Son dedicates Busan film to dad Tony Calvento

Tony Calvento (left) and Sonny Calvento

It could’ve been his first time to walk on the red carpet at the opening of an international film festival.

Alas, debuting director Sonny Calvento had to rethink his travel plans to South Korea, to attend the Busan International Film Festival, after the sudden passing of his father, veteran columnist Tony Calvento, on Oct. 9.

Sonny stayed in Manila for the wake and cremation of his dad on Oct. 15. He traveled to Busan on Oct. 16, to grace his film’s screenings on Oct. 17 and 19.

Sonny’s father, who also acted as producer, was very supportive of his film, “Nabubulok” (The Decaying), which premiered at Cinemalaya in August.

“My dad gave constructive comments,” he recalled. “But what stuck with me was when he told me he was proud of me and the film. He said he had no expectations, but when he saw it, he was so happy.”

Although his dad could be very hands-on, he gave the newbie filmmaker “full control.” “He told me that it was the best way to learn: Make mistakes and learn from them. It was the complete opposite of his parenting style; he was very involved in our daily lives.”

At first, he considered skipping the fest. “But one of my father’s final wishes was for me to attend Busan. He couldn’t speak already at the ICU, but he wrote ‘Korea’ on a white board. A few hours later, he died,” he recounted.

The young filmmaker was looking forward to his movie’s screenings in Asia’s top cinema event. He had to miss the Q&A on Oct. 15, but made it in time for the Oct. 17 interaction with viewers. “I hope that foreign audiences will gain a better understanding of the current state of our country through our film,” he told the Inquirer.

“Nabubulok” revolves around the mysterious disappearance of a Filipino woman who is married to an American citizen with a violent streak.

He explained that a film, “whether intended or not, is always a reflection of the society.” He asserted that his main goal was “to challenge Filipinos’ prevailing beliefs on the concept of justice.”

Sonny related that his mentor, screenwriter Armando Lao, had told him that “a story was worth sharing if it made you ‘feel’ something: anger, sadness, fear, confusion…or any other compelling emotion.”

He owned up that he had “felt a personal connection and a number of emotions…after learning about the movie’s subject matter.” He related, “I felt moved to share this story. It made me reflect about the gray areas in life—particularly, how we sometimes take sides without seeing the whole picture.”

In spite of the grief over his father’s passing, Sonny remained optimistic for his film. “I hope Busan will offer more opportunities for our film to be screened in other countries. That it will show how creative and truthful Filipinos are, as storytellers,” he said.

Right on cue, “Nabubulok” was invited to another film festival abroad. It will be screened at the Dhaka International Film Festival in Bangladesh in January.