Last Days at Sea

Twelve-year-old Reyboy lives in the remote village of Karihatag in the southern Philippines. His world is one of sand and rocks, with the water beneath him and above him the clouds, stars, and planets—Saturn, that’s where he wants to go! On sultry summer evenings he can just stare at it forever.

But when summer’s over Reyboy will be going to school in the city, leaving his village and his family. Most of the people here are fishers with weather-beaten skin and toned muscles. Every day they share the yields of their dangerous work—even though they’re also suffering the consequences of overfishing. Reyboy’s parents know that studying is the only way out of this harsh way of life.

Filmmaker Venice Atienza met Reyboy a few years ago. They became friends, and now they spend Reyboy’s last weeks in the village documenting the story of his childhood as they stroll along the beach, telling stories and watching the sky. This film, developed at IDFAcademy and supported by the IDFA Bertha Fund, is a monument to the childhood years of a boy leaving for a better future—to take one step closer to the planets.