Neil Ryan Sese

Can a 12-year old lad who wishes he were a girl navigate the mean streets of Manila? Maxi cooks, cleans, and sews for his father and older brothers who are petty criminals. He's sweet, clever and hardworking, at ease with being gay, pinning a flower in his hair, swinging his hips when he walks, vamping with friends. He's seen adults hug and kiss and he's watched romantic movies, so on the verge of puberty, he develops a crush on Victor, a kindly young cop.

Ma' Rosa has four children. She owns a small convenient store in a poor neighborhood of Manila where everybody likes her. To make ends meet, Rosa and her husband, Nestor, resell small amounts of narcotics on the side. One day, they get arrested. Rosa and her children are ready to do anything to buy her freedom from the corrupt police. (Cannes2016)

In 1947 those aspiring to be priest, are sent to a remote convent to live in seclusion(Seklusyon) on the last day of their training. The purpose is to shield them from evil of the world. The plot thickens when a mysterious young girl comes to the convent but the question is whether she is really sent by God or by the Evil. This is the challenge awaits the candidates. (imdb)

Mariano Gomes, José Burgos, and Jacinto Zamora are three brave Filipino Catholic priests whose narrative is told in this stirring and inspirational historical drama.