Iar Lionel Arondaing’s independent film “Musmos Na Sumibol Sa Gubat Ng Digma ” is not going without a fight in film festivals in Portugal and Russia in September.The Cinemalaya Film Festival entry last year made the cut under international film categories in Portugal’s Festival Internacional de Cinema da Figueira da Foz – Film Art to be held on Sept. 5 to 15; and in Russia’s Baikal International Film Festival n.a. Valentin Rasputin on Sept. 19 to 23.
The movie is a coming-of-age tale about 12-year-old Muslim girl Eshal in Marawi. It is set amid an age-old culture of inter-familial dispute. The cast includes Junyka Sigrid Santarin, JM Salvado, Star Orjaliza, Jun Salvado Jr., Romerico Jangad, Darril Ampongan, and Haide Movero. In the official website of Figueira Da Foz International Film Festival – Film Art, this year saw the selection of 18 fiction, 67 fiction short, nine documentary, 30 schools, and 63 videos.
Russia’s Baikal International Film Festiva’s competition program consists of 11 documentaries, five fiction, and four animation films. Out-of-competition program presented 12 films. Grand Prix of the festival will be 200 thousand rubles.