In the Philippines, Some Nights I Feel Like Walking, a film by Petersen Vargas, has become a cultural moment, not through spectacle but through community. No star-studded premiere. No fancy invites. No glossy posters. Just a campaign created with lot of fun, play, and community.
The campaign was made in collaboration with entertainment marketing agency LunchBox and creative agency for social impact Lennon Group. A collab that didn’t just market a film, but mobilized a community and lit a fire many called a stroke of genius.
“The unconventional and community-rooted approach to marketing Some Nights I Feel Like Walking has proven to be a success,” says Carl Chavez, Founder of entertainment marketing agency LunchBox. We crafted an experiential campaign designed to meet audiences where they already are, hyperlocal, hyper-specific.”
The campaign started with Invites That Spoke the Streets. Forget fancy cards, invitations were written on bus tickets, tissue paper, and receipts — an ode to the everyday life that doubled as poetic artifacts of the film’s heart and soul.
Then came the Grindr Live Tour. Instead of the usual mall tours, they took to the queer dating app, turning it into a stage. Characters from the film came alive, chatting and flirting with users, dropping locations after locations, offering free tickets and promising movie fun. It was part promotion, part performance art — and totally unprecedented.
The premiere night was the final act of rebellion. Away from luxury cinemas, the film premiered at Isetann, Recto, a storied classic theater in downtown Manila known for its cruising culture than its premieres. The venue was transformed into a living diorama of the city’s underbelly: go-go boys ushered in guests, while KTV bars, massage chairs, street food stalls, thrift shops lined the aisles. Macho dances performed live, blurring the line between audience and spectacle.
“This collaboration was an experiment. It was an attempt at creative collission. We wanted to explore what can we come up with when a beautiful and moving queer indie film meets entertainment marketing agency meets creative agency for social impact,” says Raymund Sison, Founder of Lennon Group. “The result was a revelation of the power of creativity, collaboration, and community.”
Despite today’s challenging climate where Filipino audiences are selective with what films they choose to watch, the campaign was able to cut through and spark genuine participation. From the Grindr activations that directly reached queer audiences, to the premiere at Isetann Mall that made the film feel accessible and grounded, to grassroots collaborations with local brands, each effort helped transform the film into more than just a screening—it became a cultural movement.
