A IS FOR AGUSTIN

By Grace SIMBULAN

TBA STUDIOS / TUKO FILM PRODUCTIONS INC. - as SALES

Documentary - Completed 2021

Agustin is a tribesman who loves to sing, but never had the opportunity to learn to read or write. When his boss cheats him out of his wages seemingly for the thousandth time, 40-year old Agustin decides to enroll in Grade 1. The children’s world is playful and simple, and a welcome respite from the

Festivals
& Awards

QCinema International Film Festival 2019
Official Selection
HAINAN ISLAND INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL 2019
Official Selection
DMZ International Documentary Film Festival 2019
White Goose Award Nominee
Gawad Urian 2020
Best Documentary Nominee
FAMAS Awards 2020
Best Documentary Nominee
Guam International Film Festival 2020
Grand Jury Award Nominee for Best Documentary
Austin Asian Film Festival 2021
Official Selection
Udine far East Film Festival 2021
Non-Competition Film (Documentaries)
    • Year of production
    • 2021
    • Genres
    • Documentary
    • Countries
    • PHILIPPINES
    • Languages
    • FILIPINO
    • Duration
    • 73 mn
    • Director(s)
    • Grace SIMBULAN
    • Synopsis
    • Living in a remote corner of the Philippine islands, Agustin is a tribesman who loves to sing, but never had the opportunity to learn to read or write. When his boss cheats him out of his wages seemingly for the thousandth time, 40-year old Agustin decides to enroll in grade 1. Over the next six years, however, Agustin becomes increasingly torn between two realities - the children's world in school, and the increasingly harsh reality of the world outside. As the needs of his family mount, and as food and money becomes increasingly scarce, Agustin must decide whether to continue his own quest for self-improvement - or pass the opportunity on to his son, the next generation. Filmed and told in an immersive style, the film invites the audience to hope and dream with Agustin, and to understand the harsh reality that makes his optimism - and the optimism of many indigenous in his situation - ultimately so fragile.