Seymour Barros Sanchez’s “Caretaker” won second place at the 6th Cam International Festival of Short Films, held recently in Cairo, Egypt. The fest was organized by the Egyptian Arab Society for Culture, Media and Arts (CMA)—to promote peace and understanding and combat ignorance, terrorism and poverty.
The Filipino movie competed with 45 short films from all over the world. The fest gathered 72 films (shorts, docus and animated movies) from 35 countries. Sanchez’s film tells the story of a caretaker who stumbles on the grisly aftermath of a fraternity initiation that went awry.
A lecturer at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, Sanchez recalled that he was about to wrap up his classes when he learned the news through an e-mail sent by the Philippine embassy in Cairo. “Honestly, I didn’t expect to make it in the competition. But it’s a nice bonus.”
Next stops for “Caretaker” are the International Film Festival Manhattan in New York and the Active Vista International Human Rights Film Festival in Manila. —Bayani San Diego Jr.