Brothers by the River

Brothers by the River, known in Filipino as Kakâ sa Yawan, is scheduled for release on August 7, 2026. The drama is set in Mindoro, Philippines, and centers on the friendship between Niko, a boy from Manila, and Ayan, a Mangyan youth. Over the course of a summer, the two exchange what they know: Niko teaches Ayan to read, while Ayan teaches Niko to swim. The film frames these exchanges as a mutual introduction to each other's culture and way of life, using the coming-of-age genre to explore the relationship between urban and indigenous communities in the Philippines.