PH | 2005 | colour | 100 min
reż|dir Auraeus Solito pro|pro Raymond Lee sce|sc Michiko Yamamoto zdj|ph Nap Jamir muz|mus Pepe Smith mon|ed Clarence Sison, Auraeus Solito ob|cast Nathan Lopez, Soliman Cruz, J.R. Valentin, Neil Ryan Sese, Ping Medina dys|dis Wide Management

This film pits the purity of first love against the poverty and corruption that dominate the slums of Manila. The Philippine capital is home to 12-old Maxi, who comes from a poor family. Maxi cleans the house, cooks, washes clothes and repairs tattered jeans for his relatives, who are all petty thieves. He even supplies them with the odd alibi, when needed. Things work out fine until Maxi meets Victor, a respected, principled policeman who awakens Maxi’s dreams of a better life – on the straight and narrow. This is a recipe for disaster as far as the family is concerned, and it is not long before the situation incurs the wrath of his father and siblings.

AWARDS
2006 Berlin IFF – Crystal Bear

DIRECTOR | Auraeus Solito (1969)
Philippine Filmmaker and indigenous people’s rights advocate. He comes from a lineage of Shaman-Kings from the Palawan tribe. He is one of the first born outside of his tribal land of South Palawan. He graduated from the University of the Philippines with a degree in Theater Arts. One of the most promising directors of the new generation. The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros was his feature debut. Solito’s films gain awards and are screened on many international film festivals.