Pinoy short film bags awards in Brazil

Two young girls travel through time to assassinate a small town dictator to revise history along with local members of the resistance, Jay, who aspires to become a Jai Alai player, and Irma, who just became a pilot. All the while a widower is plotting her own revenge against the same man. (Photo: Fronteira Festival)

MANILA, Philippines — Babylon, a Filipino short film directed by Keith Deligero, bagged awards at IV Fronteira Festival in Brazil.

Babylon on April 22 was chosen as the Best Short Film by the Official and Young juries of the international documentary and experimental film festival.

“The surprising and surreal approach of comedy in the context of a Philippines on the verge of a tyrannical attack, by revealing a comic inventionability rarely seen on the experimental scene,” the Official Jury said.

The Young Jury called the short film “unpretentious” and praised its “fantastic narrative” that brought out “the dirtiest side of dictatorial regimes.”

“The film denounces this moralistic and authoritarian policy that contributes gradually to the extermination of the marginalized groups of the society,” the Young Jury said.

“Still sarcastically, we have a work that proposes us not only reflection on the context in which we live, but also a sense of redemption capable of arousing real desire for rebellion,” it added.

In an acceptance speech video shot “straight-outta-Talamban” in Cebu, Deligero thanked the juries for the recognition.

“It is a very important film for us, the crew. We would like to also thank Fronteira Film Festival for giving us the opportunity to be able to share our little film with your audience,” he said.

This is not the first award Babylon had received. In 2017, it was also named Best Short Film at QCinema International Film Festival.

Deligero’s Babylon also competed at 68th Berlin International Film Festival, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria International Film Festival 2018, Kyiv International Short Film Festival 2018, and VIS Vienna Shorts 2018.

Babylon’s plot reads, “Two young girls travel through time to assassinate a small town dictator to revise history along with local members of the resistance, Jay, who aspires to become a Jai Alai player, and Irma, who just became a pilot. All the while a widower is plotting her own revenge against the same man. They all get into a weird mixed-up adventure with a talking chicken, a videoke machine from the future, a set of violent triplets and prank calls from the 90s.”

It stars Rhylles Cameron, Patricia Zosa, Nicole Blackman, Rya De Guzman, Maricel Sombrio, Publio Briones and Robert.