Alipato: The Very Brief Life of an Ember

  • 88'
  • Germany
  • 2016

In 2025, a gang of kids – aged between five and fifteen – terrorise the slums of Manila. They have nicknames like Pork Chop, Bull Dog, Snowman, McAbnormal and J. Blo. When this notorious thieving and murdering Kotka gang decides to rob a bank, things go wrong and the leader ends up in jail. When he is released in 2053, the big question is where the booty is. After which this unconventional crime film turns into an equally unconventional whodunnit: Who is the serial killer systematically killing all the gang members? 
In his characteristically whirlwind style, Khavn uses slo-mo and high-speed images, plenty of wide-angle shots, animation (including stop-motion) and an idiosyncratic mix of humour and grotesque violence. Meanwhile, he evokes an alarming picture of 'Mondomanila', where children grow up among the refuse dumps without any sense of morals and a smoking toddler with a pistol in his hand is not an unusual sight.


  • 88'
  • Germany
  • 2016
Director
Khavn
Countries of production
Germany, Philippines
Year
2016
Festival Edition
IFFR 2017
Length
88'
Medium
DCP
Original title
Ang napakaigsing buhay ng Alipato
Language
Tagalog
Producers
Khavn / Stray Dogs, Achinette Villamor / Stray Dogs
Production Companies
Kamias Overground, Rapid Eye Movies HE GmbH
Sales
Stray Dogs
Screenplay
Khavn / Stray Dogs
Cinematography
Albert Banzon
Editor
Carlo Francisco Manatad
Production Design
Ninay Castinlag
Sound Design
Fabian Schmidt
Music
Brezel Göring, Francis de Veyra
Cast
Marti San Juan , Dido De La Paz , Rey Cardines , Robin Palmes
Director
Khavn
Countries of production
Germany, Philippines
Year
2016
Festival Edition
IFFR 2017
Length
88'
Medium
DCP
Original title
Ang napakaigsing buhay ng Alipato
Language
Tagalog
Producers
Khavn / Stray Dogs, Achinette Villamor / Stray Dogs
Production Companies
Kamias Overground, Rapid Eye Movies HE GmbH
Sales
Stray Dogs
Screenplay
Khavn / Stray Dogs
Cinematography
Albert Banzon
Editor
Carlo Francisco Manatad
Production Design
Ninay Castinlag
Sound Design
Fabian Schmidt
Music
Brezel Göring, Francis de Veyra
Cast
Marti San Juan , Dido De La Paz , Rey Cardines , Robin Palmes