Cinemalaya entry ‘Kaka Sa Yawan’ to share proceeds with Mangyan community

MANILA, Philippines — Filmmaker Alpha Habon sees his Cinemalaya 2026 entry “Kaka Sa Yawan (Brothers By The River)” as something that can become “bigger than ourselves.”

The director hopes the project can give greater visibility and tangible support to the Mangyan community that became an integral part of the film.

Alpha described the project as offering “the gift of representation for the rich culture of a community” that has remained underrepresented, particularly the Tadyawan Mangyan community in Socorro, Oriental Mindoro.

At the heart of the film, he said, is the idea of “seeing the shared humanity of everyone and knowing we are more the same than different.”

“And I hope itong message of ‘Kaka Sa Yawan’ will reach out to us — being friendlier and being more understanding of other people and their motivations and where they’re coming from,” he added.

That advocacy is also expected to continue after the film’s theatrical run during the festival that culminates today. Alpha confirmed to this paper during an interview that proceeds from “Kaka Sa Yawan” would benefit the Mangyan community.

“Yes po. And actually, even before we shot, we already gave a lot of help sa community,” he said.

He added that the community would also have its own private screening of the film.

The 90-minute coming-of-age drama centers on Niko, a young man from Manila who returns to Mindoro and is confronted by memories of a life-changing summer in his childhood, particularly his friendship with Ayan, a Tadyawan-Mangyan boy.

Despite coming from different worlds, they form a close friendship and make a promise to fulfill their big dreams together. Years later, Niko returns to Mindoro to honor that promise while confronting grief and memories of the friendship that changed him.

Bryce Nicolo Mercader plays the young Niko, while Dennis Dato, a Tadyawan-Mangyan child from the community, portrays Ayan. Beaver Magtalas leads the cast, which also includes Noelle Polack, Nikki Valdez, Luis Alandy, Karl Medina, Queenay Mercado, Deanne Bautista and Benedix Ramos.

Asked about the difficulties he faced in pursuing the story, he noted that securing permits to work with the community was particularly challenging but he took it on as part of the process.

“Notoriously hard po sila to secure permits, kaya medyo underrepresented sila, so parang I took that as a challenge,” the director said.

It took considerable time before everything fell into place, but once the production was able to enter the community, the film shoot proved rewarding.

“We had the best community. Very welcoming,” he said.

Research for the film began in 2024, with direk Alpha explaining that it was even more intensive than the actual filming. The shoot itself lasted less than a month, during which the production immersed itself in the community.

Lead cast members Beaver Magtalas (right) and Benedix Ramos with director Alpha Habon (center).

Lead actor Beaver said the experience was an eye-opener and it made him understand why the film’s representation mattered.

“That’s the goal talaga of the film… para mas makita pa sila,” Beaver said, also noting that part of what the film would earn was intended for the community. “In the same way, we can give more support to them as well.”

Recalling his stay in the area, Beaver observed that the community already had electricity and WiFi access, although mobile-phone signal remained limited. He recalled having to use a Piso Net service when he needed to go online.

The actor said he was glad to see developments in the community while recognizing that more could be done.

“I’m really happy sa development po nila, but we can definitely further develop them, further help them,” he said.

“Kaka Sa Yawan” also marked Beaver’s first Cinemalaya project.

While the actor is currently busy training for a new P-pop group under ABS-CBN and Star Magic, he expressed hope that this wouldn’t be his last Cinemalaya film.

As for the movie’s ending that could surprise audiences, the budding actor described the feeling it left him with as “bittersweet.” Nevertheless, he was happy the film achieved the emotional effect the team had envisioned from the beginning.

Meanwhile, Alpha looked back on how he discovered and approached directing the film’s child actors, especially nine-year-old Bryce Nicolo and 13-year-old Dennis.

He recalled that the latter approached the production team and expressed his interest in auditioning. The director also learned that the young Mangyan was a fan of Coco Martin and wanted to become an actor like him. Dennis eventually landed the crucial role of Ayan.

Alpha said his priority with Dennis, Bryce and the other young performers was to establish a genuine friendship even before they started acting together.

“Ang first po talaga naming ginawa is to have them bond even before the shoot,” he said, explaining that he wanted the friendship to come across naturally onscreen.

“The relationship is No. 1 for me. Kaya dinevelop po muna yung pagkakaibigan nila for real.”

The approach worked. Direk Alpha recalled that the children spent time biking and swimming together during filming and became close in real life.

By the final day, the children were already crying because of how close they had become.

“Naging best friends sila talaga,” he said.

Alpha was also impressed by how the young actors responded to direction. Bryce, for one, was quite the revelation and not a few reporters post-screening noticed his potential despite being an acting firsttimer.

The director readily agreed with the observation.

“He’s great,” he said of Bryce. “He’s very quick with instructions. We had him workshop. He’s very obedient and, ayun, parang he has a great future ahead of him.”

Asked if he wanted to continue acting after “Kaka Sa Yawan,” the child actor appeared eager to do so, saying he also shares his best friend’s admiration for Coco Martin.

“Idol ko po siya,” Bryce said.