A7. Best Acting (Nominee)
Newlyweds
From Xady Chang
After murdering his bride on the night of their wedding, a panicked groom races down a desolate backroad to dispose of her body before dawn. But as the miles disappear beneath his tires, unsettling phone calls, impossible visions, and a growing presence in the backseat begin to blur the line between reality and nightmare. Trapped alone with his guilt, he soon discovers that some truths refuse to stay buried. A supernatural horror thriller about guilt and the terrifying consequences of refusing to face the truth.
Xady Chang is a 21 year-old Filipino filmmaker based in Melbourne, Australia whose work explores identity, social hierarchy, guilt, and the masks people wear to survive. Having lived between the Philippines, Japan, and Australia, he is drawn to characters caught between cultures, social classes, and versions of themselves. Currently studying at RMIT University, Chang is developing a body of work that seeks to bring distinctly Filipino stories to a global audience. Through visually driven genre cinema and character-focused storytelling, he aims to create films that are both culturally specific and universally resonant.
What inspired you and your work?
Newlyweds began with a feeling I know all too well: guilt. Like many people, I've made mistakes that linger in my mind long after they've happened, replaying themselves in moments when I least expect them. What fascinates and terrifies me is how guilt can feel alive, almost like a presence that follows you wherever you go. With this film, I wanted to externalize that feeling and transform it into something tangible. I became interested in the idea of a man who believes he can bury his actions, only to discover that the truth refuses to stay hidden. While Newlyweds is framed as a supernatural horror story, its real subject is avoidance and the consequences of refusing to take responsibility. The horror comes not from the ghost itself, but from being forced to confront what you've done. As a filmmaker, I'm drawn to using genre to explore deeply human emotions that are often difficult to articulate. With the likes of Jordan Peele, Stanley Kubrick, Paul Thomas Anderson, and Gaspar Noe heavily inspiring my work, this film became a way for me to channel my own fears, regrets, and anxieties into a story that stands on the shoulders of the great artists who have inspired me throughout my life. Ultimately, Newlyweds asks a simple question: what happens when the thing you're running from is yourself?