Filmmakers Esy Casey and Sarah Friedland recently sent me a short video documenting their visit to the Philippines where they met the Cannes prize-winning filmmaker Brilliante Mendoza and visited his construction studio. The video, which catches Mendoza in the lead-up to his new feature, Prey, is posted below.

After I received this link, Friedland informed me of the new project of Casey’s she’s producing. Also set in the Philippines, it’s called Jeepney, and it’s a feature doc about this vehicle and the people who drive it. From the project’s Kickstarter page:

Visualizing the rich cultural heritage of the Philippines, this feature-length documentary follows the journey of the jeepney—a military relic turned hot-rod mass-transit vehicle—and its drivers and passengers as they head towards an uncertain future. Vignettes of conversations and stories from drivers, passengers and policy makers show the jeepney’s evolution from an object of war to a symbol of the country’s repeatedly suppressed indigenous arts. But economic challenges may point to the end of the road for the jeepney, and may relocate millions of families from the mountains to overcrowded slums. Principal photography for JEEPNEY will run from mid-August through November 2011, with a release date anticipated for summer 2012.The money is going towards the 2-woman crew’s cost of living for three months in the Philippines, jeepney fare and feasts of gratitude for our participants. Thanks so much for checking us out, and keep in touch at www.jeepneymovie.com

Check out the below video and consider supporting them at Kickstarter.