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Direct festival link: https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/winning-sci-fi-feature-hotel-purgatorio
Hotel Purgatorio, 112min., Philippines
Directed by Joey Agbayani
A strange old hotel where the only escape is through a labyrinth of rooms filled with mystery, horror and adventure.
https://www.instagram.com/joeyagbayani/
https://www.wildsound.ca/videos/audience-feedback-hotel-purgatorio
Director Statement
Hotel Purgatorio was born from my fascination with Purgatory as a Betwixt Realm — a place created to help lost souls resolve unfinished business and find redemption. This purpose is corrupted when the malevolent being infiltrates the realm, manipulating Madame Adriana, the former Supreme Lady, to ensnare souls with seductive distractions and prevent their release. In response, the establishment appoints Manny as the new lord of the Betwixt — a quiet guide whose role is not to rule through illusion, but to help souls confront truth and move forward.
I wanted to explore that fragile tension between awakening and surrender, between facing one’s truth and escaping into comfort. The Hotel became the perfect metaphor — beautiful, mysterious, and deceptive — a reflection of the inner struggle of the human soul.
Working mostly alone for nearly two years, I poured myself into every aspect of the film: writing, animation, sound, editing, and world-building. Two talented actors helped me capture authentic human movement through motion capture, while the combination of traditional animation and AI-assisted tools allowed me to complete an ambitious vision independently.
Hotel Purgatorio is a meditation on redemption — and the quiet, constant battle between guidance and temptation, light and illusion, that defines our humanity.
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