Two Filipino short films in Russian fest

Scene from Jaime Habac Jr.’s “Maria”

Two short films from the Philippines were screened at the recent 15th International Kansk Video Festival in Moscow, Russia. Carlo Francisco Manatad’s “Sandra” and Jaime Habac Jr.’s “Maria” competed in the Russian fest’s international section.

Running 11 minutes, “Maria” was produced by Tuko Film Productions and Buchi Boy Entertainment. It tells the stories of a 14-year-old girl who’s suspected of being pregnant by her family and a 50-year-old woman who gives birth to her 22nd child.

Meanwhile, “Sandra,” which runs 15 minutes, follows “quirky” girls who join a pseudosorority only to escape from its twisted world after.

Aside from the Philippines, the international tilt, which had the theme “Surrealism vs Realism,” featured 20 other films from other countries.

The fest’s website remarks that the films in the program are some of “the best and freest from around the world.” These films “explore the boundaries of video art.”

Organizers insist Kansk is “not a conventional film festival. It is an experiment in time and space.”  The top prize in the fest is called the “Golden Palm Pruner.”  BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR.