Deleter is an upcoming Philippine techno-horror film directed by Mikhail Red, starring Nadine Lustre, Louise delos Reyes and McCoy de Leon. It will be one of the official entries for 2022 Metro Manila Film Festival and is scheduled to be released theatrically on December 25, 2022.[2]
| Deleter | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Mikhail Red[1] |
| Written by |
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| Starring | |
Production company | Viva Films |
| Distributed by | Viva Films |
Release date |
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| Country | Philippines |
| Language | Tagalog |
The film follows Lyra (Nadine Lustre), who works shifts at a shadowy online content moderation office where employees, known as deleters, are tasked with the process of filtering graphic uploads from reaching social media platforms. The responsibility of censorship proves bearable for Lyra, whom her co-workers, as well as her boss Simon, observe as a cold person unfazed by the disturbing imagery she sees on a daily basis. What they do not know is that Lyra hides a deep trauma. Lyra’s attempt to erase and forget her past has forced her to do an apathetic face to the horrors of the world.[3][4]
Deleter was first announced in July 2022 and was reported that this is the first collaboration between Mikhail Red and Viva Films.[4] The film will wrap by the end of September and the plan is to target Metro Manila Film Festival that take place at the end of 2022 and the first quarter of 2023.[3]
Since Philippines is now known as the content moderation capital of the world, mostly working for international clients in clandestine setups. The production interviewed a lot of content moderator, some through online forums and deep web, using some anecdotes and their experiences to help them craft the world and character of Lyra.[8]
Production has been observing usual COVID-19 protocols but is scaled to a few locations to create a claustrophobic environment focusing on the conflicted lives of the social media censors and deleters, and exploring their psyche and shady line of work.[9]