The film collective Hyperfocus recently teamed up with The Millas Cafe to host a Pride Month event featuring six short films centered on LGBTQ+ stories.
The film screening, which took place on June 26 at The Millas Hostel and Cafe in Cubao, Quezon City, aimed to provide a platform for local and international filmmakers to showcase their work and spark discussions about the LGBTQ+ community.
Hyperfocus and The Millas share a common goal of championing the Philippines' burgeoning filmmaking scene, and their partnership on this event is a testament to their commitment to promoting queer cinema.
Arnex Nicolas, a co-founder of Hyperfocus, emphasized the importance of making queer films more accessible to the community. "We all know that queer films aren't very accessible to us and that the queer community is always looking for more representation," he said in his opening speech.
The lineup of films included "Honey, My Love, So Sweet," "A Catholic School Girl," and "Yelo," all of which were previously shown at the QCinema International Film Festival. The event also featured foreign films such as "Grandma Nai Who Played Favorites," "Those Who Move," and "Juju vs. The Possibilities of Life, Love and Death."
Admission to the event was free with any purchase from The Millas' Cafe, and attendees were treated to a trivia session before the screening. The event also included a talkback with the three Filipino directors whose films were in the lineup.
Jason Tan Liwag, programmer for QCinema, moderated the discussion and highlighted the importance of queer cinema in the Philippines. He pointed out that all of the works by the Filipino directors started out as student productions and that they did not shy away from depicting different facets of queer intimacy.
One of the directors, Gab Rosique, explained that filmmaking is an avenue to discover answers to long-standing questions about uncertain realities and queer identities in the Philippines. He said, "I have more questions than answers and I discover the answers through making the film."
Another director, Myra Angeline Soriaso, discussed the challenges she faced in making her film, "A Catholic School Girl." She recounted reaching out to a specific school that held a meeting with parents and board members, only to be denied their request to shoot there.
The event was a huge success, with many attendees expressing their gratitude for the opportunity to watch queer films and engage in meaningful discussions about the community. As one of the directors, JT Trinidad, said, "Films and platforms for queer stories are themselves a fight for LGBTQ+ rights. With cinema, we see life and all its possibilities. Imagination is fighting in itself. It's a form of resistance."
