Personal Notes

When I was in Seattle in 2000, I had regular phone conversations with a friend and he mentioned to me his yahoo account name: astrangiam. What does this mean? It never left my mind since then. I thought I'd do a film and titled it astrangiam (all small letters). And when I went back to the Philippines three years later, I shot the film with Philip - one of the most beautiful people I've met in my life. For me, astrangiam is about mundane things that people don't really give much attention to. For me, it is us who make things interesting so nothing may be dull in life. Everything is about perspective and how one gives weight to that particular perspective. So it is always possible for me (or anyone) to create a film about time, spontaneity, assumptions, dreams, etc and tell it my way no matter how irrelevant it would be for others. Each idea, each space is valid. The film is lovingly dedicated to my Ninang Gloria Hebrona - a very kind person who has a very generous spirit - who passed away in 2006. It was Ninang Glo's passing that I revisited my 2003 files to finally release the film. It is my way of honoring her memory.