The Climate Story Lab toolkit was produced by iMedia’s sister company, Picture People MSP, a UK-based charitable organisation working at the intersection of film, education, and social change. Picture People MSP supports filmmakers and educators to use visual storytelling as a tool for advocacy, learning, and community engagement.
Launched in the Philippines in 2023, the Climate Story Lab brought together emerging Filipino filmmakers and climate advocates to produce four original short films — spanning animation, fiction, and documentary — about how climate change is already shaping lives, cultures, food systems, and livelihoods across the archipelago.
VANISHING FIREFLIES
Dir. JP Corton / Prod. Jaime Morados
8 mins · Animation
In the quiet town of Tabango, Leyte, young Russell’s world is upended when a super typhoon forces him and his grandfather to seek shelter in an evacuation centre. Clinging to a single firefly for comfort, he discovers that even the smallest flicker can grow into a symbol of hope, memory, and quiet resilience.
THE PROPHECY
Dir. Milo Alto Paz / Prod. Cynthia Cruz-Paz
16 mins · Narrative fiction
When the fish disappear from the sea, young Nonoy turns to his grandfather, Lolo Andres, for answers. The old man recalls an ancient prophecy of oceans rising in fire and reefs crumbling to dust. As nature unravels, Nonoy asks whether hope remains and refuses to surrender his belief that change is possible.
MANILA IS A GATE OF HELL
Dir. Jerome David Zamora / Prod. Ma-an Asuncion Dagñalan, Manny Angeles, Jon Galvez
18 mins · Fiction
During one of the hottest days on record in Manila, Violet — a young waitress — is denied a day off to visit her sick son. She slips away to the city’s last remaining green lung, searching for relief. When news of her son’s worsening condition reaches her, she faces an impossible choice.
THE RIVER IN THE NOODLES
Dir. Jerome Lingan Dulin / Prod. Joseph Serna Arcegono
32 mins · documentary
A local farmer and elderly pancit cook from Tuguegarao City reflect on how changes to the ingredients of the region’s traditional noodle dish reveal a deeper story of climate change, cultural loss, and resilience. As rivers flood and fish populations dwindle, a way of life quietly disappears.
STORIES FOR CLIMATE ACTION
A LEARNING TOOLKIT FOR YOUNG CHANGEMAKERS
Stories for Climate Action: A Learning Toolkit for Young Changemakers accompanies these films, helping educators and facilitators connect local Filipino stories with the global climate challenges facing communities everywhere.