‘Piyesa’ explores identity through a trans man’s changing voice

Ryand Ugalde’s Ilocano short film follows a trans man balancing his voice transition and music career.

For Kris, singing has always been a big part of who he is. As a young soprano in an Ilocano chorale, his voice has given him a place in the group and helped establish his reputation as a talented singer.

Now, as he goes through his transition as a transgender man, that same voice has become something he may have to let go of. Continuing hormone replacement therapy could change his singing voice and put his chorale scholarship, his place in the group, and his future as a soprano at risk.

This is the conflict at the heart of “Piyesa,” a 20-minute Ilokano musical short film written and directed by Ilocos Norte filmmaker Ryand Ugalde and one of the entries in the Film Development Council of the Philippines’ (FDCP) Sine Kabataan 9. The film follows Kris as he weighs his transition against the career and community he has built through singing.

The story was inspired by someone Ugalde knew back in high school. Nichole Ballesteros, who plays Kris, was an openly queer student and a talented soprano in their chorale, and Ugalde later realized there were parts of his friend’s experience that he had not understood at the time.

That experience eventually became the starting point for “Piyesa.” Ugalde turns it into a story about a trans man facing a choice between continuing his transition and preserving the voice that has been central to his life as a singer.

Music is also a major part of how the film tells Kris’s story. Drawing from Ilocano musical traditions, “Piyesa” features performances from the Nasudi Chorale, an internationally awarded choir from Ilocos Norte.

The film is also the first musical film entry in Sine Kabataan. It brings a musical coming-of-age story about a trans man to a festival platform for young Filipino filmmakers.

For Ugalde, placing a trans man at the center of the story is an important part of the project. “Piyesa” explores his identity alongside his life as a singer, allowing the character to have ambitions and conflicts beyond his gender.

The film stars Nichole Ballesteros as Kris, alongside Clarence Garcia Toledo as Ian and Paul Enrico Mariano Centro as Vince. Produced by Yuan Amandy, “Piyesa” is a production of Young Vision Room, Hawaii Institute of Philippine Studies, Sonnet Entertainment, and Arapaap Creatives.

“Piyesa” is set to premiere in September 2026 as part of the FDCP Sine Kabataan Film Festival.

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