THE PHILIPPINE CONSULATE GENERAL in Sydney has recently announced that two Filipino films will feature in the upcoming Sydney Film Festival.

The filmfest, an initiative of the New South Wales government, will be staged June 2-22. In its 55th year, the event screens feature films, documentaries, short films and animations produced by filmmakers from Australia and around the world. It is a major cultural event in Sydney and one of the world’s longest running festivals.

The two Filipino films are “Slingshot” and “Foster Child”, both directed by acclaimed Filipino director, Brillante Mendoza.

“Slingshot” is about the fast and furious insight into the multiple stories of the daily life of the slums in Manila.

“Foster Child” features a day in the life of a foster family preparing to say goodbye to the boy they have raised. The film received a 10-minute standing ovation in last year’s Cannes Film Festival.

The two films are expected to receive similar recognition during the film festival.

“The Sydney Film Festival is one of the excellent venues to project the artistic and technical expertise of Filipino film directors. Slingshot and Foster Child have received numerous awards from the different film festivals around the world and it will not be a surprise if said films will also receive that recognition,” said Consul General Maria Theresa P. Lazaro.

Brillante Mendoza, a brilliant film director

Director Brillante Mendoza, photo by www.sf360.org

Director Mendoza will come to Sydney during the Festival to introduce the screening of each Filipino film. He will also participate in other festival and industry functions, media and audience interviews and panel discussions.

Mendoza’s record as a director includes “Serbis”, a story about a rural family that decides to run a prostitute service based in a fake theater. “Serbis” has been nominated in Cannes, the most prestigious film festival in the world.

The first and only time a Filipino director had a film included in the competition category in the Cannes Filmfest was in 1984, when Lino Brocka’s opus “Orapronobis” was accepted.

Mendoza’s “Serbis” thus became after 23 years the second Philippine film.

Mendoza’s participation to the Sydney Film festival was supported by the Philippine Consulate General through the Philippines’ National Commission of Culture and Arts.

The Consulate invites the Filipino-Australian community to attend the screening of the two Filipino films at the Greater Union George Street Cinemas: Slingshot (10 and 11 June), Foster Child (9 and 12 June 2008).

Full program of the 55th Sydney Film Festival is available at www.sydneyfilmfestival.org.