
The smuggler

A rice farmer and his son in a remote place in Bicol wrestle each day. The farmer’s wife, who is a writer and a poet, died after giving birth to the couple’s only son.Growing up, the boy was exposedto the works of her mother and thepenchant and passion for writingwould manifest in him. Becauseof abject poverty and his father’ssorrow and despair, the son decides to continue writing and studying in Manila, the country’s capital. And so, one day, he seeks his father’s consent.

You may look at it like “It is about a woman in a jeepney who keeps on babbling – sharing her ideals and personal issues – as if you are listening to a live commentary and an audio diary at the same time” or “The passenger(s), the driver, the 10 Commandments, the window, the high tech lifestyle and the high tech love life, the rumors, the government, the reality TV shows, Death, the family…”

Four independent short films comprise this quirky anthology. "Coriolis Effect" (1994) is an offbeat love story involving storm chasers. In the Oscar-nominated "Solly's Diner" (1979), a homeless man (Larry Hankin, who also directs) witnesses a holdup. "Looping" (1991) satirizes independent moviemaking. And the dialogue-free "Joe" (1997) features David Aaron Baker as a psychiatric patient searching for enlightenment.