Children of the River (film)

Children of the River (also known as Annak Ti Karayan) is a 2019 Philippine indie drama film written, produced and directed by Maricel Cariaga. The film stars Noel Comia Jr., Junyka Santarin, Dave Justine Francis and Ricky Oriarte.^[1][2][3]

Children of the River
Annak Ti Karayan
Directed by	Maricel Cariaga
Written by	Maricel Cariaga
Produced by	Maricel Cariaga
Starring	Noel Comia Jr. Junyka Santarin Dave Justine Francis Ricky Oriarte
Cinematography	Hector Calma
Edited by	Maricel Cariaga Zig Dulay Jerome Dulin
Music by	Lorenzo Nielsen
Production companies	Spears Films Luna Studios GMA Pictures
Distributed by	GMA Pictures
Release date	August 3, 2019 (2019-08-03)
Running time	90 minutes
Country	Philippines
Languages	Filipino English

It is one of the entries of Cinemalaya 2019, where it was nominated as Best Film.

Cast

• Noel Comia Jr. as Elias
• Junyka Santarin as Pepsy
• Dave Justine Francis as Robin
• Ricky Oriarte as Agol
• Rich Asuncion as Elvy
• Juancho Trivino as Ted
• Jay Manalo as Capt. Eleazar

Reception

The film received mixed reviews. Veteran screenwriter Ricardo Lee praised the film for showcasing the simple life of the children who are unaware of the war surrounding them and its danger and stated that one of director Maricel Cariaga's strengths is the natural charm of the lives of ordinary people.^[4] Michael Tan of Fringe Magazine dismissed the film as a propaganda film disguised as a coming-of-age story, citing the anti-LGBT elements and Noel's character given more exposure than the other lead characters.^[5]