rodriguez, Paulo Cabañero, Introducing Czel Santiago, Althea Oredina, Keiko Jastillana, and CJ Estay


Written and Directed By: Byron Bryant







Lolo Peping (65) built his backyard farm in his hometown in Mindanao, out of vegetable scraps or whatever edible plant life he could find in the garbage heap. His neighbors get free food from his garden while he does all the work. They don’t even bother to pay him or say thank you. So Lolo Peping decided to put a bamboo fence around his garden to keep neighbors out. 

It was for him a good decision because he enjoyed the peace in his garden for a while, until one day a ten year-old boy, Kenken, invades his garden. The cute pain-in-the-ass little boy turns out to be his brother’s grandson. Even though he is not very fond of the wayward boy, he invites Kenken and his mother, Inday (30) to live with him because he lives alone. 

Then after less than a week the boy’s mother disappears completely, abandoning his son and leaving the boy to Lolo Peping’s care. With a new unexpected responsibility, Lolo Peping tries his best to befriend Kenken. But how do you make friends with someone you hate and hates you back? Well, the malunggay tree can do amazing things, other than cure cancer.


Starring: Ma. Theresa “Dulce” Cruzata, Bayang Barrios, Skyzx Labastilla, Luis Banaag III, Kent Raymond Basa


Written and Directed By: Vic Acedillo, Jr.







When Unyok lost both his parents to super-typhoon Ising, he lost his ability to speak. He and his family used to live in a small island with about 20 other families, but due to climate change, the sea level has become so erratic and dangerously high that the small island has become a "no-man’s-land". As a disaster risk-reduction measure, the local government forcibly resettled all the families to the mainland.

Now, he lives in the mainland coastal village with his friends Dayday and Laila. Every low-tide they would go look for clams together in the shoreline. What little income they would get from selling clams they would give to their father, Tibor, who does back-breaking labor in the bangus fishpond of a rich man.

When the girls' mother becomes seriously ill, they frantically search for clams to help their father with the increasing hospital expense. Unfortunately, the supply of clams in the mainland coastline anymore is depleting.

In an attempt to help, Unyok leads the girls to cross his old island just when the tide is incredibly low. They discover that there’s an abundance of clams in the deserted island. But can the children go home safely before the high tide comes back in?


Starring: Arthur Solinap, Sunshine Teodoro, Dalin Sarmiento

Also Starring: Forrest Kyle Buscato, Christine Mary Demaisip, Reina Christal Shin


Written and Directed By: Tara Illenberger




ToFarm Film Festival 2017 runs from July 12-18, 2017 at SM Megamall, SM Manila, Greenbelt 1, Gateway, Robinsons Galleria & Robinsons Metro East



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