Radikals
ARVIN BELARMINO I 2024 I Philippines I 20:43 min
Folk Mystery I Filipino w/ English subititles I Southeast Asian Premiere
OPENING SHORT FILM I MATA-ASYA
In the outskirts of Cavite, a young newcomer joins a tight-knit subculture devoted to bakte, a local freeform chicken-inspired dance rooted in rural folk tradition. After delivering a lackluster performance and drawing ridicule from a heckler, he becomes the group's weakest link. What begins as harmless initiation spirals into a surreal series of events, revealing the darker rituals that bind and break those who don’t measure up.
SCREENING SCHEDULE
AUGUST 29, 2025 I FRIDAY
5 PM I CENTRO DE TURISMO
FREE I Intermission gap after Opening Films
co-presented with Sentro Rizal Filipinas
* Filmmaker Arvin Belarmino will be in attendance
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CENTRO DE TURISMO & MUSEO INTRAMUROS
Old San Ignacio Church, Arzobispo St, Intramuros, Manila, 1002 Metro Manila
Arvin Belarmino is a Filipino filmmaker known for his bold, experimental, and narrative short films that explore the surreal within the everyday. His debut feature project Ria earned him a place at the prestigious 2022 Festival de Cannes Cinéfondation La Résidence, where he was awarded the CNC Pitch Prize. An alumnus of Talents Tokyo, Locarno Filmmakers Academy, Produire au Sud Nantes, and La Fabrique Cinéma, Arvin continues to gain international recognition. In 2024, he was selected for the Quinzaine des Cinéastes Fortnight Factory, co-directing Silig with Cambodian filmmaker Lomorpich Rithy. His acclaimed short Radikals screened at the 2024 Semaine de la Critique, and his latest work Agapito (2025), co-directed with Kyla Romero, was selected for the Cannes Short Film Competition.
