Private Project

Tale of the Lost Boys- Director's Cut: Ode to Friendship

Tale of the Lost Boys is the story of the friendship between two men — Alex (Oliver Aquino), a Filipino mechanic, and Jerry (Ta Su), a Taiwanese aborigine student. The two meet randomly when Alex flees to Taipei from Manila, upon learning that his girlfriend is pregnant. A casual conversation develops into a surprising personal connection between them. Both realize that they yearn for a more intimate connection with their mothers, since Alex's abandoned him for a new family while Jerry is afraid that his traditional parents will reject him for being gay. The two men go on a road trip and end up at Jerry's tribe. The trip eventually makes them reconnect with their mothers and both discover a certain sense of identity and freedom.

  • Joselito Altarejos
    Director
  • May delos Santos
    Writer
  • Jay Lin
    Producer
  • Oliver Aquino, Ta Su
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Feature
  • Genres:
    Drama, Gay, Youth
  • Runtime:
    1 hour 20 minutes 39 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 30, 2017
  • Country of Origin:
    Taiwan
  • Country of Filming:
    Taiwan
  • Shooting Format:
    HDcam
  • Aspect Ratio:
    2.35
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • • Sinag Manila International Film 2018
    Quezon City
    Philippines
    March 9, 2018
    World Premiere
    Official Selection, Best Feature Film, Best Screenplay, Best Editing
Distribution Information
  • Portico Productions
    Country: Taiwan
    Rights: All Rights
Director Biography - Joselito Altarejos

JOSELITO ALTAREJOS is a Filipino director renowned as one of the innovators of gay cinema in the Philippines. His films are known for their strong identity and gay subjects, and have been screened at many international and local festivals .
His films are research-based and reflect Filipino experiences and culture; and often tackle social issues, gay identity- ANTONIO’S SECRET (2008), awarded Best at Festival dela Luna in Valencia Spain; poverty and inequality –THE GAME OF JUAN’S LIFE (2009), won Jury Prize at Chicago Reeling in 2010; war and children PINK HALO-HALO (2010); UNFRIEND (2013) on social media and youth suicide which premiered at the Panorama Section of Berlin International Film Festival in 2014; KASAL-The Commitment (2014) on marriage equality was awarded Best Film at the 10th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival (Director’s Showcase); and, TEMPORARY PROTECTION ORDER (2016) on domestic abuse for Sinag Maynila 2016 which won for him Best Screenplay award.

In 2017, Altarejos released Tale of the Lost Boys, his first international feature film, shot and produced in Taiwan. It is a story of friendship between a straight Filipino man and a gay Taiwanese aborigine who both have issues regarding their identities. It won Best Film at Serile Filmului Gay International Film Festival in Romania. This year, the film won Best Film at Sinag Maynila Independent Film Festival.

He has just finished a documentary series, Queer Asia-Philippines, for the online platform Gagaoolala based in Taiwan.

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Director Statement

Identity is a basic human need. We sometimes ask "Who we are or who we want to be. " But any sense of identity is deeply rooted in the family. This film somehow makes our characters realize about a certain sense of identity after encountering their respective mothers, again.