Jericho Rosales in “Basurero”
Eileen Cabiling’s “Basurero,” which stars Jericho Rosales, bagged the best global film award at the recent 1st AuntyLand Film Festival held in New York City in the United States.
“This award was a great surprise as I didn’t know about it. It was a wonderful festival with women creators, and I met some of them in a Q&A we had online,” Cabiling told Inquirer Entertainment on Tuesday night.
“I am happy that the film is being recognized along with our amazing crew, producers and cast, and most importantly, the story and the study of a character who is stuck in a system that does not value him,” the US-based director said via chat.
Question
“How does one find self-value and worth? The film leaves us with this question. I hope, as we Filipinos start to question our psyches and how we treat each other and value each other, that we will eventually find the answer. Something is truly wrong with the system when we start killing each other instead of supporting each other,” Cabiling declared.
“Basurero” is about Bong (Jericho), a fisherman by day and drug war vigilante by night. He faces a crisis of conscience when his neighbor is killed for selling drugs.
The best global film award is one of top five Grand Jury Awards handed out by the festival jury members. The winners, “recognized for excellence in independent storytelling,” each received a cash prize, said festival director Sylvia Wong Lewis in a press statement.
“Bold, intersectional, and culture-focused stories prevailed across all categories. These awards recognize brilliant, visionary artists whose dynamic work will shift the culture and open new dialogues,” said Lewis.
Other winners
The other Grand Jury Award winners were: Ray Martell Moore and Monique Robinson’s “A Ring: A Short Film,” best romance film; Lenora Thomas Douglas and Cheray O’Neal’s “Weep Not,” best society film; Cheri Gaulke’s “Miss Alma Thomas: A Life in Color,” best art film; and Kristin Reiber Harris’ “City Trees,” best environment and animation film.
The inaugural film festival, which ran from March 8 to 31, was held in Tribeca in New York City. It featured short films (less than 20 minutes) that included the following categories: arts, society, experimental, romance, culture, comedy, global, environment, animation and activism. INQ