Lolo and his teen grandson, Nino, are left in the house during pandemic. Lola dies many years ago. Their first-born son, Miguel, his wife and their only son, Nino, are all living with lolo. While his second child, Tita Teresa, is with her family in another city. One lockdown day, Lolo and Nino, are doing their usual chores, to also make them busy and not be anxious of the crisis – cleaning the house, cooking and eating together. Tita Teresa texted Nino that she and her family cannot possibly come home due to lockdown. Nino’s parents normally come home at weekends because they work in one non-government agency helping in the communities. Nino’s mother called to inform him that his Papa Miguel cannot come home anymore because the virus complicates his asthma. Papa Miguel is now dead while his mother needs to quarantine herself. Nino can not tell all these developments to Lolo because these might affect Lolo’s condition. Nino tries to control his emotions. That night, as Lolo is still waiting for Papa Miguel, Tita Teresa and the rest of the family, Nino tries to be strong to honestly tell everything to Lolo in this very special night --- Lolo’s 75th birthday. Tyring to comfort each other, trying to be stronger than ever, the gandson offers his Lolo a song for his birthday. “Uuwi sila,” Lolo says as he tries to be hopeful in the midst of pandemic and crisis.

Luis Pedron's Q&A with Director Melchor Avila Berja

Watch Q&A now: https://business.facebook.com/watch/live/?v=792838677931996&ref=watch_permalink

Director Bio:

MELCHOR AVILA BERJA

Director

Sa Pag-uwi (Coming Home)

A television and film practioner for fifteen years now, Direk Melchor has worked as crowd director and assistant director mostly for GMA7 network programs and in other production companies as well.

Into theater productions, community organizing and cultural work, he has been an actor, production staff, stage director, theater facilitator and resource person for Araw Theater Ensemble Inc., a community cultural organization, and for Alyansa Inc., a network of cultural groups in Metro Manila, for two decades now. His latest theater opus is the mobile touring performance of the ecological play "Uyayi Ng Ulan" as stage director.

"Unyo", about the love and life of a cemetery worker, was his first ever short film which won him Best Video Production Thesis during his graduating year at the University of the East. "Sa Pag-uwi", his latest short film, has just been chosen as the Grand Winner in the Quarancine Film Festival 2020 Movies Made On Lockdown.

Keeping up with his spiritual aphorism from Saint Mother Theresa de Calcutta's "Love in Action is Service," he has setup his small enterpreneurship "CloverBoie Online Market," to be of service to the market needs of his network of friends and relatives as on-hand food essential frontliner this pandemic.