San Diego Filipino Film Festival, Top Curator of Filipino Works, to Include Local Debuts, Tributes

The San Diego Filipino Film Festival, which holds a unique distinction in the Filipino cinema world, opens Tuesday as part of Filipino American History Month in October.

The fest last year became the largest curator and exhibitor of global Filipino films
in the U.S. In its third edition, organizers have selected 103 films for the in-person main screenings and the Virtual Cinema Selects series, to be offered online after the main event’s conclusion.

Included among the in-person film screenings, which conclude Oct. 8, are Q&As with filmmakers, networking events and the Visions & Voices panel discussion.

Screenings will take place at the The Lot Liberty Station and AMC Plaza Bonita. Full festival passes cost $197, while individual screenings cost $12. Day passes cost $30.

“We continue to uphold and focus on our mission to strengthen our representation through film and to nurture Filipino stories and storytellers through our platform,” said Benito Bautista, executive director and co-founder of San Diego Filipino Cinema.

Featured films include:

• Emmy award-winning filmmaker Michele Josue’s Nurse Unseen. The feature-length documentary highlights the history of Filipino nurses and explores their huge contributions to the U.S. and global healthcare systems.
• The centerpiece feature, Searching for Kapwa, directed by Larry Daguino Lariosa and Terrence Marcotte. Winner of the Kinship Award at the 2023 DisOrient Asian American Film Festival, the film draws from the pre-colonial Filipino value known as kapwa, or “shared identity.”
• A special screening to honor the late Gloria Sevilla with Maria S. Ranillo’s feature drama, Pagbalik. She was known as the Queen of Visayan Movies in the Philippines.
• The San Diego premiere of Tony- and Grammy- award winning Jhett Tolentino’s debut feature Asian Persuasion at the fest’s closing night. The romantic comedy stars Hollywood actors Dante Basco and Paolo Montalban and Philippine actress KC Concepcion.

Having participation from a worldwide film community, said Emma Francisco
Bautista, programming director and Filipino Cinema co-founder, “means that we have a treasure trove of unique perspectives and stories out there, and we need a platform like (the festival) to house these film gems for the diverse audience to learn and enjoy.”