Give as a gift
The challenges that come with childhood are addressed in these short films through a variety of genres and tones. From fraught relationships with parents to struggles among peers, these stories capture the ups and downs of growing up.
This screening features 8 films. Toggle between film descriptions by scrolling and clicking on the buttons on the top right.
Puberty for Humans is perfect for your nervous health class students as they approach their inevitable cybernetic bodily changes. In this short educational video, Linus, an insecure prepubescent teenager, learns that everything will be okay… for everyone else.
Director Biography - Wester Demandante
As a second generation Filipino-American, Wester felt that infamous pressure that all Filipinos feel from their parents. "Be a filmmaker." So began the inevitable quest. He made films in high school, avoided the treacherous pits of film school (too expensive!), and worked any PA job he could find. The expedition proved costly for him, but shaped the vision needed to build worlds of his own.
His last project before Puberty for Humans was entitled Kaaway (Enemy). It made its way around several festivals from 2019-2020, including the 42nd New York Asian American International Film Festival, the San Diego Asian Film Festival, and the National Film Festival for Talented Youth.
Director Statement
The fear of being left behind has been a recurring theme throughout the development of this project. Not only is a character in the film dealing with this worry, but so are the creatives on the other side of the camera.
My connection to the character of "Late-Bloomer Linus" grew stronger when I began to frame his anxiety as a fear of being left behind. And I think doing so has made the feeling more tangible and more universal. For me currently, that fear is prominent in my filmmaking career and Puberty for Humans has consequently become a somewhat frantic attempt to catch up, or at the very least get me to the starting line.
The challenges that come with childhood are addressed in these short films through a variety of genres and tones. From fraught relationships with parents to struggles among peers, these stories capture the ups and downs of growing up.
This screening features 8 films. Toggle between film descriptions by scrolling and clicking on the buttons on the top right.
Puberty for Humans is perfect for your nervous health class students as they approach their inevitable cybernetic bodily changes. In this short educational video, Linus, an insecure prepubescent teenager, learns that everything will be okay… for everyone else.
Director Biography - Wester Demandante
As a second generation Filipino-American, Wester felt that infamous pressure that all Filipinos feel from their parents. "Be a filmmaker." So began the inevitable quest. He made films in high school, avoided the treacherous pits of film school (too expensive!), and worked any PA job he could find. The expedition proved costly for him, but shaped the vision needed to build worlds of his own.
His last project before Puberty for Humans was entitled Kaaway (Enemy). It made its way around several festivals from 2019-2020, including the 42nd New York Asian American International Film Festival, the San Diego Asian Film Festival, and the National Film Festival for Talented Youth.
Director Statement
The fear of being left behind has been a recurring theme throughout the development of this project. Not only is a character in the film dealing with this worry, but so are the creatives on the other side of the camera.
My connection to the character of "Late-Bloomer Linus" grew stronger when I began to frame his anxiety as a fear of being left behind. And I think doing so has made the feeling more tangible and more universal. For me currently, that fear is prominent in my filmmaking career and Puberty for Humans has consequently become a somewhat frantic attempt to catch up, or at the very least get me to the starting line.