Filipino Indie Short Film Wins Grand Prize At New York Screenplay Festival

Another Filipino filmmaker has garnered international recognition, this time winning the grand jury prize at the New York Screenplay Contest. The short film “Supot,” a film by Phil Giordano, won the tilt’s highest award. It is based on a Filipino rite of passage among boys, circumcision, and a young boy who refuses to go through it, much to the disappointment of his father and his siblings.

According to the Philippine Daily Inquirer, the short film was based on Giordano’s thesis for his New York University-Tisch program. The film looks at the story of a 10 year old boy, Rene-boy, who is afraid of being circumcised. During the summer when he was supposed have it done, he ended up running away from his father when it was his turn.

The Shame of Being “Supot”

Andrei only agrees to be circumcised after he is repeatedly shamed by his own brother as “supot.” According to the UK Film Review, the topic being presented “sounds like potentially harrowing material” but it was “handled with great simplicity and sensitivity” by Giordano. Instead of emphasizing on the hurt that is inflicted on a child by the ritual, it shows it as a “tradition” and one that will likely be around for some time.

“Supot” Goes to Busan International Film Festival

Giordano worked with cinematographer Malay Prakash to bring his film to life, with Thomas Derenzo doing the musical scoring. John Arcilla, who played General Antonio Luna in “Heneral Luna,” is cast as Itoy, the father of Rene-boy. Mercedes Cabral plays the mother, Corazon while Andrei Fajarito plays Rene-boy.

The film will be competing in the Short Film Category at the Busan International Film Festival from October 6 to 15. If the New York Screenplay Contest is a good measure, the film may have a chance during one of the biggest film festivals in Asia.