november 3-5, 2023

Mahal

SPECIAL PROGRAM

CLICK HERE TO VIEW TRAILER

We are proud to feature the west coast premiere of MAHAL, part of REIMAGINED, an award-winning immersive animated virtual reality (VR) series created in partnership with Meta and produced by Very Cavaliere Productions. Directed by Michaela Ternasky-Holland, a queer Filipina creative storyteller, the exhibition is available to the public on Saturday, November 4th at OXY Arts.

Michaela Ternasky- Holland is an Emmy, Webby, and Sheffield Doc/Fest award-winning XR/metaverse storyteller. Recently named as one of the 100 Original Voices of XR, she creates non-fiction and socially impactful stories by using immersive and interactive technology. She focuses on the impact of the projects to move beyond the project itself. When she isn't creating her own original projects, she consults for socially conscious companies and non-profit organizations on creative strategy and impact production. Her work has been featured by TIME, Forbes, The Guardian, Cannes Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, and The New York Public Library.

About Reimagined Volume II: Mahal:

Inspired by Philippine mythology, the story focuses on Apolaki, Mayari, Tala, and Hanan, the four immortal children of the recently passed creator god, Bathala. As each of these deities wrestles with the grief of losing Bathala, their all-powerful actions create ripples throughout the universe. Dedicated to Director Michaela Ternasky-Holland's late father, MAHAL is a story of how love comes at a cost.

SPECIAL PROGRAM

Mahal

SPECIAL PROGRAM

Screened Opening Night on November 3rd

Every Day After

An Oscar®-Qualified Film by Elisa Gambino & Neal Broffman

TRT: 35 mins

Language: Tagalog with English subtitles

https://www.everydayafterfilm.com

When You Left Me

on That Boulevard

SPECIAL PROGRAM

Screening November 4th

Teenager Ly and her cousins get high before a boisterous family Thanksgiving at their auntie’s house in southeast San Diego in 2006.

World Premiere at the

2023 Sundance Film Festival and recipient of the Short Film Grand Jury Prize.

Written and Directed by Kayla Abuda Galan

Produced by Samantha Skinner, Alifya Ali, Udoy Rahim, David Oconer, and Kayla Abuda Galang

OFFICIAL NOMINEES

Screened Opening Night on November 3rd

Congrats!

JURY AWARD WINNER

Love, Lola

Directed by Angel Cagandahan

AUDIENCE AWARD WINNER

A Sweet Tooth

Directed by Presley Paras

BEST DIRECTOR

Palibut-Libot (In Circles)

San-San Onglatco

Jake, the failure - WINNER

Julian Sibal

Paco

Kent Donguines

Connection

Achim Mendoza

Love, Lola

Angel Cagandahan

BEST PERFORMANCE

Palibut-Libot (In Circles)

Trency Caga-anan

Jarden de Guzman

Jake, the failure

Andi Rexha

Paco- WINNER

Edward Escobal

Connection

Jorik Katalbas

BEST MUSIC VIDEO

Bubble Tea - WINNER

Directed by Bianca Catbagan

Run Rabbit – Poison

Directed by Ralph Espina

Sayo Na

Directed by Nicholas James Barber

Congrats!

OFFICIAL NOMINEES

Screened Opening Night on November 3rd

more OFFICIAL SELECTIONS

Screened November 4th, Choi Auditorium

Congrats!

VENUEs

Thorne Hall and Choi Auditorium

Occidental College Address:

1600 Campus Rd., Los Angeles, CA, 90041

OXY Arts Address:

4757 York Blvd, Los Angeles, CA 90042

Sunday, November 5, 2023

AWARDS GALA NIGHT

EXECUTIVE TEAM

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR,

FILAM CREATIVE

Mark Labella is a Cebu-born, San Diego-raised, award-winning screenwriter and actor. He is also a veteran Hospital Corpsman of the United States Navy who graduated with a doctorate in Medicine.

Mark has produced and written several projects including the feature film “Labyu With An Accent” starring Philippines superstar Coco Martin, currently streaming on Netflix. His other works include the medical comedy series, “MisDiagnosed,” a recipient of the Chicago Screenplay Awards; the murder-mystery thriller "Catholic School"; and the upcoming comedy series "Soul & Spice." As an actor, he has appeared in the feature film, PLANE, starring Gerard Butler, and hit TV shows such as "NCIS:LA," "Magnum P.I.," "Chicago Fire," Disney's "Doogie Kamealoha," and many more.

HEAD OF

FILAM CREATIVE FILM FESTIVAL

Jennielyn Abrot is the Owner of JAR Entertainment. Prior to this, she has worked as a film executive for major film financing/production companies where she oversaw the company's film slates. Jennielyn has worked on several films with star-studded casts including LOVELACE (Amanda Seyfried, James Franco); SOLITARY MAN (Michael Douglas, Susan Surandon, Jessie Eisenberg); DEATH & LIFE OF BOBBY Z (Paul Walker, Olivia Wilde); TRUST (Clive Owen, Catherine Keener); and AS GOOD AS DEAD (Andie McDowell, Carey Elwes). She started her career as a Development Intern at Mandate Pictures.

As a breast cancer survivor, Jennielyn was honored and named "Crucial Catch Captain" in 2020 by the NFL, Los Angeles Rams and Cedars-Sinai for their campaign to raise awareness and fight cancer. She was nominated as "Visionaries of the Year" 2022 by The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

Born and raised in the Philippines, Abrot attended CalArts for Theater as a California Arts Scholar, and received her B.A. in Art History and Visual Arts, with emphasis in Film and Media Studies, from Occidental College.

KEY FACFF

STAFF

ANGEL QUINSAY

MOIRA Tañedo

JOEL HANDLER

RANDAL KAMRADT

KARINA CORNEJO

LEAD LINE PRODUCER (AWARDS NIGHT)

COORDINATOR

DIRECTOR OF COMMUNICATIONS

JURY CO-PRESIDENT

PROGRAMMING &

GRANT COMMITTEE

FINANCE MANAGER

DIRECTOR OF FUNDRAISING

& OPERATIONS

SPENCER VELEZ

LEAD LINE PRODUCER (FACFF)

Production Manager

(A/V & Tech Logistics)

JUROR

GRANT COMMITTEE

VP FOR CREATIVE DEV'T,

FILAM CREATIVE

DREA CASTRO

MANAGING DIRECTOR

PANELS & SPEAKERS

DREA CASTRO

CHRISTIAN

REASONADA

LAUNCH PARTY &

GALA MARKETING

SCHOOLS OUTREACH

CHRISTIAN BUSTAMANTE

OFFICIAL NOMINEES &

SELECTIONS MANAGER

NILO SEMBRANO

VIDEO CONTENT MANAGER

BUSINESS DEV'T HEAD &

SPONSOR

BUSINESS DEV'T HEAD &

SPONSOR

MEDIA OUTREACH

ENZO APALIT

KEN ZHENG

VIDEO CONTENT

LAUNCH PARTY

GRANT JUROR

Important Note: Individual titles may differ from their respective FilAm Creative titles.

For complete list of FAC Directors, go to wwww.filamcreative.com

BIRNS & SAWYER / FILAM CREATIVE FILM FESTIVAL FILM GRANT

For sixty years, Birns & Sawyer has supported filmmakers from around the world with the latest equipment, products, and services.

In 2020, Mari Acevedo became the first female CEO and a minority in its 60 years of history of Birns & Sawyer. Under her leadership, Mari exemplifies a remarkable commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion within the filmmaking community. With an unwavering dedication to supporting young filmmakers, people of color (POC), and non-binary individuals, she has transformed Birns & Sawyer into a beacon of empowerment. Through strategic initiatives, such as the Birns & Sawyer / FilAm Creative Film Festival Camera Package Grant, Mari is offering a voice to the under-represented Filipino artists.

One filmmaker or team will be provided with digital camera packages, lenses, and accessories toward the production of their next short film project. Mari’s initiative is to enrich the Hollywood landscape and contribute to a more equitable and vibrant film industry.

The grant winner will be announced at the FilAm Creative Film Festival awards gala on Sunday, November 5, 2023 with the other category festival winners.

CEO/OWNER of BIRNS & SAWYER

New Frontiers: Animation, VR/XR, AI, and Technology’s Future in Entertainment

Saturday, November 4th

Darren Darnborough, Moderator

Darren Darnborough is a British-born Actor working in Hollywood. His current projects include the festival circuit films Abruptio alongside Oscar-winner Jordan Peele, 7000 Miles and Jamojaya which premiered at Sundance / Busan / SXSW 2023 directed by Sundance-winner Justin Chon & produced by 88rising & Stars Collective. Current TV includes Season 3 of Apple TV’s Truth Be Told produced by Reese Witherspoon and the trailblazing Web3 series RAZR.

