2 PH films win in Germany and China

Scenes from “Tarang”

Arvin Belarmino’s “Tarang” (Life’s Pedal) copped the best film award (international category) at the 36th Interfilm Berlin-Brandenburg Film Festival in Germany, while Mark Justine Aguillon’s “L.O.L.” won the Audience Choice award at the 11th Macau International Short Film Festival in China.

“Tarang,” according to its producer, Carlo Valenzona, was given the highest honor among 69 competing entries selected from almost 6,000 submissions from all over the world. It is the first Filipino short film to receive the award.

According to the festival jury members, “The most striking quality of the film is its candid, blunt and sincere storytelling in which all film departments are equally important.”

They added: “From the first scene on, it captures the audience, inviting us into the characters’ realities instead of judging them. We seem to forget that we are watching a fiction film, and not a documentary. The reality of the film makes the audience feel like a fly on the wall, but there is no wall to hide behind.”

Along with the trophy, “Tarang” also won a cash prize of 600 euros.

Tarang tells the story of Rodel, (Nikko delos Santos) a sidecar driver who works alongside his wife Aya, (Nats Sitoy) a prostitute, in a place where they can hopefully earn enough to survive. They will one day face an unexpected incident in the streets that will test them.

Delos Santos, in his Facebook account, thanked the team behind the film, “For trusting me to play the role of Rodel and my transformative process to give life to the character.”

Belarmino, on the other hand, thanked the jury for the recognition. “This is very uplifting for us during these difficult times,” he said in a prerecorded acceptance speech.

The festival was held from Nov. 10 to Nov. 15.

Scene from “L.O.L.”

Meanwhile, Aguillon said “L.O.L.” was the only Filipino film entry in the Macau international short filmfest, which ran from Dec. 1 to Dec. 8.

“L.O.L.” tells the story of a group of people who are “imprisoned in paradise—a paradise that’s not normal because it is devoid of all resources,” the director explained.

For Macau-based Aguillon, the recent event served as “a great opportunity for us to promote Filipino culture.”