Park Sung-ho (right), Busan International Film Festival programmer, with Ed Cabagnot, director and consultant of The Manila Film Festival —MARINEL CRUZ Short films are undervalued and, therefore, should be promoted, according to South Korean festival programmer Park Sung-ho, who will be serving as one of the jurors of this year’s edition of The Manila Film Festival (TMFF). The festival features the works of eight student short filmmakers, who received a grant of P150,000 each. The short films of the following professional directors are also screened: Pepe Diokno, Sigrid Andrea Bernardo, Dwein Baltazar and JP Habac.
“I’m happy that the festival is focused on shorts now. They serve as an important platform for young filmmakers who want to prove that they are capable of eventually becoming full-length filmmakers. But it doesn’t mean that a short film is just a step in between apprenticeship and becoming a professional,” said Park, who is the Asian cinema programmer of the Busan International Film Festival.
“Short films also have their own beauty. I hope for the Filipino audience to be more exposed to this kind of art. Interestingly, for example, in Korea, even short films are theatrically released nowadays,” he told reporters over lunch during the weekend.
“Often, short films are undervalued. It’s important for film festivals to nurture them. I think it’s the same with you journalists.
If you haven’t written anything, nobody will hire you as a journalist..
