Shot on 16mm black-and-white film before being transferred to 35mm,
Manila is divided into a Day episode (which is loosely based on Bernal's 1980 film
Manila by Night) and a Night episode (inspired by Brocka's 1979 film
Jaguar). The script is co-written by Adolf Alix, Jr. and Ramon Sarmiento and co-directed by
Raya Martin and
Adolfo Alix, Jr. For the Day segment,
Piolo Pascual portrays William, a drug addict who tries to rebuild his sense of self and reconnect with the people around him. Piolo's character is named William in honor of
William Martinez who played the lead role in
Manila By Night. The Day segment also stars
Angelica Panganiban and Rosanna Roces. For the Night segment, Piolo portrays Philip, a bodyguard for a mayor's son who mistakenly believes that his boss considers him as part of the family. Piolo's character is named Philip in honor of
Phillip Salvador who played the lead role in
Jaguar. The Night segment also stars
Alessandra de Rossi,
Jay Manalo,
Jiro Manio, and
Anita Linda. == Release ==