At least once in our lives, especially in an era shaped by zombie games and apocalyptic films, we’ve imagined it: Where would we hide if the world collapsed? What would we carry? Who would we save?
For most, these questions remain fleeting thoughts sparked by a late-night movie or a controller in hand. Using Unreal Engine 5, Cebuano Carlisle Tabanera translated his imagination into a cinematic, real-time world. One where Cebu’s most familiar spaces feel eerily possible even in ruin.
A freelance 3-D artist, Carlisle traces his visual instincts back to college.
“I studied architecture before shifting careers, and although I didn’t finish, that background helped a lot — especially when modeling buildings and environments, which felt very natural to me,” he shared in a SunStar Lifestyle interview on Jan. 2, 2026.
That foundation becomes immediately apparent in his latest project: a hyper-real, post-apocalyptic reimagining of Cebu. Familiar landmarks stand eerily intact yet abandoned. South Road Properties swallowed by still water, Fort San Pedro looming like a relic of a forgotten war, Cebu I.T Park stretching into emptiness, Colon Street stripped of its usual chaos and commerce. Nothing is wasted, nothing overlooked.
Carlisle’s fascination with the genre is deeply rooted. “I’ve always loved zombie-related media such as games like “Dying Light,” “7 Days to Die,” and “The Last of Us,” as well as films like “28 Days Later” and “World War Z,” he said.
“Watching and playing these made me curious about what my own hometown, Cebu, would look like in that kind of scenario, and how ordinary Cebuanos might survive.”
Is it a video game? A film? The answer, for now, is somewhere in between. “I have ideas for a short film, but this project was really about visualizing the images in my head,” Carlisle explained.
The idea of a broken Cebu is not entirely foreign. The city has endured typhoons, earthquakes, a pandemic — moments when streets emptied and time seemed suspended. Yet despite the bleak visuals, his intention was never despair.
“Cebu has gone through many challenges in recent years,” he reflected. “What stood out to me was how people consistently came together — donating, volunteering and helping one another.”
While the video does not explicitly show this, Carlisle says the larger story he is developing is rooted in resilience and community.
Sound plays a crucial role in shaping that emotion. Before entering 3-D animation, Carlisle was a music producer, making the project’s audio world just as deliberate as its visuals. The haunting reinterpretation of the Hiligaynon folk song “Ili Ili Tulog Anay,” featuring the vocals of Cher Lozada, drifts through the piece like a lullaby for a city that has fallen asleep — or perhaps never will wake again.
The familiar melody, now distorted and ethereal, heightens the unease. It follows a lone female figure as she wades through flooded streets and dim, greenish frames, reinforcing the dreamlike horror of a Cebu frozen in time. It is chilling, yes but also deeply promising Cebuano talent.
For Carlisle, this is only the beginning. “A video game set in Cebu would be a dream project,” he admitted. “Realistically, a short film is more feasible in the near future, and this project serves as a foundation for that.”
Behind the solitary vision is a circle of quiet supporters. “Julie, Darren, my mom, and Josh René,” he said. “Their support and encouragement helped me see the project through to the end.” S