LAGEN EL NIDO BABAYLAN
Some productions ask for technical precision. Others ask for scale. This one demanded something different: restraint.
The reopening campaign for Lagen, El Nido was one of our most intense and immersive productions. Guerrero Media certainly started 2026 with a bang on this project. More than introducing a renovated property, the objective was to translate a larger story into film. A story of stewardship, continuity, and a place that has long existed in dialogue with its environment.
The reopening represented a continuation of something already deeply rooted in the island itself. On the client side, the creative direction was anchored in building a strong sense of place and preserving its identity rather than replacing it. This principle became an important guide for the production itself. Rather than creating spectacle for the sake of spectacle, our role became translating this idea into moving images while preserving the feeling of the island.
Interpreting Ritual Through Film
Director Paco Guerrero approached the narrative by drawing from the Balayan ritual that took place on the island before the renovation began.
Rather than treating it as a literal recreation, the intention was to interpret the ritual through a cinematic lens and capture ideas of renewal, memory, and continuity in a way that felt grounded within Lagen's story.
The challenge became finding visual language that carried emotional weight without becoming overly explanatory. The film had to feel observed rather than staged. The environment itself needed to remain the protagonist.
Collaboration Beyond the Brief
One of the strongest aspects of this production was that it grew beyond its original requirements. This film was not created because it was requested in a brief. It was created because we recognized that the reopening deserved a more complete story.
As Paloma Urquijo Zobel de Ayala, Creative Director of Ayala Land Hospitality, described the film, “By documenting the Balayan ritual, we were grounding ourselves in a shared understanding that Lagen is not merely a destination we operate, but a home we are entrusted to care for.”
That same spirit carried into the production process itself: a shared effort to translate ideas, place, and intention into something cinematic.
The final film represents only a few minutes on screen. Behind it was a process of recognizing that some stories require more than documenting what changed. Sometimes the challenge is finding a way to capture what was already there.
Project Details
Client | Ten Knots Development Corporation
Category | Reopening Campaign
Director | Francisco Guerrero
Production | Guerrero Media
Focus | Narrative Film / Brand Storytelling / Hospitality
