Cinephiles and movie fans will witness how and why a young mind becomes a mature force to save lives when Tsardyer screens at the 6th Cinema One Originals Digital Film Festival from Nov. 10 to 16 at the Shang Cineplex, Shangri-La Plaza Mall.

Written and directed by Sigfreid Barros-Sanchez and using the Pinoy colloquial translation of a cell phone's charger, the cast is headed by Martin delos Santos who portrays the 10-year old Shihab, Dimples Romana, Neil Ryan Sese, Mon Confiado, Pipo Alfad III, Bombi Plata, Shamaine Centenera– Buencamino, Raul Morit, Dido dela Paz, Frank Corona, Aileen Surian, Leon Miguel, Jeff Hernandez, and Gigi Pirote, among others.

Tsardyer is about the real-life role of a 10-year old Tausug boy used by the Abu Sayyaf group to charge their cellphones down the mountains. Shihab, the young boy must always make it in time to the rebels' camp before the battery of the next cellphone runs out. However, things go awry when one of the captives, a woman journalist, befriends him and earns his trust. Fearing for the life of his newfound friend, Shihab is now caught between his loyalty to his Tausug brothers and the motherly compassion of the journalist. But when he hears what the abductors plan to do to their prisoners, Shihab races not only to save them but to save war from erupting once again in the jungles of Jolo, Sulu.

Writer-director Barros-Sanchez, after taking up Political Science at the University of the East, supplemented his education by taking workshops at the U.P. Diliman Film Institute because it was such time when his inkling for cinema was fueling. Came 1998, he started scriptwriting workshops under multi-awarded writer Ricky Lee followed by film workshops under noted directors Peque Gallaga, Marilou Diaz-Abaya, Lore Reyes and Gabby Fernandez. He directed music videos and won the Best Music Video Award at the 2005 Awit Awards for directing the music video of the mega-hit Hari ng Sablay.

Tsardyer is his second entry to date into the six-year festival. In 2005, his mockumentary Ang Anak Ni Brocka was a finalist in the 1st Cinema One Originals. That year too, his indie comedy Lasponggols also became a finalist in the 1st Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival.

The writer-director revealed that what inspired him to develop the story and helm Tsardyer "is the raw bravery nung batang Tausug lalo na nung namamalayan na niyang may mga buhay na nakataya so he kept doing the phone charging." Since Tsardyer is "loosely based on a small article published by the Philippine Daily Inquirer during the release of Ces Drilon and her ABS-CBN camera crew Jimmy Encarnacion and Angelo Valderama by the Abu Sayyaf," that great news is an anchor for the director to this time focus on the particular phase of a real-life Tausug boy whose menial task for the hostage takers become a big responsibility that will save lives.

Tsardyer will introduce characters who are just as powerful as they are memorable when the 2010 edition of the film festival kicks off. The Cinema One Awards Night will be held on November 14 at the Dolphy Theater of the ABS-CBN. Cinema One Originals is an annual project of Cinema One channel, the premiere movie cable channel in the Philippines.