Synopsis

This film is an extremely seductive yet radical ‘ethno-fiction’ set on the islands of Panay and Negros. With the simple premise of spending her last day on Panay as a private loan collector, then taking off to Negros in search of the lover who had appeared in her dreams the film follows Sarah (or rather the actress who plays the role) minus the comfort of a written script as she meets and mingles with locals. Stories from the past unfold through subtitles, narration and songs upon (or at times between) images of the present. Past stories consist of the island’s history of struggle against U.S. conquest or local legends (and sometimes epic poetry). What is interesting is that the creative marriage between present images and past stories are not positioned to evoke nostalgia of the past but to dream of a revolution in the present. For instance, the image of a sugarcane plantation laborer is merged with the tale of a revolutionary who used the same place as a guerilla training ground. There, the sword that originally was a tool of labor is transformed into a warrior’s weapon. The politically radical aspect of this film is the struggle between past and present memories and making new ones. Therefore, the title of this film should be re-read as ‘Revolutions Happen Like Refrains in a Song.’ The fact that it is a woman who dreams of revolution and not a man also stands as a significant sign that marks this film as radical. (BYUN Seong-chan)

Director

• 

  John TORRES
  

  Born in Manila in 1975, he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication (cum laude) in the Ateneo de Manila University in 1997. Under the steady influence of a Jesuit priest, he learned about the fundamentals of filmmaking, watching masterpieces by local heroes Kidlat Tahimik, Mike de Leon and Ishmael Bernal. In 2006, John was awarded the Dragons & Tigers Award for Young Cinema at the 25th Vancouver International Film Festival for his debut feature Todo Todo Teros.
  
  Years When I Was a Child Outside (2008)
  Todo Todo Teros (2006)
  Night When Father Told Me He Had a Child Outside (2006)
  Tawidgutom (2005)
  Salat (2005)

Credits

• Director, Writer, Cinematographer, Editor  John TORRES
• Producers  John TORRES, Shireen SENO
• Music  Teresa BARROZO, Orlando MORALES
• Sound  Teresa BARROZO, John TORRES

Production Company

• Production Company  Peliculas Los Otros

Distribution / World Sales

• Distribution / World Sales  Peliculas Los Otros
• Address  43-B Mahiyain St., Sikatuna Village, 1101 Quezon City, Philippines
• Tel  63 919 888 5189
• E-mail  johnotros@gmail.com