THE KEEPER

THE KEEPER
by Nolan Rae Fabular and TRNZ

07:45 MINUTES | Psychological Drama | G | Violence, Horror logos

FILM SCHEDULE

  • August 5, 2023 6:15 PM Philippine International Convention Center (PICC)

  • August 6, 2023 3:30 PM Philippine International Convention Center (PICC)

  • August 6, 2023 8:00 PM Ayala Malls

  • August 7, 2023 12:30 PM Ayala Malls

  • August 8, 2023 3:30 PM Ayala Malls

  • August 9, 2023 12:45 PM Philippine International Convention Center (PICC)

  • August 9, 2023 8:00 PM Ayala Malls

  • August 10, 2023 3:30 PM Philippine International Convention Center (PICC)

  • August 11, 2023 9:00 PM Philippine International Convention Center (PICC)

  • August 11, 2023 8:00 PM Ayala Malls

  • August 12, 2023 6:15 PM Philippine International Convention Center (PICC)

  • August 12, 2023 5:30 PM Ayala Malls

PRODUCTION
DIRECTOR – Nolan Rae Fabular
SCREENPLAY/Story – Nolan Rae Fabular, TRNZ
STORYBOARD – Nolan Rae Fabular
EDITOR – Nolan Rae Fabular
PRODUCTION DESIGNER – Nolan Rae Fabular
ORIGINAL MUSICAL SCORE – Gianco Ante
SOUND DESIGNER SFX – Mario Consunji
ADDITIONAL SOUND MIXING – Dan Gil
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS – TRNZ, Fleet Studios
PRODUCER – Denise Jose
TRAILER PRODUCER – Melody Santos
ANIMATION – Elisha Pablo, Coleen Yutan, Jordan Jacinto, Nowy Aratan, Nolan Rae Fabular
COMPOSITORS – Nolan Rae Fabular, Kiko De Dios, Jose Leandro Tamayo
ASSOCIATE PRODUCER – Jan Tristan Pandy

LOGLINE
When an intruder disrupts the rigid order of a trophy hall, its devoted keeper spirals into a relentless pursuit that begins to unravel the world she so carefully curated.

SYNOPSIS
In a meticulously ordered trophy hall, a devoted keeper obsessively guards perfection – until an unexpected intruder disrupts her carefully controlled world. As she hunts the unwelcome presence, she slowly uncovers a quiet truth: life has been unfolding inside the confines of her own careful curation.

FILMMAKER’S PROFILE        

NOLAN RAE FABULAR
Nolan Rae Fabular is an animator and director drawn to storytelling through animation. His love for drawing led him to this medium where he found a space to bring narratives to life – something he believes is the closest thing to magic. He began his career as an art director in advertising, taking every opportunity to animate and work on story-driven projects. This led to his decision to help build and lead an in-house production group where he began directing.

Driven by a search for a distinct Filipino animation voice, his practice sparked a desire to create work beyond the commercial space. In 2020, he co-founded an advertising agency while simultaneously beginning to build an independent animation studio, using animation as a medium to explore identity, culture, and original storytelling.

TRNZ
TRNZ is a visual artist whose paintings draw from understated, quotidian scenes that hover between familiarity and unease. His works depict ordinary events and unassuming characters that appear light at first glance, yet carry an indeterminate emotional weight – one that resists clear attribution or narrative resolution.

Influenced by childhood exposure to anime and popular visual culture in the Philippines, TRNZ’s painterly language adopts a restrained, comic-inflected clarity that mirrors the humility of its subjects. By emphasizing overlooked details, forgotten objects, and seemingly inconsequential scenes, his paintings assert the significance of the ordinary. In doing so, they invite viewers into moments of quiet recognition – where memory feels present, yet remains unresolved, suspended between what is remembered and what only feels familiar.

 

DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT

Nolan Rae Fabular:

I am drawn to animation because it allows me to return to drawing – my first way of understanding the world. For me, animation feels like the closest thing to magic: a space where a bunch of lines becomes story and personality. While much of my professional work has been shaped by commercial storytelling, my personal practice has always been driven by a desire to explore stories where style is not secondary but part of the story’s DNA.

This film was born from a desire to create something beyond commercial work. It is a collaboration with visual artist TRNZ, using his visual language as a starting point to build and explore this universe through animation. I wanted to see how far this language could carry emotion and meaning once placed in motion and in a narrative. The film is an experiment in world-building and a step toward the kind of animated stories I hope to continue making – stories where style is not decoration but the foundation.

TRNZ:

I’ve been wanting to make an animated film for a long time, even back when I was a young art director in an ad agency. It always felt just out of reach, or shaped by things that didn’t quite align with how I wanted to work. Everything had to be clear, quick, and resolved. I think I carried that frustration for a while.

Making The Keeper was a way of finally returning to it on my own terms, slower, less explained, more open to pauses and small gestures. At the same time, it’s been a kind of reset for me. Stepping away from painting, even briefly, let me approach images differently again, without overthinking them. It reminded me of why I like working with these kinds of moments in the first place.

FILM STILLS

BEHIND THE SCENES