ELENITA ELENA ELAINE
ELENITA ELENA ELAINE
by Gabriela Serrano
19:39 MINUTES | Sci-Fi, Drama | R-13 | Strong Language, Sex, GAD logos
FILM SCHEDULE
CAST
Agot Isidro, Gabby Padilla, Mariana Serrano
PRODUCTION
DIRECTOR – Gabriela Serrano
SCREENPLAY – Gabriela Serrano, Mariana Serrano
EDITOR – Gabriela Serrano
CINEMATOGRAPHER – Kara Moreno
LPS; PRODUCTION DESIGNER – Pauline Olarte
ORIGINAL MUSICAL SCORE – Andrea Ramos
SOUND DESIGNERS – Dawr Toñacao, Keith Deligero
EXECUTIVE PRODUCERS – Kim Jones, Gabie Tanjutco, Mike Marks
PRODUCERS – Gale Osorio, Keith Deligero
PRODUCTION COMPANIES: Archipelago, Studio Dalaga, Key Pictures, Lunari Global, Membrana Pictures
LOGLINE
In dreamless Manila, a fallen star appears on the eve of a woman’s departure to help her and her mother say goodbye.
SYNOPSIS
A pop idol prepares for what will become her final TV performance. A young graduate packs up her room to go work abroad. A call center agent lets her voice fade against a wall of noise. On this long night, in a reality where people have ceased to dream, three women’s mundane routines and subconscious worlds collide – revealing wishes, regrets, and versions of themselves that they keep from one other. Will dawn bring more silence, or a shimmering song?
FILMMAKER’S PROFILE
Gabriela Serrano is a filmmaker raised between Las Piñas City, Laguna, and rural Texas. Her films draw from language, mythology and dreams to examine longing in Filipina spaces. Her debut short, the silent folk-horror Dikit, won Best Director and the Special Jury Prize at Cinemalaya in 2021. It was acquired by the Criterion Channel after screening globally at the Singapore International Film Festival, Queer East London, Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM), and other international art venues and festivals.
Her surreal drama Surface Tension (co-directed with her sister, Mariana Serrano) won Best Short at the QCShorts Lokal at QCinema in 2025. Elenita Elena Elaine, supported by the Momo Film Co Distribution Grant, is a companion piece to Please Bear With Me, her call center-set sci-fi feature-in-development, which has been pitched and awarded at Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN), Festival du nouveau cinéma (FNC) Montréal, and the Southeast Asian Film Lab.
DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
As a filmmaker and an individual, I hold a deep belief in the importance of safe spaces – where one can breathe and simply be. This is not a new concern in my work. Across my previous films, I find myself returning to the same questions: Where are we safe? And what happens when these spaces disappear?
This documentary was not my original plan. I initially set out to create a film about how people in Manila celebrate New Year for a story of renewal and hope. But the direction of the film shifted when I met Edison. A young street vendor who grew up in Quiapo and now lives in Tondo, Edison became more than just a subject, he became a guide. He led me toward a quieter, more intimate understanding of the city.
I filmed Edison throughout most of December, at a time when he was still unknown to the wider public. There were no other cameras following him, no audiences waiting for his every move. It was just the two of us and the long, endless days of selling.
But this is not only Edison’s story. It is also the story of countless Filipino workers who, every day, attempt to break away from a system that confines them. My hope for this film is that it will not only show how they live, but to make audiences feel how even resting, something so fundamental, becomes a privilege. For Edison and for all Filipino workers – this film is for you. I hope it reaches people not just to see, but to truly understand.
FILM STILLS
BEHIND THE SCENES
