San Diego Filipino Film Festival Amplifies Global Filipinx Visions and Voices on the Silver Screen this October

SAN DIEGO, Oct 4, 2021 - The latest and most anticipated installment of San Diego Filipino Cinema’s (SDFC) year-long programming, the San Diego Filipino Film Festival (SDFFF), debuts this fall, October 14-19, 2021. Held during October’s Filipino American History Month, SDFC’s inaugural film festival is the organization’s centerpiece event that aims to raise awareness for Filipinx cinema as an important art form and a powerful tool for representation, education, and entertainment.

SDFFF’s 2021 festival experience will span across San Diego County. From the newly transformed Mingei International Museum in the heart of Balboa Park to the AMC 12 Otay Ranch Town Center, SDFFF will bring San Diego communities together to celebrate diversity, culture and heritage through cinema with a diverse mix of narrative features, documentaries and short films.

Community accessibility to arts programs while prioritizing health and safety has been paramount to SDFC throughout the pandemic. This has been reflected in their switch to virtual programming throughout the past year and a half, such as their Perspective Film Series virtual screenings, which showcase rare and compelling Filipinx films. Operating with the same level of caution and a desire to remain inclusive to those who cannot physically attend, SDFFF 2021 will offer a hybrid experience.

The six-day festival will have a combination of virtual and limited-capacity, masked, in-person events, including but not limited to: screenings, Q&As, networking events, additional installments of SDFC’s FILMMERSION filmmaking workshops and panel discussions, and a virtual film market component.

SDFFF aims to not only be a platform to amplify Filipinx visions, voices and stories but also foster new interest in filmmaking and cinema as art throughout the local and global Filipinx community. Despite the festival’s emphasis on Filipinx voices, the program includes films that are accessible to everyone and aims to welcome audiences from all backgrounds.

Festival Highlights:
OPENING FILM - FANNY: THE RIGHT TO ROCK by Bobbi Jo Hart (San Diego Premiere) Presented by The Filipino Channel and iWantTFC
October 14, 2021 / Thursday, 7:00PM / Mingei International Museum at Balboa Park FANNY: THE RIGHT TO ROCK reveals the untold story of the first Filipina American all-women rock band to release an LP on a major label. Despite a fan-base of musical legends, such as David Bowie, the film explores how FANNY was written out of history as the band reflects on their early journey navigating battles of race, gender, and sexuality. 50 years later, and an added struggle against ageism while releasing their newest LP, FANNY are here to claim their place as Filipina and rock icons.

CLOSING FILM - THE FABULOUS FILIPINO BROTHERS by Dante Basco (San Diego Premiere)
October 19, 2021 / Tuesday, 7:00PM / AMC 12 Otay Ranch Town Center THE FABULOUS FILIPINO BROTHERS navigates the lives and antics of four characters (played by real-life Filipino-American siblings: Dante, Derek, Dionysio and Darion Basco), leading up to a family wedding. The film explores issues related to family, love and culture through a series of vignettes.

FEATURE FILMS AND SPECIAL GUESTS
Catch the world premiere of Filipino Canadian filmmaker Patrick Alcedo’s compelling five-year in the making feature documentary A WILL TO DREAM plus the San Diego premiere of the critically-acclaimed film K’NA, THE DREAMWEAVER by Ida Anita Del Mundo with lead actress Mara Lopez in attendance during its SDFFF special screening. Other filmmakers and actors attending the festival include award-winning actress Maria Isabel Lopez, filmmakers Grace Simbulan, Patrick Alcedo, Tamara Botkin, actor/filmmaker Dante Basco along with THE FABULOUS FILIPINO BROTHERS cast members actors Dion, Derek, and Darion Basco, plus one of FANNY bandmates, Brie Darling.

30 SHORT FILMS
30 short films by diverse global Filipinx voices comprise SDFFF’s four shorts programs: Connect the Dots, Larger than Life, Outside the Box, and Scenes from Home. Each program reveals diverse perspectives on a range of issues including love, culture, representation, family, death, and introspection.

FILMMERSION
Throughout the festival, we'll be holding film workshops and panel discussions with award-winning Filipinx filmmakers as invited guests. FILMMERSION is SDFC's film educational program made accessible to local aspiring filmmakers presented by KPBS.

VIRTUAL FILM MARKET
Aside from offering our festival-goers a selection of films during the festival, we are also excited to bring our global filmmakers a film market that will give them the opportunity to showcase their work to sales agents, film buyers, producers, and fest all-access pass holders. The complete lineup of films, workshops, and other fest events is now available on our website. Visit sdfff.org and/or sdfilipinocinema.org for news and updates about the festival. 

About San Diego Filipino Cinema
San Diego Filipino Cinema (SDFC) is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization whose mission is to discover and nurture global Filipinx filmmakers and present their unique and compelling stories and perspectives to our diverse communities in San Diego. SDFC aims to provide unity and pride amongst our Filipino and Filipino American communities, inspiration to young creative artists and thinkers, and a unique cultural experience to the diverse audiences of San Diego. More information can be found at sdfilipinocinema.org.