tweet
share
 In a dystopian future where the Philippine archipelago is mostly submerged in seawater, a Mother-doctor, along with other experts comes up with an unconventional solution to save the future Filipino generation. An operation that to some is a medical farce. An extremely risky procedure that will turn children into the likeness of a Visayan mythical creature – the Kataw. Despite the risk, she is driven by dire circumstances to do it to her child.
As the operation day arrives, the Mother-doctor must make the hardest decision: will she take the risk to give her child a chance at survival or keep her child with her in the sinking world? |
 Ashley or Ash is a Filipina filmmaker born and raised in Cebu, Philippines. Her short sci-fi film Kataw (2024) is a recipient of the 2024 Oscar M. Lopez’ Mga Kwento ng Klima (Stories About Climate) Short Film Grants and eventually won that year’s Best Film award. The film also bagged Best in Editing and Jury Prize for Cinematic Lens awards. In 2025, Kataw is an official selection at Climate Film Fest New York City and an Honorable Mention at Kota Kinabalu International Film Festival – Sweet10 Filmmaker’s Competition.
Ash is also a Vision Scholar of 2025 iAcademy’s iNdiegenius Film Lab. She is also a 2025 film production grantee of Thailand’s CCCL (Changing Climate and Changing Lives) Film Festival for her short drama, Emergency, making her a member of the CCCL family that supports endeavors on using film as a medium for climate education and environmental advocacy. She has been a grant recipient and a finalist of Sine Kabataan 2023 Film Lab and Festival too with her other sci-fi short, The Brief History of a Filipino Astronaut. This film is also Binisaya International Film Festival’s 2024 Best Film. Her works throughout the years have constantly appeared in the annual Cinema Rehiyon, including the omnibus, Martes Martes (2017). Ashley is a mass communication graduate from the University of the Philippines. She keeps a day job in the field of marketing. When she’s not making films or working, she reads science books and magazines and watches a lot of science fiction TV shows and films. Filmography: |
Plays in
Shorts Program I: Finding Elsewhere
Finding Elsewhere is a compilation of stories that takes us on a fantastical ride of the unknown and…
Dates & Times
Shorts Program I: Finding Elsewhere
Theater 13, AMC Theater Plaza Bonita, Westfield
October 10, 2025
11:00 am
