Four A.M. And We’re Wide Awake
Marcus and Gabriel are new found friends who are slowly exploring their mutual admiration for each other. They just get along really well. One night, Gabriel asks Marcus to go and grab some midnight snacks together. In the process they get to spend time talking and getting to know more about each other. Will the friendly attraction turn into something deeper and blossom into new found love?
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Juan Paolo AquinoDirectorTill The Very End
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Juan Paolo AquinoWriter
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Saviour RamosKey Cast"Gabriel"
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Rae BalunesKey Cast"Marcus"
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Marq DollentesOriginal Theme Song
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Nathaniel TrinidadCinematographer
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Project Title (Original Language):Alas Kuwatro Ng Umaga at Tayo'y Gising Pa
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Project Type:Short
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Runtime:25 minutes 30 seconds
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Completion Date:August 4, 2025
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Country of Origin:Philippines
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Country of Filming:Philippines
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Language:Tagalog
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Shooting Format:Digital
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Aspect Ratio:16:9
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Film Color:Color
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First-time Filmmaker:No
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Student Project:No
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Digital Cinema Package:Unavailable
Juan Paolo Aquino is a Filipino TV director and photographer. He has been producing and directing for Philippine TV since early 2000.
A graduate of the London Film School, Aquino lived in London during his college years and worked in a number of international film productions before going back to Manila.
The spark of something new—quiet, tentative, full of possibility—has always fascinated me as a storyteller. In a world that often rushes past gentle beginnings, I wanted to pause and linger in that delicate space where friendship quietly edges toward romance, where admiration slowly reveals itself as attraction.
This short film may feel small in scope—just two people, one late-night walk, a few shared snacks and honest words—but its heart lies in something profoundly universal: the courage it takes to let someone in, to risk hoping for more when everything still feels fragile and undefined. Love at its beginning does not discriminate; it simply asks us to show up, to listen, and to be brave enough to see where it might lead.
Through this small, intimate moment, I hope audiences recognize pieces of their own stories—of hesitation, of warmth, of the beautiful unknown—and feel a little less alone in the quiet thrill of “what if.”