6:24 | Experimental

Logline: In a nation where promises are as fragile as a grain of rice, Ang Saad nga Bugas exposes the empty political vow of 20-peso rice, revealing the deep cost of hope, betrayal, and performative governance.

Synopsis: In the heat of election season, a bold promise is made: rice at 20 pesos per kilo. It’s a pledge meant to resonate with struggling Filipino families and farmers alike a promise wrapped in hope but built on no solid ground. Over time, what was once hailed as a revolutionary goal slowly decays, an aspiration left to rot like spoiled grain in a forgotten sack. Ang Saad nga Bugas examines the fragility of public trust through a symbolic yet grounded lens, revealing how campaign promises, though echoed on grand stages, often remain unopened and unfulfilled. In a desperate move to maintain illusion, the administration offers a small, questionable gesture, a token act attempting to justify a larger failure. Behind the slogans lies a harsh reality: retail rice prices soar, while farmers, those who feed the nation, are forced to sell at unjustly low farm gate rates. They remain the most neglected in a system built on performative politics. This short film captures the cyclical nature of political theatrics, each election bringing renewed hope, and each term, disillusionment. As climate disasters and institutional neglect persist, the Filipino people are trapped in a loop of believing, hoping, and being betrayed. Ang Saad nga Bugas is a quiet but potent protest, a visual elegy for broken promises, and a question without answers. When will the cycle end? The film doesn’t claim to know, but it dares to ask.