Fil-Am movie wins Best Feature in world indie film fest

MANILA, Philippines — Filipino-American movie “The Year I Did Nothing” has bagged the Best Narrative Feature award at the 2019 World’s Independent Film Festival (TWIFF).

TWIFF announced on Tuesday, September 24, the list of winners via its official website.

Photo courtesy of The Year I Did Nothing

The film festival’s two-day event will mark “The Year I Did Nothing’s” premiere in San Francisco, California happening on September 28 and 29 at the New People Cinema.

This is not the first time for the film to receive international recognition as it also won the Best Drama Award at the 2019 Independent Filmmakers Showcase (IFS) Film Festival held in May 2019.

Written and helmed by Fil-Am director Anna Barredo, “The Year I Did Nothing,” set in 1985 Manila, tells the story of three siblings who spend an extended summer waiting to immigrate to America, while their country gets ready to evict their homeland’s dictator Ferdinand Marcos.

“The Year I Did Nothing” stars Filipino-native actors Nora Lapena, Jared Xander Silva, Faith Toledo, Rhandy Santos and Maria Noble.

Although the movie’s setting takes place in Manila, Barredo said the movie was entirely shot in Los Angeles and they had to rent a jeepney there, the Philippines’ iconic vehicle.

“There’s only 10 in existence in the entire USA, and we rented one of them,” Barredo was quoted as saying in a statement Thursday.

There was intent to shoot the movie in the Philippines, but Barredo said their production was short in funding.

“In 2003, I wrote ‘The Year I Did Nothing’ with every intention of shooting it on location in the Philippines. Unfortunately, weeks before the start of production, our funding fell through and we never made the movie,” Barredo said.

“In 2018, I revisited my script and realized that its theme feels more relevant now than ever before, in light of the current state of the world. Given my personal connection with the story, I became more determined than ever, to shoot my 15-year-old script,” she added. /jpv