Sam Manacsa
Director
Chad Cabigon, Carlo Francisco Manatad
Producer
Philippines
Country
Logline

When 19-year-old ROSEMARY is the last to see a young boy before his disappearance, she finds herself alongside his grieving mother, AGNES, in search of him. In the stillness of their shared days, they are drawn to confront their unspoken grief and forgotten dreams.

Short Synopsis

ROSEMARY (19) works as a saleslady in a mall, surrounded by everything one could want, yet her dream of singing remains out of reach. Her daily routine shifts when, walking home, she sees a 16-year-old boy taken during a sudden raid and later returns to find him gone. Relentless in her search, the boy’s mother, AGNES (35), turns to Rosemary for help.

The search is slow, and days stretch in Agnes’s salon, where Rosemary learns to polish nails and cut hair as their conversations drift through their hopes and dreams. The two attempt to navigate their new realities: Agnes, consumed by the loss of her son and guilt of her abandoned dreams, and Rosemary, on the cusp of motherhood, uncertain of the life she is about to bring. They find solace in one another, seeking not only answers but also the courage to face an unknown future.

Sam Manacsa
Sam Manacsa

SAM MANACSA worked as Art Director on award-winning films such as Carlo Francisco Manatad's Whether the Weather Is Fine. Her short film, Cross My Heart and Hope to Die (2023), had its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival under the Orrizonti Section while If People Such as We Cease to Exist (2016) was selected at Clermont-Ferrand Short Film Festival under the International Competition. She is an alumna of TIFF Directors Lab 2025 and SEAFIC Seed Lab 2022. Manacsa currently works as a production designer for various commercials and films.

Chad Cabigon
Chad Cabigon

CHAD CABIGON is a film producer and assistant director based in Manila for a variety of films and television series. She recently worked as Associate Producer for Carlo Manatad's Whether the Weather is Fine (Kun Maupay Man it Panahon) which won the Youth Jury Prize at Locarno Film Festival in 2021. She is also the producer of Sam Manacsa's Cross My Heart and Hope to Die which premiered at the Venice International Film Festival 2023. She graduated from the University of the Philippines and is an alumna of the Asian Film Academy.

Carlo Francisco Manatad
Carlo Francisco Manatad

CARLO FRANCISCO MANATAD is a Filipino film director and editor. His short films have screened at numerous local and international film festivals. Junilyn Has, his first short film, premiered at the Locarno Film Festival under the Pardi di Domani Section in 2015. Jodilerks Dela Cruz, Employee of the Month was selected in competition at the 56th Semaine dela Critique of the Cannes International Film Festival. Bagat Diri Tuhay Tat Pamahungpang (The Imminent Immanent) premiered in competition at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival. As one of the most prolific editors in the Philippines today, he has collaborated with numerous filmmakers on independent and studio films. Carlo is an alumnus of the Asian Film Academy, Berlinale Talents, Tokyo Talents and the Locarno Filmmakers Academy. 
 

Whether the Weather is Fine (Kun Maupay Man It Panahon) is his first feature film.