Puregold Cinepanalo 2026 entry, Nang Matakasan ang Tagay, questions the macho structures that fathers conform to
Puregold Cinepanalo 2026 entry, Nang Matakasan ang Tagay, questions the macho structures that fathers conform to
Official still from Nang Matakasan ang Tagay
SINEGANG.ph published this press release by Puregold Cinepanalo. No staff writer participated in writing this article.
Coming from the stories of Bulacan, Nang Matakasan ang Tagay builds on the cinema of the province as one of the official entries of the Puregold Cinepanalo Film Festival 2026. A heartfelt story that navigates the tensions between machismo and tenderness. Directed by Giancarlo Santiago, the film follows a seafarer attempting to bridge the gap between the growingly distant relationship with his son.
Chino Alfonso in Nang Matakasan ang Tagay
Chino Alfonso (known for Dan En Pointe) leads the story as Tonyo, a seaman who goes back to their home province. He then finds his son Tan-Tan, portrayed by emerging child actor Jovic Gabriel Cardano, who isn’t the boy he used to know. The film is supported by the performances of Carla Zarcal as Tina, the mother of Tonyo and the main caretaker of Tan-Tan. Nel Estuya and Dominique Paytone play Emil and Elmer, respectively, the friends of Tonyo who he drinks with.
The film unfolds from the perspective of Tonyo and his dilemma between surrendering to gender roles and the “right” way of raising his son. At the core of the story is the concept of masculinity and how toxic it can be. It asks the question of at what point does masculinity stop being guidance for men and start to become suffocating to children?
This is the debut short film of Giancarlo Santiago, a student filmmaker from Bocaue, Bulacan. With him are his producers, Josiah Tollison and Kimi Ong, who are among his peers at the UP Film Institute. Together, they helm a story about fatherhood that is deeply rooted in a Bulakenyo story.
Official still from Nang Matakasan ang Tagay
The film’s vibrant world is shaped by director of photography Wence Trajano, capturing the vast landscape of peri-urban Bulacan in the midst of urban development. Along with him is production designer Franchesca Pagatpat, who visualized the relationship between masculinity and the tenderness of a family home. All this is combined by the editor Jarod Borilla, who builds on the contrast of the dry, rigid masculine structures with the heartfelt relationship between parents and children.
Through the meticulous storytelling and grounded performances, the film invites audiences to question the patriarchal structures imposed on us and to empathize with the story of a father and son.
Nang Matakasan ang Tagay will make its world premiere at the Puregold Cinepanalo Film Festival from September 23 to October 4, 2026, at Gateway Cineplex 18, Trinoma, Fairview Terraces, Ayala Malls Feliz, Ayala Malls Circuit, Ayala Malls Manila Bay, and Market! Market!
