Wanting to quit sex work in Manila and start a new life elsewhere, Sofia, a transgender woman (played by the director himself, Vincent Sandoval), gets her chance when an old friend asks Sofia to look after her 12-year-old son Tomas while she works overseas for a year. Sofia packs her bags and moves to Talisay, a small town, where she reinvents herself as Donna, guardian of young Tomas. As she’s about to settle into this quiet, idyllic life, the past creeps up on Donna– she discovers that town mayor Tiongson who is seeking re-election is a crony of her regular client back in Manila, Verano. Determined to erase any trace of her past from her new life with Tomas, Donna discreetly hatches a plan to remove Tiongson from power and rid the town of Verano’s influence. As election season begins, Donna offers to help the campaign of Tiongon’s opponent, who is unaware of Donna’s true motives. To finance his campaign, Donna decides to return to Manila once a week for sex work – under the guise of joining gay beauty pageants. As the stakes get higher, Donna realizes that there is no easy way out of the double life she is leading.Read More »
Isabel Sandoval
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Isabel Sandoval – Señorita (2011)
2011-2020DramaIsabel SandovalPhilippines -
Isabel Sandoval – Aparisyon AKA Apparition (2012)
2011-2020DramaIsabel SandovalPhilippinesFilipino director Vincent Sandoval follows his transgender drama Senorita with a story about nuns living in a remote convent during the Marcos yearsRead More »
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Isabel Sandoval – Shangri-La (2021)
2021-2030DramaIsabel SandovalShort FilmUSASynopsis
For some immigrants, the United States represented the promised Shangri-La. But in the 19th and early 20th centuries the reality was very different. Isabel Sandoval’s film looks at this historical moment.Read More »