Private Project

TATATA

In a VTR profiling, the BODY stands before the CAMERA—nervous, smiling, presenting themself to YOU. Time ticks. Pressure builds. Tick. Tick. The BODY performs in three chapters: One – THE BODY AND ITS RESTRICTIONS. Forced to perform in heavy flowy curtains, flickering lights resist its motion. Soon after, they dance in straight lines, rewarded with medals that soon become burdens, anchoring its freedom. Two – THE BODY IN THE STREET. Amid concrete and chaos, the BODY navigates forms and fractures. It resists. It adapts. In fleeting moments of disorder, it finds joy. Three – THE BODY WITH OTHER BODIES. Surrounded now—by warm bodies, by memory, by movement, by cinema. In this kaleidoscope of presence, the BODY is empowered. Together, they perform. Tick. The BODY comes back to the VTR profiling, where it said that the results will soon be given through their email.

  • Denbert M. Tiamson
    Director
  • Jay-r Julio
    Producer
  • Denbert M. Tiamson
    Producer
  • Project Type:
    Experimental
  • Genres:
    Dance
  • Runtime:
    10 minutes
  • Completion Date:
    May 16, 2025
  • Country of Origin:
    Philippines
  • Country of Filming:
    Philippines
  • Language:
    Tagalog
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital, 4k
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    Yes - University of the Philippines-Diliman
Director Biography - Denbert M. Tiamson

DENBERT TIAMSON (b. April 27, 2002 in Pasay City, Philippines) is currently a graduating student of Bachelor of Arts in Film at the UP Film Institute. He is a producer, writer, and director who has experienced working with both theater and film productions. His work and interest are deeply rooted around performance art, integrating movement in the material of film and the advocacy he aims to amplify. With his concern for the underrepresented, he champions stories of queer individuals, queer children, collective voices, and resistance, among other important themes.
In 2024, Denbert directed If I Were a Voice, an official entry in SineKabataan under the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), which won Best Editing. This short film was also a official selection of local and international film festivals such as Queer East Festival in London, Korea Queer Film Festival, and Montanosa Film Festival in Baguio. His short film 50LO Trip with Lolo Dan, which he co-wrote and co-directed, was a Top 10 Finalist in the 50th Metro Manila Film Festival (Student Competition). And lastly, his film San Simon was selected for the Changing Climate, Changing Lives (CCCL) Film Festival in Thailand.
Denbert has contributed his talents to various acclaimed productions. He has worked as the producer of a 2025 puregold CinePanalo audience choice award Sisenta!. He was also the associate producer of Epilogue by Xavier Roncesvalles which was an FDCP SFAP grantee, the production manager of To Drown A Fish by Hanns Scheewe, production associate for Lola.psd by Coby Mercado, and a wardrobe supervisor for Ang Alamat Kung Bakit Kalabaw Lang Ang Tumatanda by Ronnie Ramos, among many other roles. Beyond the confines of traditional film roles, Denbert's artistic journey extends to the stage. Notably, he showcased his acting prowess as Niko in Anak Ka Ng written by U Z Eliserio and directed by Chi Carreon in Dulaang UP Laboratoryo last June 2023. And he has also worked with films from Asia Pacific College, and University of the East North Caloocan as an actor.
Last year, he was the Vice President for External Affairs of UP Cinema, and the associate festival head of Piling Obrang Vidyo 20. In every endeavor, Denbert Tiamson continues to push the boundaries of storytelling and filmmaking, amplifying voices that deserve to be heard.

Add Director Biography
Director Statement

To perform is one thing. To do so in a queer body is another. And to perform under rigid societal structures is still another struggle on its own. TaTaTa is a performance where the filmmaker attempts to process its relation to performance since he was very young–under institutions, gender expectations, and societal norms. Using an autoethnographic process and understood in frameworks of performance theory and kapwa theory, the filmmaker explores how these layers take form in cinema.