Private Project

Kamunggai

Living alone in his little shack in a rural Visayan town, Lolo Peping lovingly tends to a simple vegetable patch. It provides daily sustenance and a meager livelihood to the aging government retiree. However, some opportunistic villagers regularly help themselves to the fruits of the old man’s labors. This chronic parasitism foments mutual disdain between Peping and his neighbors. One day, another intrusion into Peping’s garden trigger a series of events that would turn his life around.

  • Vic Acedillo, Jr.
    Director
  • Vic Acedillo, Jr.
    Writer
  • Dr. Milagros How
    Producer
  • TOFARM Philippines
    Producer
  • TOFARM Film Festival
    Producer
  • Kent Raymond Basa
    Key Cast
    "Kenken"
  • Roger “SOE” Gonzales
    Key Cast
    "Lolo Peping"
  • Ma. Theresa “DULCE” Cruzata
    Key Cast
    "Kapitana"
  • Skyzx Labastilla
    Key Cast
    "Cathy"
  • Bayang Barrios
    Key Cast
    "Dolores"
  • Luis Banaag III
    Key Cast
    "Peter"
  • Elizabeth Abcede
    Key Cast
    "Clarita"
  • Genres:
    Comedy, Drama
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 34 minutes 57 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    July 1, 2017
  • Production Budget:
    30,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    Philippines
  • Country of Filming:
    Philippines
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
Director Biography - Vic Acedillo, Jr.

After his two siblings died (only 8 hours apart) in 2013, Vic decided to return to his home province in Camiguin Island in the Visayas to take care of his ageing mother, ending his mainstream advertising career which he enjoyed for more than fifteen years.

After so many attempts at building his own small organic backyard farm, he decided to quit, and tried lmmaking once again. Last year he authored two films, “Lando at Bugoy” for Cinemalaya and “Kakampi” for the 1st TOFARM Film Festival.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

Many years ago, my brother gathered our neighbors to start a community garden in our backyard in our home in Camiguin. It was so successful that it won a contest for the best barangay community garden in the whole island. Unfortunately, the prize for the contest -- a live carabao -- didn’t materialize. (Maybe it ended up in someone else’s farm.) The people felt cheated and were disheartened. They lost interest in the project. Now, what used to be the garden is just an empty piece of land. But every time I look at it I remember how beautiful it looked, how happily all the neighbors came together to plant food for everyone.

I like the idea of having no walls and no boundaries in communities, and of not having to rely on money for food security. But it rarely happens these days. When it does happen, greed enters the scene to destroy everything that is good. But as greed comes in different forms, goodness too can take many shapes and sizes. Old age can be the start of something new. A piece of junk can turn into wealth. A lowly shrub can be an instrument in healing one’s soul.