This Student Film Captures the Beauty of Memories
Coby Mercado dives into the story behind his comedy short, lola.psd
Words Patricia Angela Moslares
Photos Film stills via Floor21 Youtube account
Photographs freeze precious moments in time, allowing us to preserve and relive memories. But what about those captured only in black and white? How do they vividly relive theirs?
Coby Mercado’s lola.psd (2024) is a comedy short that tells the story of a 15-year-old graphic designer who digitally colors his grandmother’s old black-and-white photos, sparking an unlikely friendship between them. As Red and Lola Rosa bicker and bond over each photo, Lola’s memories come to life with every color.
The 20-minute film was first shown during Black Beret 2024 at the UPFI Film Center, a screening event that showcased the works of the directing class at the University of the Philippines Diliman. It was an immediate hit and a crowd favorite for its witty humor, winning seven awards—including Outstanding Film and Audience Choice Award. Since then, the film has been screened at the 36th CCP Gawad Alternatibo and is now available on YouTube, where it has garnered 40,000 views.
The Inspiration
The film’s concept was directly inspired by Coby’s personal experiences as a graphic designer. “Graphic design is my passion,” he proudly remarked. While creating a gift for his mother, Coby came across her old family photos, most of which were in black and white, particularly those of his grandparents, who passed away early. Curious to see how they would look in color, Coby decided to digitally color the images.
The process of figuring out the right colors became both a form of research and a personal reflection. He experienced the magic of bringing the old photos to life with every hue and shade. When his mother saw the transformed pictures, she cried, deeply moved by the memories they held.
“I finally found this connection between people, strengthening relationships through memory and graphic design. And that's where the film came about, from this small little gift I made for my mom,” he shared.
Memory’s Shifting Hues
Coby believes that humans are naturally drawn to memory and nostalgia. However, growing up, he realized that some memories change and no longer feel the same, like how a heartwarming memory can turn cold after a certain event.
In lola.psd, Coby wanted to show through Lola Rosa that we can change the way we remember our memories—not by distorting history, but by seeing them in a different light, in a different color. “We can develop a new perspective on the things we don’t want to remember instead of just forgetting—as these memories are what make us who we are,” he explained.
Coby recognizes that memories are subjective and unique to each individual, and that the new insight they bring is what makes them valuable. “Memories are anything but black and white because they have different shades, they have different hues. They have different tones depending on the person, depending on how you are,” he expressed.
Coby Mercado is a 22-year-old graphic designer and aspiring film editor. He is currently working on his thesis film as a graduating film student at the University of the Philippines Diliman.
