SEASON 2024-2025
AUGUST 27 - SEPTEMBER 15, 2025
BAKUNAWA FEST XI BOARD OF JURY
_edited.jpg)
TZANG MERWYN TONG
Chair
Tzang Merwyn Tong is an award-winning cult director, screenwriter, and rebel voice from Singapore, known for his early contributions to Asian alternative cinema. His underground films [e’Tzaintes], A Wicked Tale and Faeryville were made with no studio and no permits, yet went on to earn critical acclaim at international film festivals, building a devoted underground following across Europe and Asia. Recognised by the South China Morning Post as one of “5 Directors Changing Asian Cinema,” Tzang is also the founder of Zen-Mind Filmmaking — a minimalist, experimental methodology inspired by Zen philosophy. This method has been presented at international conferences and festivals in Glasgow, Paris, Hong Kong, and Japan, inspiring filmmakers to resist entanglement and burnout from conventional filmmaking.
Tzang’s films and methods continue to travel widely, opening up conversations about art and creative courage. He has served on juries including the Hanoi International Film Festival, and now joins the Bakunawa Fantastic Film Festival as a Jury member — carrying forward his commitment to championing bold, risk-taking voices in cinema.
JEFFREY JETURIAN
Jeffrey Jeturian began his career as a production assistant before directing television and later films. He is one of the Philippines’ most respected and most acclaimed directors. His early works include Pila-Balde (1999), winner of the NETPAC Jury Award at Cinemanila and Gold Award at Worldfest Houston, and Tuhog (2000), which competed at Venice and won Best Picture at the Gawad Urian.
His most acclaimed film, Kubrador (Bet Collector, 2006), earned multiple FIPRESCI Prizes at Cinefan Festival of Asian & Arab Cinema and at the 28th Moscow International Film Festival 2006; and was named Urian Best Film of the Decade. Kubrador won for him the Best Director Award at the Star Awards for Movies, Golden Screen Awards and at the Film Academy of the Philippines Awards. It bagged the Youth Jury Award at the Valladolid International Film Festival and was also nominated for Golden Spike Award for the same festival.
His films have been selected at the Toronto International Film Festival, Thessaloniki International Film Festival, Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, Palm Springs International Film Festival, Vesoul International Film Festival of Asian Cinema, BogoCine Bogota Film Festival and was screened at the Museum of Modern Art in USA.
TITO GENOVA VALIENTE
Tito Genova Valiente is a Bicol-based Filipino film critic, educator, anthropologist, author and adviser to Bakunawa Fest. A member of the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino, he has written extensively on cinema, culture, and society while also researching Philippine folktales, myths, and migration.
He studied in Japan as a research fellow at Rikkyo University and later taught sociology, anthropology, and Japanese cinema at Ateneo de Manila. In 2019, he became the first Filipino benshi, narrating Yasujiro Ozu’s silent film ‘A Straightforward Boy’ (突貫小僧 | Tokkan Kozo, 1929) presented by the Japan Foundation Manila.. That same year, he was one of the honorees in the national celebration of 100 years of Philippine Cinema, given by the Film Development Foundation of the Philippines, for his contribution and advocacies on Philippine regional cinema. He is an award-winning writer, columnist, cultural advocate, and currently serves as Vice Chairman of the National Committee on Cinema of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.