ACF Asian Cinema Fund

Asian Network of Documentary(AND) Fund

2014

2014 Asian Network of Documentary (AND) Fund

LIST Nick and Chai
Category BIFF Mecenat Fund
Project Nick and Chai
Director Cha Escala, Wena SANCHEZ
Country Philippines
Director's Profile Cha Escala and Wena Sanchez are graduates of the University of the Philippines Film Institute. Cha Escala has been making short observational documentaries since 2007. She also works as an editor and cinematographer for film and TV documentaries. Her film Intoy’s Christmas (2009) won many local awards including Best Documentary at the Catholic Mass Media Awards. Wena Sanchez is writer/producer for Hiraya Pictures, a video company she co-founded with Cha. She has directed short films including one that was a finalist at a local advocacy film festival. Nick and Chai will be their first full-length documentary.
Synopsis
On November 2013, Super Typhoon Haiyan claimed the lives of Nick and Chai Quieta′s four children, leaving them with nothing but each other and a house torn to pieces. Four months later, the couple is in limbo as they try to move forward, only to find their guilt and longing keeping them from taking the first step. We witness their emotional highs and lows as they try new hobbies, help their community recover, and perform little acts of kindness for their neighbors. What is it like to lose all of your children in an instant? We step inside the Quieta’s home to observe how they manage to get by and how they view life and death after the deadly storm that changed their lives.
Director's Note
The filmmakers hope to show, through a couple named Nick and Chai, how their compatriots in Leyte (Philippines) slowly pick up the pieces after a deadly typhoon devastated the region.
Not only is the intention to make the people of Leyte feel less alone in their struggle, but also to encourage viewers from all over the world to reflect on how they deal with loss and recovery.
Festivals
2014 QCinema International Film Festival - Pylon Award / Best Picture
2015 Young Critics Circle, Philippines - Best First Feature
2015 Gawad Urian Awards
2014 Busan International Film Festival - Wide Angle_Documentary Competition
2014 International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam - Midlength Competition
2015 Salaya International Documentary Film Festival
2015 TRT Documentary Awards (Turkey)
2015 International Film Festival of Kerala
2015 Kota Kinabalu International Film Festival
2015 Festival International du Film Insulaire de Groix
2015 Freedom Film Festival
2015 Festival Anuu-ruAboro (New Caledonia) - Audience Choice
2015 Hollywood Film Festival (USA)
2015 Terra di Tutti Film Festival (Italy)
Still Cut
LIST