Two Negrense filmmakers are finalists in the short film competition of this year’s Cinemalaya, the country’s biggest independent film festival.
Cinemalaya, in a Facebook post on Tuesday night, June 6, announced that Kurt Soberano from Bacolod City and Kent John Desamparado of Sagay City are among the 10 short filmmakers in the Philippines that were shortlisted in this year’s festival.
They are the only filmmakers that came from Negros Island and Western Visayas.
Soberano’s film “Golden Bells” is a family drama about a small business thriving in the downtown area of Bacolod, while Desamparado’s “Ang Kining Ambahanon kag Binalaybay ko Para isa Imo” tells the story of an elderly man and his relationship to his grand daughter through poems and songs.
“Golden Bells” was the jury prize winner of the Sine Negrense: Negros Island Film Festival last year while “Ang Kining Ambahanon…” was the best short film in the Margaha Film Festival held in February.
Dedicating this feat to his grandfather, Soberano said that he is grateful for this entry to Cinemalaya as he have been waiting for this since college.
“I’ve been wanting to compete since college in 2012 but I never really had enough resources or knowledge about the proper execution,” he said.
“I dedicate this to my grandfather, who is the supporting character in the film, and his dream in which this film revolves around,” Soberano said, adding “He passed away in 2016 and the only way I get to see him come to life is through the art of cinema.”
Desamparado, who is an incoming sophomore student at the University of Saint La Salle, said the hard work of his production team has really paid off, as he thanked everyone who supported them.
He also said that his experience working with Director Anton Juan helped him improve his film and he is grateful that he had an opportunity to work with some of the artists and collaborators in Sagay and Bacolod.
The Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, now on its 19th year, will be held at the Philippine International Convention Center August 4 to 13.*