PH Films Compete at 39th Porto Int’l Film Festival in Portugal
(From left) “School Service” director Louie Lagdameo Ignacio, “Kuya Wes” director James Robin Mayo, actor/singer Ogie Alcasid, Ambassador to Portugal Celia Anna M. Feria, Beatrice Pacheco Pereira, and Mario Dorminski. (Lisbon PE photo)
LISBON 11 March 2019 – Ambassador to Portugal Celia Anna M. Feria hosted a cocktail reception for the participating Philippine delegation to the 39th Porto International Film Festival, also known as Fantasporto 2019, at Teatro Rivoli in Porto on 26 February 2019.
This year’s Fantasporto featured three Philippine films competing in the film festival, “Kuya Wes,” “School Service,” and “Waiting for Sunset.”
Representatives from the three films include cirector James Robin Mayo and actor Ogie Alcasid from "Kuya Wes," director Louie Ignacio Lagdameo, actor Dennis Evangelista, and Ferdinand Lapuz, producer/distributor from “School Service,” and the five members of the “Waiting for Sunset” team namely director Carlo Catu, producers Roderick Cabrido and Omar Surtijas, producer/distributor Lexter Tarriela, and lead actor Menggie Cobarrubias.
The featured films were well received by the Portuguese audience, as they not only shared an insight of Philippine culture and the character of the Filipino people, but showed as well the ingenuity and creativity of the Filipino film makers.
Commenting on the Philippine participation in Fantasporto, Ambassador Feria expressed her appreciation to the festival organizers for being a gateway for Philippine cinema to be part of the global film culture. She also noted that the Filipino film entries is an effective medium to educate, enhance people-to-people relationships, as well as break stereotypes regarding Filipino culture and the Filipino people.
Jury members and organizers of the film festival were also present at the cocktail reception where they gave a high regard for Philippine film entries to Fantasporto every year for its originality, creativity and independence.
Fantasporto is annual international film festival organized since 1981 in Porto, Portugal. It is considered one of the top film festivals in the global festival circuit. It features films from all over the world with diverse genres ranging from science fiction to documentaries.
The Festival ran from 22 February to 02 March. END
For more information, visit www.lisbonpe.dfa.gov.ph or https://www.facebook.com/PHLinPortugal/.