MANILA, Philippines — Conceived during the pandemic, the short film “As the Moth Flies” delves into what’s going through the mind of a person suffering from mental illness. The film is one of the entries at the Sinag Maynila Independent Film Festival 2024 under the short film category.
Produced by Creative Kartel, in association with Desi Matters and Happy Manila, “As the Moth Flies” is helmed by Gayle Oblea. It centers on the story of a woman who tries to assess her mentally ill partner and their turbulent relationship, only to unravel haunting truths about their unsettling past.
The cast includes Jeffrey “Epy” Quizon (as the psychiatrist Oliver Sanchez), Boo Gabunada (as Jett), Mina Cruz (as Tonette, wife of Jett), and Pam Arambulo.
Direk Gayle narrated during a presscon at Flavours Indian & Mediterranean Cuisine in Makati City how her project started during the pandemic. Executive producers Happy and Rav Singh, who hail from India, also graced the press event.
“I think everybody could (relate), even those who do not have mental illness or probably are not aware of it, dun talaga parang medyo na-emphasize (at the height of the pandemic) because people were stuck at home (and) couldn’t do anything with it. It’s the same thing with us, especially since we’ve been doing productions since 2018,” stated direk Gayle, who revealed that she is a “high-functioning bipolar.”
During the pandemic, the young filmmaker and her sister and screenwriter, M.B. Garcia, were also “dealing with our own demons” and “suffering (with) some questions in mind.” What they did was divert their attention to making the film, which was originally written for an eight-episode limited series.
“We made sure that when we were writing the script, (it was) very accurate (like) lahat ng references to people who suffer from mental illness or probably people who are not aware of it. Because we designed it na talagang when the audience watches it, it’s like going inside someone’s head who suffers from mental illness.”
Jeffrey ‘Epy’ Quizon portrays the role of a psychiatrist in the short film.
“As the Moth Flies” was initially titled “Paruparo” but they changed it to the former because they didn’t want to be associated with Paro Paro G, a viral TikTok dance making rounds online at that time.
“This is really nice trivia. When you’re diagnosed with, particularly schizophrenia, you go through an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) and the result of the brain scan is the shape of a butterfly. Paruparo siya but we changed it,” explained direk Gayle.
“‘As the Moth Flies’ (is the title) because when you suffer from mental illness, there are what you call episodes. And there are times when you’re OK. There are times when you’re not. So when the episode kicks in, it’s when the moth flies.”
“As the Moth Flies” is direk Gayle’s second short film after “Blush,” which won several awards at Sine Siklab film festival. She is currently working on her feature directorial debut “Pag-Ani.”
Lead actor Boo (“Mula sa Buwan,” “Dekada 70,” and “Ang Huling El Bimbo”) shared that he accepted the role of Jett because the script material and the advocacy really “spoke” to him.
“I think it’s very important (mental health advocacy), especially in the Philippines,” he observed. “I’ve been to other countries and I found that a lot of things are more accessible to them. (For) someone who has a mental health illness, it’s a lot easier for them to seek help.
“Here in the Philippines, one, there’s stigma. It’s kinda strange that there’s still a stigma about it. And two, the accessibility as well — proper information regarding when you need to seek help and the kind of help you can actually get. The main thing (why) I really wanted to explore this film with all of the collaborators was because the advocacy speaks to me. It’s an advocacy that more people could still support,” he said.
Moreover, it took a year for the team to finish the 15-minute short film due to the challenges they encountered while filming.
Photos from As the Moth Flies Facebook page
They originally made the script for another actress and was almost done with the film but the said actress “disappeared” and they had to reshoot everything, recounted direk Gayle.
“Tito Epy Quizon, he had a schedule to follow, we had to adjust to his schedule. And he was very, very supportive of this film. When I sat down with him and asked what his talent fee was and then he said, ‘No…We’ll worry about that later on. We’ll help you guys out. I like the advocacy.’ That’s what I like about Tito Epy. He didn’t ask for a single dime to make this film. Because he said that I also wanna help this advocacy of yours.”
The participation of “As the Moth Flies” at the Sinag Maynila came as a full circle moment for the film as it’s making its Asian Premiere here. It was previously screened in various film festivals abroad, such as Brussels Short Film Festival (Belgium), Little Venice Film Festival (Italy), Greenwich Film Festival (London), and Urban Dreams Festival (New York, USA).
The Sinag Maynila film festival is happening on Sept. 4 to 8 at Gateway, SM Manila, and other cinemas in Metro Manila.
Direk Gayle is proud to present the film in the country. “This screening is significant not only because it returns to where the narrative was born, but because it carries the mission of the film: to open a window into the mind of someone living with mental illness,” she remarked.
“The aim has always been to go beyond observation, allowing audiences to experience — if only for a moment— the weight, discomfort, and complexities faced by those who struggle silently. By holding this premiere in Manila, we hope to break the silence and challenge the stigma surrounding mental health, using empathy as a bridge to understanding.”
On why they let the film be screened abroad first before the Philippines, she said, “During our research, we found out that you don’t get to qualify for a world premiere in festivals if we premiere it here in the Philippines. So that’s really the main reason. That’s why we initially went to the international scope and then really entered like the short film to numerous film festivals.”
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