Philippines taps regional filmmakers for ASEAN unity film

The cultural centre of the Philippines (CCP) has brought filmmakers and creatives from all 11 ASEAN member states together for Seas Unbroken, a cinematic music video commissioned to celebrate Southeast Asia’s shared identity as the Philippines hosts the regional bloc in 2026.

Produced by Voyage Film Studios, the project explores the region’s connections through everyday experiences, including coastal livelihoods, family meals, urban communities and traditions passed between generations. Rather than relying on national landmarks and tourist attractions, the film centres on the people and stories that shape Southeast Asian life.

Directed and edited by Chuck Gutierrez, the film features original music composed, written and arranged by Von De Guzmán, with vocals by Sofronio Vasquez.

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For Gutierrez, the challenge was to weave together the perspectives of 11 countries while preserving their individual identities.

“Our seas may separate our shores, but they also connect our stories. We didn’t want to create a travelogue of Southeast Asia. We wanted to tell a human story. In the editing room, we discovered that despite our differences, the rhythms of our everyday lives are remarkably connected. The challenge was bringing these perspectives together without losing what makes each country unique,” Gutierrez said.

The production drew on professional relationships built among Southeast Asian filmmakers over more than a decade. Voyage Film Studios helped assemble the regional teams, bringing together established collaborators and creative partners working with one another for the first time.

Producer Baby Ruth Villarama said the project demonstrated how these connections could develop into new creative partnerships.

“Everything we’ve been through as filmmakers, the challenges, friendships, and networks we’ve built across Southeast Asia for more than a decade, led us here. Many of our collaborators were people we were working with for the first time, yet everyone brought something deeply authentic to the project. It became alive, almost as though the film was breathing on its own,” Villarama said.

Music also plays a central role in connecting the film’s different national perspectives. De Guzmán’s original composition draws on the region’s histories, cultures and aspirations, positioning solidarity as something that can coexist with distinct national identities.

“With Seas Unbroken, I wanted to capture how our different histories, cultures, and identities are connected by the same seas and a shared hope for peace and prosperity. Through music and lyrics, we celebrate the strength of each nation and the greater possibilities we create together. My hope is that the song reflects not only who we are as Southeast Asians, but who we can become together,” De Guzmán said.

The project comes as ASEAN enters a new chapter following Timor-Leste’s admission as its 11th member in 2025. Against this backdrop, Seas Unbroken offers a cultural dimension to regional cooperation, using filmmaking and music to explore the connections that extend beyond diplomatic, economic and political partnerships.

For the CCP, commissioning the film forms part of the Philippine arts and cultural sector’s contribution to the country’s ASEAN 2026 chairmanship and hosting. The initiative provides a platform for artists to represent their communities while participating in a wider regional conversation.

Through the perspectives of filmmakers across 11 nations, Seas Unbroken positions shared human experiences as a point of connection across differences in language, culture and tradition.

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