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Fireflies

A synesthetic musical short feature film about a friendship strongly fueled by Filipino music, young ambition, and Manila nightlife, as three friends discover their unique struggles amidst past and present circumstances that motivate them to produce, sing, and dance to songs of heartache.

  • Robin Estargo
    Director
  • Robin Estargo
    Writer
  • Jayvery Lorenzana
    Producer
  • Robin Estargo
    Producer
    Delta
  • Eluigi Macalintal
    Producer
  • James Garcia
    Key Cast
    "Amiel"
  • Russell Vingno
    Key Cast
    "Luke"
  • Annika Santos
    Key Cast
    "Annika"
  • Project Type:
    Feature, Music Video, Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Musical, Romance
  • Runtime:
    20 minutes 43 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    March 31, 2019
  • Production Budget:
    2,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Philippines
  • Country of Filming:
    Philippines
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes
Director Biography - Robin Estargo

Robin Estargo is a Filipino director, writer, cinematographer, and producer, known for short films, documentaries, and music videos earning top prizes and participation in various local and international film festivals, such as the prestigious Gawad CCP Para sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Video, the longest-running film and video competition in Asia, the SeaShorts Film Festival in Malaysia, the Globe International Film Festival in the Philippines, and the Bali International Film Festival in Indonesia.

He won the Central Digital Lab Prize and the Black Maria Prize at the 2019 Directors’ Guild of the Philippines Film Pitch for his first feature film in development, “Ang Bagong Tugtugin ni Ash (Ash’s New Music)”. He has directed “Daddy’s Girl”, a play-on-video project for Pelikulove directed for the stage by Nicolas Pichay and written by Dingdong Novenario for the 2016 Virgin Labfest. He won Best Music Video at the 2019 Globe International Film Festival for directing and producing Ruru’s debut music video, “Tonight!” which premiered at the 2019 Los Angeles Asian Pacific Film Festival in California.

He studied digital filmmaking at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde and graduated Magna Cum Laude in 2019. He studied film directing and cinematography at the Mowelfund Film Institute. He is a workshopper of notable Filipino screenwriter Ricky Lee. He is pursuing his master’s degree in sociology at the University of the Philippines Diliman.

He is working independently as a film, advertisement, online content, and music video producer and director. He is currently based in Manila.

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Director Statement

In recent news and films about Manila, Philippines, the city has been demonised as a place full of crime and danger. For optimists, this city contains stories of love as well, and behind that love is pain, most especially pain that comes from the city's youth. They say that the youth is the future of the country, but what if the youth sees no future in themselves as well?

Fireflies is a film that is inspired by personal stories I have witnessed and heard from my friends during our sleepless nights and bar hoppings in Manila. The film is about three friends: a closeted gay restaurant worker, a dreamer who left, and a teenager who committed abortion, as they share a unique experience through listening to three magical songs that they produced and that recall memories of the ones they love during a drinking night.

These stories are just few of the many adolescent stories I will never know. They deserved to be heard. Fireflies is my contribution to that movement.