Director's Works
Blood Tastes Like Ube Patrick Taylor
PATRICK TAYLOR is a British-Filipino director born and raised in Stoke-on-Trent and based in London.
Patrick captures the blur of reality with keen sensitivity—able to source uniquely lived moments that manifest as hyperrealistic yet personal—across short film, music video and content.
His works have featured and been nominated across Dazed Beauty, Nowness, Wonderland, Aesthetica Short Film Festival, BFI Future Film Festival, London Short Film Festival, Thursday's Child x Minute Shorts: Points of View in New York City and more, as well as nominations at Young Arrows 22 with work for Hugo Boss.
I’ve always been intrigued to further explore my British-Filipino roots, and the sometimes confusing concept of dual-heritage, and how best to spotlight our largely underrepresented culture on screen, via a medium that is often overlooked. With that, the iconic purple of Ube (pronounced ‘oo-bay’) sprang to mind.
The film acts as a playful riff on the cultural significance of family and food in Filipino culture against themes of mixed race heritage. It’s set within a hugely digestible yet cinematic 16mm format, in which Ube takes centre-stage, with the purple sweet potato-like vegetable, acting as an entry point for both our protagonist and viewers alike.
Native to Southeast Asia, and in particular the Philippines, Ube is an important crop vegetable, used mainly for desserts. Ube features throughout the film, both as a raw vegetable and as part of a dessert known as Halo-Halo. Over time, Ube has gotten lost in Instagram or Tik Tok feeds, often presented as a ‘purple’ culinary discovery by the Internet, though much deeper than that the vegetable is considered an important cultural treasure. Its rich heritage holds a special place in the hearts of the Filipino people, as it reflects the nation's intricate history and culture through resilience and adaptability.
Hopefully this short film piques your interest in both the Philippines, and the iconic purple of Ube.
