Manila Madness

On the Edge of the World

2002

The end of the world isn’t a global catastrophe, but an inner sense of total collapse, like for a man who’s lost his job and doubts his wife’s loyalty. In despair, he goes fishing and finds a wounded angel. He takes the angel home on his bicycle and introduces him to his family. But soon after, during a party at a local bar, the angel is accidentally shot by a neighborhood policeman. Based on Gabriel García Márquez’s short story 'A Very Old Man with Enormous Wings'.

Savana

2025

The story takes place in the landscapes of La Spezia, where urban and rural environments intertwine. Water plays a primary role as a form, alongside the circle (e.g., bicycle wheels, pizzas, clocks…), which sets the rhythm of the character’s life, dynamically accelerating until it becomes very fast. The overlapping forms invite the viewer into the cyclical rhythm of the short film, moving from the spinning bicycle wheel to the washing machine drum in the character’s bathroom, from a freshly tossed pizza to the delivery mailbox, and finally to a dead-end wall. Savana is a race against oneself and against others; it’s a matter of decision and unpredictability — it’s black or white.

GHOSTS

Energy cannot be created or destroyed. When we die, where does our energy go? Inspired by Vauhini Vara's essay "Ghosts", in which she prompted Al to help her write about her sister's passing, "GHOSTS" takes us on the emotional journey of grief. We see a ghost figure trying to get through to her sister, who is still alive, and let her know she's still around somehow. There are two poems in this piece, one is a poem written by GPT 3, and the next is the director's (Oriana Mejer) response to it. This film uses spoken word poetry, TouchDesigner motion graphics, and is originally scored by French musician Taime.

Cookie Logic

2024

A young scientist studies the mechanics of time travel by having a conversation with a group of her future selves.

Achromatic

2021

A perspective on everyday things.

The Starlings

2024

Shadow plays flicker, birds call, and colour leaks into grey walls. In Starlings, live action collides with puppetry and poetic visuals as a teen girl transforms loss into light, reviving the fractured bond with her father through the fragile power of art.

Locked

2022

A tormented man struggling with his inner demons, seeks desperately a way to be at peace with himself.

I Want a Love That Hungers for Me, But Not for My Body

Guided by the recitation of a poem, the story of a couple transforms into an intimate ritual where desire, love, and cannibalism become intertwined.

Between You and You All

1970 · ★ 6.2

A chronicle of the lives of a couple and the gradual dissolution of their relationship.

Toward a Course Bend All

2025

A night of tortured and solitary sleep, in which fears unfold and a bell tolls.

Work Without Mistakes

1992

The desire to grow closer to yourself will lead you to disappear. The simple desire to get a closer look at yourself makes you see yourself disappear. The possibilities of recording are limited.

A Thousand Waves Away

2025

The people are in turmoil. The ground from which their enchanted garden grows, is trembling. Between bushes and trees, flowerbeds and fountains, everyone has lost their way on their own. Their eyes search for paths, their hands try to remember. Sometimes they spot something. Sometimes they listen. They catch a whisper, a faint promise. They follow the petals downstream. Further.