Cleaners (2019 film)

Cleaners is a 2019 Philippine experimental coming-of-age comedy-drama film written and directed by Glenn Barit in his feature film directorial debut. The film follows a group of high school students assigned as end-of-day classroom cleaners and their experiences surrounding various school activities during the 2007-2008 Philippine academic year in Tuguegarao, Cagayan.

Cleaners was filmed digitally on a Sony A7S in Tuguegarao on June 2019, led by a cast of non-professional actors portraying the students. Its estimated 40,000 frames were printed, photocopied, selectively crumpled, and then highlighted to indicate the protagonists before being digitally scanned for editing. Additional crowdfunding through The Spark Project was also sought during post-production.

Cleaners premiered on October 2019 as part of QCinema International Film Festival's Asian Next Wave Competition, where it won Best Film, Best Screenplay, and the Audience Choice award. At the 4th Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino held virtually in 2020, the film won 5 awards from 10 nominations: Best Film, Best Director (Barit), Best Supporting Actress (Gianne Rivera), Best Production Design, and Best Original Score. An additional award, a Special Citation for Ensemble Performance, was also given to actors Leomar Baloran, Julian Narag, and Carlo Mejia. At the 38th Luna Awards, it won Best Sound and received an additional nomination for Best Director, in addition to nominations for 8 Gawad Urian Awards and 5 FAMAS Awards.

When Cleaners received a limited theatrical release in Singapore on 10 April 2021 through the Asian Film Archive, it was indicated as a 2021 film at social cataloging service Letterboxd, where it subsequently placed number 1 on their mid-year ranking of the best films of 2021 and later ranked at number 6 on their year-end list. Its presence on the former list alongside another Philippine film, Ode to Nothing, led to international attention. A limited virtual release in the Philippines also took place on September 2021.

Since its release, Cleaners has developed a cult following. American home-video distribution company Kani Releasing acquired home video distribution rights and released the film in Blu-Ray on January 2024, which included a sequel short film commissioned for its release.

Release
Cleaners premiered on 15 October 2019 at the QCinema International Film Festival. It was a part of the Asian Next Wave Competition. Screenings at two University of the Philippines campuses - Diliman and Los Baños - were planned for March 2020, before the COVID-19 lockdowns prevented them from taking place. Virtual film festival screenings took place throughout 2020 and 2021, including the 25th Busan International Film Festival, 57th Taipei Golden Horse Film Festival, 4th Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino, and 2021 Malaysia International Film Festival.

Singapore's Asian Film Archive began a limited theatrical release of Cleaners on 21 April 2021. Virtual Philippine screenings took place on September 2021.

Kani Releasing, an American home video distribution company, announced on January 2024 through their Instagram account that they would release Cleaners on Blu-Ray. The release included special features such as an audio commentary, behind-the-scenes material, and six short films, including a sequel short film commissioned for its home video release entitled Yung Huling Swimming Reunion Before Life Happens filmed in 2023.