A quiet, personal story about fatherhood, fear, and holding on is heading to the big screen for the 2026 Metro Manila Film Festival. During the media conference for Little Hope, the film’s director and lead stars Yassi Pressman and Pepe Herrera, with Isay Alvarez, Robert Sena, David Shouder, and introducing Adam Buck and Cailey Magno, opened up about the real-life experiences that shaped the project and what moviegoers can expect this Christmas season.
For director Benedict Mique, the film began years ago during his days as a single father juggling sleepless nights and television work.
“For a long while, I was a single dad, especially when my daughter was still young,” he shared. Back when late-night tapings were the norm while directing for TV5, he would get home at four in the morning—not to sleep, but to wait until his daughter had eaten and left for school. That daily routine sparked a central question: What happens when two people only have each other, and one of them might be lost? “How do you survive the fear of losing the only person you have? I think that’s the story.”
Writing from a deeply personal place took an emotional toll. Comparing the process to his previous work on Lolo and the Kid, the director admitted that Little Hope brought him to tears right from the very first pages. Still, he assured audiences that the film is far from a bleak holiday watch. Instead, he described the experience as leaving viewers with “happy tears”—the kind that makes you want to go home and hug the people you love.
Yassi Pressman echoed that sentiment, noting that the movie serves as a timely Christmas reminder to view the world through a child’s eyes. “It’s about being hopeful, not losing heart, and staying strong no matter how chaotic things get outside our lives,” she said.
One of Yassi’s favorite memories from making the film happened before cameras even rolled. She and the director invited Pepe Herrera out to dinner to pitch the project, practically courting him to take the role. Even while struggling to get through the emotional plot summary at the dinner table, she recalled feeling an immediate rush of excitement to bring the script to life.
Pepe didn’t take much convincing once he read the material. Known for his expressive performances, the actor revealed that what moved him most wasn’t the spoken lines, but the quiet moments written into the margins.
“It’s rare to read a script so simple that its simplicity becomes its strength. You don’t even need to ad-lib,” Pepe explained. “The parts that made me cry the most didn’t even have dialogue—just the scene descriptions of what was happening. I have several scenes in this film with no dialogue at all, and I think that’s something everyone can look forward to.”
Little Hope arrives in cinemas nationwide this Christmas, December 25, 2026,as an official entry to the 2026 Metro Manila Film Festival.