The Philippine film industry has been globally competent. The continuous rising of new productions and artists opens great opportunities to people who aspire to be in this field. Art is always in one’s nature and should be nurtured. A chance for a person is a chance for many. We cannot know what a person has in mind until we see what he or she can and has to do.

MAYA Film Production, in partnership with The Indiependent Collective, brings to you this short film entitled ISKA. Sofia, the main character, is a local from Bicol who moved to Manila to take the chance to study at a university with a full scholarship, discovering the fun and dark side of living in the city as an iskolar ng bayan. This film shows how hard life can be for a person who is willing to take the risk of moving into the city to study and reach for her dreams not just for herself, but also for her family. It also shows the social classification of Filipino that affects the lives of everyone especially those who belong to lower to poor. It is really hard for them to pursue their dreams because poverty can now be inherited in the present. We cannot blame people for being poor for the rest of their life because when we do not know exactly how hard it was for them to survive a day. That all we have to do is understand and extend our help to them as much as we can.

Life is not easy. There are so many things around us that could add pressure and difficulty. Hardships are inevitable. If life’s hard enough for us, let’s not make it harder for others. That is the best thing we could always do.

Stay tuned for more upcoming short films and series here in The Indiependent Collective in partnership with Maya Film Production. Follow us on social media for updates!