Next stop for ‘Jodilerks’: Romania

Angeli Bayani

Carlo Francisco Manatad’s short film “Jodilerks dela Cruz, Employee of the Month,” will be screened at the 11th NexT International Film Festival in Romania, from June 22 to 26.

Topbilled by Angeli Bayani in the title role, Manatad’s movie premiered in the International Critics’ Week section of the Cannes Film Festival last month.

In Romania, “Jodilerks” will vie for the top prize in the festival’s international competition category.

Considered one of the “most eclectic Romanian festivals,” NexT showcases more than 100 short films every year in a “panorama of innovative and creative” works.

A unique characteristic of the festival is that it highlights not just the director, but the sound designer, as well. The NexT fest likewise featured Mikael Andrew Quizon, “Jodilerks” sound designer, on its website.

The event is spearheaded by the NexT Cultural Society, which aims to “discover and support talented filmmakers at the beginning of their careers, and to promote auteur films and cinema as art.” —BAYANI SAN DIEGO JR.