Sundance film fest selects lone Filipino short film on endo workers

MANILA, January 5 ------ Here's some food news for the film industry at the start of 2021. The short film "Excuse Me, Miss, Miss, Miss," a satire about Filipino contractual workers by new director Sonny Calvento, will be screened at the virtual edition of the Sundance Film Festival in Utah later this month. It will be one of the 50 short films that will play in the festival from 27 countries and chosen from 9,933 submissions, according to the records of Sundance Institute that support international independent filmmakers and short films.

Calvento told ABS-CBN News over the New Year break that the Sundance achievement evokes memories of his late father, the late journalist and host Tony Calvento, and that he humbly shares the milestone with other filmmakers. "I’m still in disbelief. I always thought it’s impossible to get into Sundance given that the festival does not hold any premiere requirements," he said. "You are basically competing with almost 10,000 films, and some of those films may have premiered in bigger festivals like Cannes, Berlin, Venice — these films are boasting with production value. So never in my wildest dreams did I imagine that our little film will ever reach Sundance. I’m cherishing the moment because I know that this may not happen again,” he added.

The film plots the story of Vangie, a desperate sales lady who is about to lose her job in a department store. She devices ways to convince her supervisor to extend her employment, in the process exposing a shocking secret to regularization. Calvento, who shares the honor with his producer Sheron Dayoc, writer Arden Rod Condez and other colleagues, added that he is thankful that the Robert Redford-founded Sundance film festival recognized him as a unique voice in filmmaking. “I am looking forward to watching and learning from the works of emerging filmmakers all over the world. Some production companies in the US have already seen the film and are scheduling a meeting to explore opportunities for me abroad," he said.

The Sundance Film Festival program, as announced, will showcase 71 features, 50 shorts, 4 indie series, 14 new frontier projects on digital platform and satellite screens across the US beginning January 28. “Excuse Me, Miss, Miss, Miss" is just the start for Calvento who intends to further use comedy and absurdity as a tool to expose Pinoy social realities. “I’ve always believed that making a film is a privilege, so you must use that privilege to empower people,” he said. “This film, despite a comedy, is about the struggles and the challenges that contractual workers in the Philippines are facing today. I hope more than laughing at the story, people who watch the film will be reminded of this relevant labor issue our country is facing today."

Source: news.abs-cbn.com/entertainment