The world of the music video is powerful and remarkable. It paints a space of fluidity, and creativity which is then tied together by a voice that refuses to be diminished. Employing silhouettes and ease of movement, brought to life most beautifully by the charge led by Bernie Van Tiel (BVT), the video endeavors to present a moment embedded in Filipinx roots and culture. 
‘Lalaki’ shares a glimpse into a realm that boldly identifies itself with dance, music and words that are left with the viewer long after they are done listening to them. The brevity inherent to a music video works beautifully in its favor, ensuring all ideas are delineated without making the narrative overbearing. 

Further, the storytelling operates predominantly within the space of symbolism, with each image presenting an important metaphor about identity and belonging. As a community’s ethos is presented to you by way of an impactful end result, the video is taken home as a cohesive whole.

Lalaki | BVT | Short Film of the Day

The documentary film is an insightful and poignant account of the efforts of 1951 Coffee Company, a non-profit founded by Doug Hewitt in 2015, working towards the resettlement of refugees and asylum seekers in USA.
 The meticulous narrative takes us into the life of primarily three subjects, Meg Karki, Batool Rawoas, and Liebe Mehretab. It is through these voices that an impactful account is conjured, drawing attention to the very compelling and urgent concerns regarding the induction of the displaced in society. 

 At the same time, the protagonist also offers a moving perspective of what it is to grow up in a country where his own identity or privileges were seldom under question. It was indeed stepping out of this personal, intimate realm that allowed him to view a world where cultural, financial and even educational hurdles made it impossible for those who might have a different skin color or country of origin, to find themselves at home in a country they had come seeking shelter or refuge.

In the process, crucial elements are weaved into one to present an uplifting and heartwarming story about kindness, friendship, breaking of borders and stereotypes, but above all, the power of people coming together as a whole to make all of it possible.

No Single Origin | Short Film of the Day

'Reflections' is a quiet conversation with ideas of vulnerability, intimacy with the self, our relationship with the world around us, to name a few. As the narrative covers the entire spectrum of voices, all of them merge into one core idea - an understanding of the human experience. 

At the end of the day, each one of us is trying to ascertain our own place in the world, our purpose, the meaning (or the acceptance of the lack of it) of existence, and it is precisely this sentiment that the film invokes. 

It achieves the same by employing voices of of painters, puppet makers, people who work in fashion and like to be reminded of the warrior within, but the common thread that connects them all is that they are all creators, people who work with their hands to express and articulate their own truth in their own individual fierce, unabashed manner. The film is mellow, but emphatic and lucid, in its voice, succeeding at conveying to the viewer all that it has set out to at the onset.

Most Viewed

Genres

Awards

Follow Us

Quick Links