Darren is also the Co-Founder and CEO of WeAudition.com

Carlten Batten (The Simpsons)

Carlton Batten, a twenty-three year veteran of The Simpsons, has been nominated for four Emmy's in the Outstanding Animated Program category with one win in 2019. He has a thorough background in animation with extensive experience on both the management and creative sides of production and has worked on some of the most popular animated shows in history. He combines this with ten years of financial management experience working for a large, private trust and several years as a music artist manager. He also created the animated series, Ranen the Alien, which is in pre-production.

Bobby Pontillas (Frozen, Sesame Street)

Bobby Pontillas is an animation director who has worked in the film, television, and games industries. In 2020, he co-founded Rise Up Animation. Bobby is also an Academy Award-nominated director for the short film, One Small Step and also designed the first Filipino Sesame Street character, TJ.

Michaela Ternasky-Holland

Michaela Ternasky- Holland is an Emmy, Webby, and Sheffield Doc/Fest award-winning XR/metaverse storyteller. Recently named as one of the 100 Original Voices of XR, she creates non-fiction and socially impactful stories by using immersive and interactive technology. She focuses on the impact of the projects to move beyond the project itself. When she isn't creating her own original projects, she consults for socially conscious companies and non-profit organizations on creative strategy and impact production. Her work has been featured by TIME, Forbes, The Guardian, Cannes Film Festival, Sundance Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, and The New York Public Library.

6:00pm - 7:00pm

Red Carpet Interviews

hosted by Actress Sam Morales

11:00am-11:45am

“Lights, Camera, Access”

presented by Warner Bros. Discovery

Speaker: Jamie Hernandez,

DEI Programs Manager, Warner Bros Discovery

Moderator: Therese Mui, Rising Filipinas

12:30pm-2pm

Filmmaker Meet & Greet Luncheon

(Private Invite)

2:30pm-3:30pm

“New Frontiers: Animation, VR/XR, AI, and Technology’s Future in Entertainment”

Moderator: Darren Darnborough

Panelists:

Carlton Batten (The Simpsons)

Bobby Pontillas (Sesame Street)

Michaela Ternasky-Holland (MAHAL)

Josie Trinidad (Zootopia, Wreck-it Ralph)

2:15pm-3:00pm

Registration

5:00pm-6:00pm

OFFICIAL SELECTIONS SCREENING

BLOCK 2

“When You Left Me on my Boulevard”

“Bare-Knuckle”

“Malaya”

“Glimmer”

“Reality Dad”

Q&A Moderated by Joel Relampagos

7:00pm-10:00pm

Special Feature Film Screening

plus Director Q&A

“Kinatay”

Directed by

Cannes Film Festival winner

Brillante Mendoza

Warning: “Kinatay” is Rated R.

It contains graphic and sexual content.

Must be 18+ to attend.

2023 jurors

• Leah Anova, Birns & Sawyer (Co-Jury President)
• Randall Kamradt, Jr., FilAm Creative (Co-Jury President)
  
• Drea Castro, “Baldy for the Blind”
• Joe Johnson, Birns & Sawyer
• Malou Kamradt, FilAm Creative
• Grace Ann Moss, Warner Bros. Discovery
• Bianca Nepales, Lionsgate
• Christian Rodriguez, AAO Entertainment
• Lyra Tan, The Gersh Agency
• James Arcega Tinsley, “Mayor of Kingstown”
• Jev Valles, 42 Management (formerly at UTA)
• Ken Zheng, Sun and Moon Films

Thank you for attending!

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CONTACT US

INFO@FACFF.COM

@FACFILMFESTIVAL

THANK YOU TO OUR SPONSORS:

This website and its contents are designed, created, and donated by JAR Entertainment Management LLC

FilAm Creative (FAC), is a Los Angeles-based 501(c)3 nonprofit organization.

FAC is dedicated to the advancement and empowerment of Filipino-Americans in media and entertainment.

For Press and Media related matters, please contact info@facff.com ATTN: Joel Handler, Director of Communications

For Sponsorships, please contact info@facff.com ATTN: Rovyn Bautista, Director of Fundraising