Above the Clouds

Catch a special outdoor screening of Pepe Diokno's Above the Clouds on November 6!

A friend who once hiked up Mt. Pulag with her family told me about the experience. They climbed only part of the way before settling in tents for the night. At around 3 a.m., it was time to rise again in order to reach the summit by sunrise. When she unzipped the tent and stepped out, the overwhelming number of stars in the sky and being able to see the Milky Way suddenly brought on a wave of emotion and tears to her eyes.

There's a beauty in feeling so close to nature and a beauty in feeling so distant from everywhere else. It is what you make of it. There can be both immense fear or comfort in feeling how small our individual existence may seem within a grand landscape of stars and an approaching sunrise, whether you're there to witness it or not. Melancholy and company might not seem so magnified in comparison when it's remedied by something way, way bigger. Like say, standing above the clouds.

In the internationally-awarded film Above the Clouds by Pepe Diokno, "After losing his parents in a flood, 15-year-old Andy is forced to live in the Mountain Province with his estranged grandfather. Feeling they've lost everything, the two embark on a journey up a mountain and start to come to terms with their grief."

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Catch a special outdoor screening of Above the Clouds at the UP Diliman College of Architecture Amphitheater tomorrow at 6 p.m.! More details over at ASAPHIL-UP's official event page.

You can check out the trailer here.

Article by Sammi

Photo by Arianna

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arianna spends way too much time watching anime and america's next top model. she is often seen sporting the eyebags and bored look, otherwise known as insomnia chic. additionally, she also makes short films for fun and plays ukulele/melodica for a band. you can find her here: vimeo or soundcloud.

Sammi is a walking Studio Ghibli character in her imagination, in search of a hidden kingdom of cats and/or the next greatest panini sandwich to enter her life. Her fantasies may include being a can’t-touch-this hot tamale hip-hop dancer or the lead in a magical girl anime. But then again - why not be both?