Filipino filmmaker Arvin Belarmino is bringing his debut feature “Ria” into production following his successful run with two back-to-back short films at Cannes.

The punk drama follows Ria, an orphaned Filipina punk musician raised in a Manila punk commune called Tarima. The story centers on her struggle to protect her chosen family’s community from demolition and corruption while working as a housekeeper at the Oriental Hotel to help fund medical care for Olga, the commune’s diabetic matriarch.

Belarmino co-wrote the screenplay with Kyla Danelle Romero, his collaborator on “Radikals” (Cannes Critics’ Week 2024) and co-director on “Agapito” (Short Film Competition, Cannes 2025). Kristine De Leon produces the project, having previously worked on Belarmino’s Cannes shorts and the specia

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