Three Philippine films named fund recipients by Singapore International Film Festival

Reported by Celso De Guzman Caparas ​

Manila, Philippines - The  Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) revealed its shortlist of eight documentaries and short films from Southeast Asia including three from the Philippines which will receive film funds this year, as follows:

   •  Ghosts of Kalantiaw by Chuck Escasa will receive a S$30,000 cash prize under the Production Grant from Tan Ean Kiam Foundation.

   "Weaving together interviews, animations, old photos, and live action drama, Ghosts of Kalantiaw explores the ferocity of the imagination and the burden it places on people who have none."

   •  Divine Factory by Joseph Mangat will receive a S$20,000 cash prize under the Post-production Grant from Tan Ean Kiam Foundation.

   "Divine Factory guides us through the universe of a city-factory, a labyrinth where the marginalised work day and night painting and molding the likeness of Catholic holy saints."

   •  April Mud by Timothy John Baraceros Collanto will receive a cash amount of S$4,000 from C47 Investment, and post-production support worth S$4,000 from White Light Post. 

   "April Mud follows Cora who returns to her provincial hometown with a film crew to shoot a military drama, with promises of bringing more business to the area. Realising too late the disruption this causes, she and her team do their best to mitigate problems before the last shot of the evening."

   Two films each from Thailand and Singapore, and one from Myanmar are the remaining recipients.

   It will be recalled that Aswang by Alyx Ayn Arumpac and Judy Free by Che Tagyamon were two of the six  grant recipients when the grants started in 2019. 

  Now on its third year, the SIFF grants "aim to be a launchpad for the brightest, upcoming names in film making from the region. These are dedicated to supporting filmmakers with compelling stories to tell across both fiction and non- fiction genres."