Conviron Altatis's short film "Boys' Toys" will be screened at the Sweet As Film Festival 2016 on Aug. 26 in Quebec, Canada. The director is a student of Brillante Mendoza, the Filipino filmmaker who won the Cannes Film Festival Best Director award over Quentin Tarantino, Ang Lee and Ken Loach in 2009.
Running three minutes and 27 seconds, "Boys' Toys" is about how a porn magazine ruined relationships. It stars Elijah Filamor, Lloyd Ara, Mica Jaotegan and Lito Capina, who are also students of Mendoza.
Filamor, Ara, Jaotegan and Capina were part of the acting class of the Brillante Mendoza Film Workshop 2016, which ran from March 28-April 3 in Mandaluyong City, Metro Manila, Philippines. Altatis, on the other hand, was in the directing class. They were classmates with Martin Andanar, the newly appointed Secretary of the Presidential Communications Operations Office of President Rodrigo Duterte's administration.
On the second day of the Brillante Mendoza Film Workshop 2016, the students were tasked to translate a one-scene script to a short film. "Boys' Toys" was Altatis's output with the help of his director classmates Vanju Alvaira and Dexter Macaraeg.
Also featured in "Boys' Toys" is the song "Toying with the Idea," which was written and recorded by Altatis in his apartment the night after the short film was shot. It featured the filmmaker's vocals and ukulele accompaniment.
Aside from "Boys' Toys," Altatis's short film "Gahi Ka'g Ulo" (You're Hard Headed) will also be screened at the Sweet As Film Festival 2016 both in the non-competition category. The filmmaker also stars in "Gahi Ka'g Ulo" with Mico Angeles and Renz Termulo.
Brillante Mendoza Film Workshop started in 2014. From the first batch is Raymund Ribay Gutierrez, the director of "Imago" starring "The Bourne Legacy" actress Ruby Ruiz. "Imago" was the only Asian film short film in the Cannes Film Festival 2016.
Watch Mendoza and Altatis talk about "Ma' Rosa" here: