The Birthday Gift

"The Birthday Gift" is a K-12 student short film project required by Centro Escolar University-Malolos, Bulacan. It premiered on Facebook on October 20, 2016, and quickly became a sensation. The film received widespread acclaim online, with college professors and senior mass communication students praising its screenplay, performances, execution, editing, and unexpected plot twist. The short-film garnered between 85 and 1,060 shares, reaching a total of 1,145 shares on the platform. Internationally acclaimed filmmaker Emille Joson contributed as a consultant, writer, and second director, lending her expertise to the project through her familial connection to Daniela Barlan.

The version screened at Centro Escolar University Malolos, Bulacan, was attributed to Daniela Barlan, showcasing her restrained edit, with Joson as a consultant. In contrast, the version that went viral online was Emille Joson's cut, credited to both the filmmaker and Barlan, as it delivered a more intense and haunting impact, ultimately earning the K-12 students an exemption from their final exam by their professor.