Jeremy Mayores headlines Taiwan-Philippines film ‘Atile’i‘ at Kaohsiung Film Festival
SINEGANG.ph published this press release. No staff writer participated in writing this article.
“I carry my roots with me wherever I go. From Guagua to Manila and now to Taiwan, I hope to show that our regional identities are not limitations - they are part of what makes our stories worth bringing to the world.”
From the quiet communities of Guagua, Pampanga to the international screen, Jeremy Mayores represents a generation of Filipino performers whose artistic journeys are shaped by regional identity, cultural memory, and an increasingly interconnected Asian film landscape.
A Filipino and Kapampangan actor, choreographer, and performing artist, Mayores has developed his practice through Philippine theatre, independent cinema, dance, and movement before entering an increasingly international sphere of filmmaking.
His upcoming performance as Atile'i in the Taiwan-produced film ATILE'I (2026) marks an important new chapter in this journey.
Directed by Sun Chieh-Heng, the film brings Filipino and Taiwanese artists together in a cross-cultural cinematic collaboration and will have its World Premiere at the Kaohsiung Film Festival in Taiwan.
For Mayores, the project represents the convergence of three elements that have consistently shaped his work: Roots, Cultural Nuance, International Cinema.
From Guagua to Kaohsiung
Jeremy's artistic journey begins in San Vicente (Ebus), Guagua, Pampanga, where his family continues to maintain deep connections to their community.
Although his professional career eventually brought him to Manila, Mayores has remained conscious of the cultural identity he carries from Pampanga.
His Kapampangan heritage is not simply a biographical detail; it informs his understanding of community, family, regional identity, language, physicality, and Filipino experience.
This grounding has become an important dimension of his artistic identity as he moves between local stories and international productions.
possibility within
His journey reflects a growing Philippine cinema: that artists from regional communities can carry their cultural specificity into larger international conversations without having to abandon the identities that shaped them.
Atile’i
The film brings together Filipino and Taiwanese creative voices in a cinematic collaboration inspired by the Taiwanese literary work The Man with the Compound Eyes.
Mayores portrays Atile'i, the titular character at the center of the film.
The project explores themes of identity, tradition, cultural memory, displacement, survival, humanity, and the relationship between people and the natural world.
Beyond its narrative, the production itself becomes an example of contemporary Asian filmmaking-artists from different cultural backgrounds working together to create a shared cinematic language.
For Mayores, this makes Atile'i particularly significant.
The film does not simply place a Filipino actor inside a Taiwanese production. It creates a space where Filipino and Taiwanese perspectives meet, interact, and influence one another through cinema.
Taking on the titular role of Atile'i required Mayores to work within a cultural and narrative environment distinct from his own.
His approach to the character centers on listening, physicality, restraint, observation, and cultural sensitivity allowing the character's environment and relationships to shape his performance. This approach reflects Mayores' broader philosophy as an actor: to seek truthful human behavior rather than simply perform emotion.
His work often places emphasis on the eyes, silence, breath, physical presence, and subtle shifts in behavior, allowing character and environment to communicate alongside dialogue.
In ATILE'I, these qualities become particularly relevant to a story where identity and belonging are deeply connected to landscape, community, and cultural memory.
Kaohsiung Film Festival
Atile'i will make its World Premiere at the Kaohsiung Film Festival in Kaohsiung, Taiwan, bringing its Filipino and Taiwanese creative collaboration to an international festival audience.
For Mayores, the festival appearance represents a significant transition from being an actor working primarily within Philippine theatre and independent cinema toward becoming part of an increasingly international filmmaking community.
His presence in the festival's Kaohsiung Focus provides an opportunity for audiences and industry professionals to encounter a Filipino performer whose work is deeply connected to regional identity while increasingly engaging with international cinema.
