A heist where the real crime is society making them pay to exist.
A group of transgender women belonging to a gang kidnaps foreign men to fund their gender-affirming surgeries, not knowing that their quest to free themselves to be who they are may end with them in prison.
Acting
KaladKaren leads with ferocious, lived-in authenticity.
Writing
Balances heist thrills with systemic critique—no easy moralizing.
Production
Queer Filipino indie cinema at its most urgently political.
Director
Kevin Z. Alambra
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Director Kevin Z. Alambra made this after documenting real Filipino trans women fundraising for surgeries through sex work and informal mutual aid.
The title 'Warla' is Filipino gay slang for 'drama' or 'trouble'—the film reclaims it as revolutionary praxis.
PH
