Filipino creative team brings raw take on love to TCCF

Filipino filmmaker Joel Ruiz and producer Maria Madonna Tarrayo pitched their anthology series ‘Love at 310’ at the Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF), offering an intimate look at relationships through stories set in a love motel in Manila.

“All the stories in ‘Love at 310’ are inspired by real stories of people in my life,” says Ruiz, whose previous film “How She Left Me” topped the Netflix charts. “What happens between couples when they are naked, when they are completely vulnerable, when they have nowhere to hide?”

The series aims to break new ground in tackling sexuality in Asian media. “Asian culture is very reserved when it comes to sexuality, but it is such a big part of relationships,” notes Ruiz. “We need to be able to talk about it and embrace it.”

Tarrayo, president and CEO of Philippine production house UXS, sees the project as a gap in current programming. “I haven’t seen a series that looks at the rawness and honesty of love, sex and relationships,” she says. “As a producer, I invest in stories that are authentic, recognizable and universal. ‘Love at 310’ is exactly that as you meet all these characters in your everyday life and share their truths. And just like these characters, you are intrigued by the lives they lead behind closed doors. I believe it’s time we let go of our inhibitions about sex and the reality surrounding it.”

The creative team includes award-winning writer Fatrick Tabada (“Chedeng and Apple”). Production is planned for the second quarter of 2025 with a targeted release in the fourth quarter. At TCCF, the team is seeking international co-production partners to bring the anthology to a global audience.

UXS, known for producing award-winning films such as ‘100’ and ‘The Woman in the Septic Tank’, brings significant experience in both local and international productions to the project.

“We hope to meet the right partners to bring this story to the world,” says Ruiz, who describes the series as an exploration of how “terrifying, wonderful, ugly, exhilarating, exhausting and hilarious love really is.”

“The series teaches us to face these emotions and not let them limit us,” Tarrayo adds.