The story of Aliens Ata unfolds from the top view. Employing a stationary drone hovering above its characters, the film captures a young boy’s first encounter with tragedy after his father’s passing. To process this foreign emotion, the young boy settles for a less tragic explanation: that his father was probably taken by aliens.
Directed by Glenn Barit, Aliens Ata premiered at the 2017 Sinag Maynila Independent Film Festival where it won the Best Short Film Award. The film also won the NETPAC Award for Short Film and Balanghai Trophy for Best Short Film at the 2017 Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival. In 2018, the film won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Short Film at FAMAS and received a Best Short Film nomination at the Gawad Urian Awards.
In 2019, Barit would make his widely acclaimed debut feature, Cleaners. (READ: Revisited: The colorful and comforting world of ‘Cleaners’)
Glenn Barit is currently working on his second feature film about the infamous Calauit Island, a wildlife expanse where former first lady Imelda Marcos trafficked safari animals and displaced 200-some Tagbanua people.
For more Filipino short films, watch Si Astri maka si Tambulah, Pusong Bato, and Contestant #4 on Act One. – Rappler.com
Act One is Rappler’s platform for Filipino short films, empowering filmmakers and advancing causes. A new title comes out every month. Subscribe and watch on Rappler’s YouTube page.
As in any story, Act One marks the beginning.
How does this make you feel?
