PH Films Feature at 2022 Brunei Film Blitz 

Consul General Pete Raymond V. Delfin (fifth from left) is joined by Dean of Mahakarya Institute of the Arts Asia, Brunei Dr. Alexander J. Fischer (fourth from left) and Origin Artistic Management Producer YAM Pengiran Anak Hjh Nurul Amal Munjiyyatul Athirah (sixth from left), and Philippine Embassy personnel and family members during the Philippine Night. (Brunei PE photo)

BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN, 28 December 2022 – The Sentro Rizal of the Philippine Embassy in Brunei Darussalam, led by Consul General Pete Raymond V. Delfin, graced the screening of Philippine feature films on the occasion of the 2022 Brunei Film Blitz held at the Mahakarya Institute of the Arts Asia on 26 December 2022.

The annual event is considered the first ever film festival in Brunei Darussalam. It was launched as an initiative of the Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism in 2017 as part of the annual Brunei December Festival, and aims to promote cultural awareness and cinema literacy through the medium of film.

The Brunei Film Blitz is hosted by the Origin Artistic Management led by Brunei filmmaker Siti Kalamuddin together with Producer YAM Pengiran Anak Hjh Nurul Amal Munjiyyatul Athirah and Mahakarya Institute of the Arts Asia Dean Dr. Alexander J. Fischer.

Marking its first physical comeback since the onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, the film festival featured four films during Philippine Night on 26 December 2022. Three of these were co-presented by the Film Development Council of the Philippines and UniPhilippines through the Philippine Embassies Assistance Program.  These were Oppa-Wikan, a multilingual short film by Tracy Tang and Hanz Florentino that won Best Screenplay, Best Supporting Actor and Actress and Second Best Picture at the 2020 Sinulog Film Festival; Forever, a Hiligaynon-language short film by Domingo Molina; and the internationally acclaimed full-length film Ma’ Rosa by Brillante Mendoza which garnered in 2016 the Best Actress Award at the Cannes Film Festival and Best Director Award at the Gijón International Film Festival. 

Also screened during the Philippine Night was the heart-warming full-length film Isa Pa with Feelings by Prime Cruz, a 2019 box office hit presented by ABS-CBN that highlights the challenges faced by hearing-impaired individuals.

Sentro Rizal-Brunei previously participated at the Brunei Film Blitz in 2018 and 2019, upon the invitation of the Brunei Ministry of Primary Resources and Tourism, to showcase and highlight Philippine cinema to international audiences and aspiring filmmakers based in the Sultanate. END 

Origin Artistic Management Producer YAM Pengiran Anak Hjh Nurul Amal Munjiyyatul Athirah gives her introductory remarks to the audience prior to the screening of Philippine feature films. (Brunei PE photo)

For more information, visit https://www.bruneipe.dfa.gov.ph, https://www.philippine-embassybrunei.org, or https://www.facebook.com/PHinBrunei/, https://twitter.com/PHinBrunei, or https://www.instagram.com/phinbrunei/.