MANILA, PHILIPINES — Hollywood-based international film festival HollyShorts Film Festival will be showcasing seven Filipino short films from August 11 to 20 in Los Angeles, California. The Philippines is this year’s Country Spotlight at the 18th edition of the Academy-qualifying festival of global short films.
The HollyShorts Film Festival has selected over 400 films from more than 5,000 submissions. These films, all with under 30-minute duration, are to be screened onsite at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Hollywood, while online screenings will be available through Bitpix.
As the Country Spotlight, August 14 is dedicated to showcasing a Philippine retrospective to the festival goers and enthusiasts.
The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), in partnership with HollyShorts, will also be hosting the “In Conversation: Filipino Filmmakers in the US” panel discussion. It will feature Benito Bautista, executive director of San Diego Filipino Cinema and Margie Templo Parks, producer at Arkeofilms. These US-based Filipino filmmakers will be sharing their insights and experiences on their journey as artists, focusing on how it is like collaborating with Filipino artists, and their learnings and struggles in filmmaking in the US. The delegation’s participation will be capped by a reception night for partners and stakeholders.
The short films selected to be screened at the 18th HollyShorts Film Festival are the following:
- Shangri-La by Isabel Sandoval
- The Headhunter’s Daughter by Don Josephus Raphael Eblahan
- Imago by Raymund Ribay Gutierrez
- It’s Raining Frogs Outside (Ampangabagat nin talakba ha likol) by Maria Estela Paiso
- Excuse Me, Miss, Miss, Miss by Sonny Calvento
- Filipiñana by Rafael Manuel
- Anino by Raymond Red
The Hollyshorts Film Festival is considered to be one of the top international film festivals that specifically features short films from across the globe, and brings them closer to the prestigious Academy Awards. At least six short films from last year’s festival selection were nominated for Oscars 2022.
“Country Spotlight: Philippines” is the first partnership between the FDCP and HollyShorts Film Festival. The announcement of the endeavor under the agency’s Spotlight: Philippines program was made during the recently-concluded Marché Du Film of the 75th Cannes Film Festival last May.
For more information on film schedules and ticketing, head to the festival’s official event microsite.
