WARLA is a hard-hitting examination of identity and power.
Filmmaker Kevin Zarate Alambra transgender identity, family, and survival within a destructive cycle of crime, loosely based on a true story in a 90 minute film.
WARLA centers on Kitkat, a 19-year-old transgender woman portrayed by Jervi Wrightson. Kitkat finds the sense of belonging she desperately craves in a gang of transgender women, led by the fierce Joice, who have resorted to kidnapping foreign men. Their criminal acts are driven by a singular, desperate goal: to fund gender-affirming surgeries that the women, scarred by past rejection and deep gender dysphoria, believe are their only path to living as their true selves.
The film complicates acceptance through Kitkat’s eyes, as she does not feel the need to alter her body. As the group escalates to destructive choices, Kitkat is forced to confront realities of her newfound family.
Alambra, aims to spotlight human interest-led stories and socio-political issues, takes the audience into the psychological spaces where women who have long been preyed upon transform into perpetrators. Known for his work in real-life storytelling through docuseries like The Last Manilaners and Maalaala Mo Kaya.
The production includes cinematographer Neil Daza, LPS, and a screenplay by Arah Jell Badayos, with Sheron Dayoc serving as an Executive Producer. With a powerful ensemble cast including Lance Reblando, Serena Magiliw, and Dimples Romana. Maria Elena Catajan
