Cebuano film ‘SWAP’ premieres at prestigious Spain fest

CEBU, Philippines - “SWAP,” the only Filipino film in the 63rd San Sebastian International Film Festival (SSIFF), had its international premiere in Spain’s biggest movie fest. SSIFF, held in the scenic city of San Sebastian in Northern Spain in the Basque area, is also among the oldest and most prestigious of the world’s leading film festivals.

Helmed by award-winning Cebuano filmmaker Remton Siega Zuasola (who broke out in the groundbreaking indie “Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria”), “SWAP” is about a young father (played by Cebuano actor Matt Daclan) who is forced to commit a crime in exchange for his kidnapped son’s release from his captors.

“SWAP” is among 24 films from around the world selected to be part of the Zabaltegi Section of the festival, which is dedicated to films that challenge cinematic conventions and represents the most attractive and creative film proposals of the year. Other notable films that belong to this section include works from master filmmakers Alexander Sorukov of Russia and Eric Kho of Singapore.

Being the only Filipino film selected for this year’s edition, a delegation composed of Zuasola, producer Bianca Balbuena, cinematographer Ruel Antipuesto, Daclan (Cinema One originals best actor) and Cebuana actress Dionne Monsanto flew to Spain to attend the festival’s opening red carpet gala last September 18, SWAP’s premiere night on September 19 and a series of screenings and press interviews. “SWAP” had four screenings, two of which had a Q&A session.

The delegation had the chance to meet Festival Director of SSIFF Jose Luis Rebordinos in a cocktail event he hosted, and warmly welcomed the Philippine group as he expressed his great delight that “SWAP” became part of this year’s edition. According to Rebordinos, “SWAP” was this year’s biggest surprise as the moment they watched it, they all wanted it for the festival. Had it not already premiered in Manila, Rebordinos said they would have wanted the film to be part of the Official Competition.

The “SWAP” team was fortunate to have found strong support from the Philippine government through its cultural institutions like the National Commission of Culture and the Arts (NCCA) and Film Development Council of the Philippines who provided financial travel assistance for the team. SSIFF also gave monetary assistance for travel and accommodation.

Solar Entertainment, who produced the film through its flagship project, the Sinag Maynila Film Festival, under the supervision of internationally renowned film director Brillante Mendoza, also helped fund the trip along with private sponsors like Goldmine Residences, which is proud to have “SWAP” lead actor Matt Daclan as its brand ambassador. Financial support from these various institutions made the Philippine delegation’s presence in the festival possible, thus strengthening the presence of Philippine Cinema in the Latin American film market.

The Spanish Embassy in the Philippines also showed great admiration and congratulated the delegation through an appreciation meeting held at the embassy before the trip. They offered backgrounder about the festival and the culture of the Basque Region of Spain where San Sebastian belongs. Plans of future collaboration and cultural exchange were also discussed during the meeting. The Philippine Embassy in Spain through its consulate in Bilbao also sent representatives for the film’s premiere.

The premiere night was held in “Tabakalera,” San Sebastian’s newest art hub where art spaces dedicated to various art disciplines are housed. Inside is the newly built cinema that was packed for SWAP’s premiere. SWAP’s team was introduced to the audience before the premiere and a Q&A session followed after the screening where members of the audience eagerly asked the team questions regarding the film.

Here are some thoughts of  the team about the whole experience:

How did you feel when you learned ‘SWAP’ was officially declared part of the 63rd edition of SSIFF?

Remton: Honestly, I was bewildered when my producer informed me that our film would have its international premiere in Spain. When I later found out that the festival we got in was the prestigious San Sebastian, I just couldn’t believe it. SSIFF is known to have very high standards and exceptional taste in their film selection that just being selected is such a great honor already.

Bianca: We got the invitation in May and I was so surprised because I have been submitting films to Jose Luis Rebordinos and he was so into ‘SWAP,’ he immediately asked us to hold off our international premiere.

What are your impressions of the festival?

Remton: I didn’t fully grasp how big the festival was until we landed in Spain and our team had VIP Audi cars, walked down the red carpet where we met hundreds of people who gathered the whole stretch of the entrance cheering for us. Some even asked for autographs and photos from our actors. The level of organization and warm welcome we received was just amazing.

What was it like walking the red carpet and interacting with great names from world cinema in one of the biggest film festival in the world?

Matt: It was my first time to walk the red carpet of an international film festival and I have to say I almost couldn’t walk. I froze as the cameras started flashing, but good thing that the support and cheers of the people helped me warm up and I immediately went into the zone and savored every second of it, signing autographs and posing for photos for the fans.

Dionne: It is definitely an exhilarating experience walking the red carpet. I was initially very nervous, but that feeling was replaced with excitement when the crowd gave us a very warm welcome and when I saw some of the most respected names in the industry.

How was the reception of ‘SWAP’ from the Spanish audience?

Remton: Before our premiere started, I asked the organizers to allow me a peek inside the cinema and when I saw how full it was, my heart skipped a beat! The audience greeted us warmly during our introduction and was fully engaged with the film. The question and answer portion gave us a chance to interact with the audience and hear what they had to say as we also shared how we made the film and the inspirations behind it. After the screening some even stayed for a while to chat with the team and asked some more questions.  The audience also expressed some sentiments about the experience being under a dictatorship rule as they themselves experienced such events in their own history.

Bianca: The Latin American market expressed their love for the film – a symbolic and riveting tale of a family losing its loved one, back-dropped by a nation losing its freedom, done in one long take, bending space and time. Our next stop is also a Latin American film festival and one of the biggest in South America: the Sao Paulo International Film Festival. A week after I emailed them, they sent a long message of how much they loved ‘SWAP’ and asked for our South American premiere.

What’s next for ‘SWAP’?

Bianca: After the San Sebastian International Film Festival, it will be competing in the 2nd Silk Road International Film Festival in Fuzhou, China where I, actors Mon Confiado and Ligaya Rabago, are being flown in to attend the festival. It will then travel to Sao Paulo International Film Festival for its South American premiere. On November, we will have our North American (in exhibition), Russian and Japanese premiere (in competition). By December, we will have screenings in Cebu and Manila. (FREEMAN)