Upang Tayo’y Magsama-sama: A Short Film

Upang Tayo'y Magsama-sama

'Till We Get To Be With Each Other'.

Martika, a foreign domestic worker in Singapore, becomes increasingly obsessed with caring for a newborn baby all while withholding a painful truth from home.

---

We are a group of graduating students from LASALLE College of the Arts under the Puttnam School of Film and Animation Programme and we are excited to introduce you to ‘Upang Tayo'y Magsama-sama’, a short film that explores how one's unprocessed grief and desire to fill the void can manifest into unreliable dreams and tangible obsessions.

As we embark on this journey, we are reaching out to you for your support in bringing this compelling story to life.

---

About The Film

Set in 2017, Martika is a Filipino domestic helper in Singapore, who has recently lost her son to the War on Drugs in the Philippines. As she begins to care for the newborn baby of her employers, she begins to exhibit an unnatural obsessive attachment to the child. Refusing to deal with the death of her own son, she begins to hallucinate and dream of him, all the while exhibiting erratic behaviour towards the newborn.

---

Director's Statement

Domestic work is a laborious job that is physically and emotionally demanding. These domestic workers have to work for 12 hours, 6 days a week, juggling housework, childcare, sometimes without an off day, in enclosed spaces– where privacy and boundaries are constantly being overstepped.

While already being a trying reality for these women, how much harder is it for them to deal with the loss of their own children thousands of miles away?

The inspiration behind this story are the mothers, specifically migrant domestic helpers that have to bear the pain and loss of their children under Duterte’s drug war, and the complexity of grief that comes after. Although this is not a political film, I believe that the personal is also political as Martika’s grief is interconnected to systemic violence caused by those in power.

As a director, I find myself being drawn to stories that are grounded in reality– either from my own experiences or those close to me. It is also in these stories that I get to show the resilient spirit of these women who are often overlooked by society and seen as sub-human.

---

The Vision

These are our visual references for how we envision this film to look and feel. The camera acts as an active spectator — all to bring us into the centrepoint of Martika's world. We are now following things from her perspective, all in a bid for us to experience her fluctuating emotions.

---

Our Team

Director — Christal Gallyot

Writers — Muhammad Jaasir & Christal Gallyot

Producer — Isaac Mak

Cinematographer — Renny Nadira

Sound Designer — Renny Nadira

Production Designers — Keisha Alexis Arriola & Nurul Athirah

Editor — Teng Tien Yih

---

How Will Your Donation be Used?

Our team’s goal is determined to create a film that would serve to humanise domestic workers as people — with feelings, dreams, trauma and pain. They are someone’s mother, sister, daughter but somehow they are often overlooked by society and seen as sub-human.

Upang Tayo'y Magsama-sama is a passion project from our hearts, and your donations will be invested into the artistic elements of the film and the welfare of our casts and crew.

This donation will go to:

• CASTING
• LOCATIONS & PERMITS
• PROPS & SET DESIGN
• HAIR & MAKEUP + WARDROBE
• EQUIPMENT RENTAL
• TRANSPORT
• CATERING FOR OUR CAST AND CREW DURING PRODUCTION
• POST-PRODUCTION
• PRIVATE SCREENING FOR DOMESTIC HELPERS IN SINGAPORE

Every dollar helps us tell this story! and we're immensely grateful for your support in making "Upang Tayo'y Magsama-sama" a reality.

We will be crediting all donors at the end of our film.

---

Can You Still Donate After Reaching Our Goal?

Of course! Our initial goal of $8000 is the minimum amount we need to make Upang Tayo'y Magsama-sama a reality, but any further contribution will directly increase the quality of our film across every stage and department of production.

Casting, Set Design and Locations are going to be our biggest expenses.

We want to ensure that the cast and crew are well taken care of during the shoot as well — it creates the optimal environment for the magic to happen ✨

---

Other Ways You Can Help

Any amount makes a concrete difference. With said, we understand that making a donation might not be feasible for everyone — there are many other ways you can help us:

Help us SPREAD THE WORD as far and as wide as you can, it really means a lot to us!

---

Other Donation Methods

If you prefer to donate offline, you can also PayNow to Isaac Mak Enjie by scanning the QR Code below:

Please indicate in the reference section, UTM-(Name).

Do note that the name you provide will be used for the credits. If you would like for it to be an anonymous donation do indicate them as well!

---

Get In Touch

If you have any questions, comments, or just want to get in touch, please don’t hesitate to contact our producer: [email protected] — we’d be very happy to hear from you!

From the entire Upang Tayo'y Magsama-sama Team - A HUGE THANK YOU!

We appreciate you for stopping by, and we simply can't wait for you to see what we have next on this journey . Thank you for your consideration, and together, we can tell a story that touches hearts and transcends borders.

Do follow us on our Instagram for updates! @utm.film