After writer/director Joel Ruiz read the book Selected Short Stories by Jose Y. Dalisay, he was convinced that his next short film had to be based on one of Dalisay’s stories. The glowing, spare prose of the story “Some Families, Very Large” was especially moving for him and with Mr. Dalisay’s permission, he adapted the story into film. The original story revolved around the father and son characters of Felipe and Sammy, with the character of Connie only appearing in the end. The idea of intersecting lives has always been a fascination of the director, and he was so intrigued by the Connie character that he proceeded to write an entire story around her. Thus was born the two shorts, Lakad ni Sammy and Ang Ibang Mga Pamilya: two very different films sharing one pivotal moment of contact.

It was important for the director to have each film be independent of each other, and thus different creative teams were hired to execute the stories. Under director Ruiz, both teams had distinct interpretations of the intersecting characters and locations. This required the team to shoot similar scenes twice, treated differently.

Ruiz envisions Lakad ni Sammy as if it were an adult’s memory of one of the most unforgettable days of his life. Very much a Christmas story, the film was shot with a light touch and is full of song and memory.

Young actor Paulken Bustillo plays the character of Sammy, and the role was written with Paulken in mind. Randy Punzal plays Felipe, Sammy’s father; Punzal plays against type and stars in his first lead role. The film was shot in three days in December 2007 while the Christmas lights around the city were still up. The film consisted mostly of walking around the streets of Las Piñas and Tambo, Manila.

Characters and locations from Ruiz’ breakout short film, Mansyon (The Mansion), also appear in this film. Reprising her role as Doña Elena Manalo is actress Marnie Lapuz, and also reappearing is the titular house.