PRESS RELEASE
WDC-26-2021
22 June 2021
WASHINGTON, D.C. – Sentro Rizal Washington DC (SRWDC) featured four (4) Philippine short films in the much-anticipated EuroAsia Shorts (EAS) Film Festival held virtually via Vimeo on Demand on 4-18 June 2021.
“The theme for EuroAsia Shorts 2021 is Together in Dreams. Humanity is united by our need for social connection—to be and stay together. And yet, amid a global pandemic, traditional togetherness has become a mere dream shared by millions around the world. Many of our aspirations—of achievements great and small, a better world, and connecting with people and places we love—have been put on hold, but still burn brightly in our hearts. This year’s EuroAsia Shorts seeks to rekindle hope by exploring dual aspects of our lives that are now intertwined: our need for connection and our dreams for the future,” reads a portion of the 2021 festival press release.
SRWDC’s pairing program with the Italian Cultural Institute showcased the three PH shorts, Finding Angelina by Reeden Fajardo; Random People by Arden Condez; and Sunshine Sunshine by Sonny Calvento. The program streamed on 4-11 June 2021 with a recorded post film discussion featuring both PH and Italian filmmakers and moderated by the Philippine Embassy’s Public Diplomacy Officer, Vice Consul Mark Lim.
“I’d like people to remember, through watching my film that self-love is still the most important love, and especially during this time where a lot of negativity is happening in the world it is really important to learn to love yourself before you love others,” Mr. Sonny Calvento said in his final message to the online viewers.
“I hope that our short film, Random People sends a message to everyone to appreciate the mundane, the little things that we often take for granted. Because this pandemic reminds us to appreciate what makes us human and that is our ability to build and preserve relationships,” Mr. Arden Condez concluded.
The EAS closing program that featured films from all partner countries – Spain, Philippines, France, Korea, Italy, Japan, Germany, China, Indonesia, Austria, and the United States – streamed from 11-18 June 2021 with a recorded discussion featuring DC Independent Film Festival Executive Director Deirdre Evans-Pritchard and Korean Cultural Center Public Affairs Specialist Adam Wojciechowicz.
Steven Evangelio’s Mask4Mask was SRWDC’s featured film in the closing program, and it tells the story of two boys waiting for the pandemic to be over so they can finally go out on their first date.
“This is the platform now in which so many people communicate. This is sort of understood and acceptable and I think it changes this topic of how you meet people,” commented Ms. Evans-Pritchard on the said short film.
Now in its 15th year, EuroAsia Shorts (originally the Asian-European Short Film Showcase) remains a collaboration between a small group of Washington, D.C. embassies and cultural centers. Since 2006, the festival has presented more than 280 short films, including many award-winning shorts making their U.S. debut. Each year a broad variety of films and styles are presented, connected by a single theme. Through post-film cultural Q&A’s and discussions with experts each night, EuroAsia Shorts offers an international cinematic dialogue that is uniquely Washingtonian.###