AFTER a year-long hiatus, the Ngilngig Asian Fantastic Film Festival returns with a showcase of around 60 horror and fantasy films from across Asia, scheduled from October 26 to 30, 2024.
Organized by Pasalidahay Inc., this Davao-based indie film festival will feature seven critically acclaimed short feature films, 34 short films from the Philippines, and 23 short films from other Asian countries.
During the PepTalks media forum on October 8, festival director and organizer Jose Bagani Fiola revealed that most participating foreign films come from Singapore and Indonesia, while a significant number of short films were produced by Mindanaoan filmmakers.
Fiola described the festival as a celebration of Asian stories, particularly those rooted in the Philippines' rich oral and written traditions, urban legends, myths, folktales, and superstitions.
He highlighted that the unique stories from Mindanao set them apart, saying, “Nindot ang mga stories sa atoa especially here in Mindanao, mao na ang atoang edge (The stories here in Mindanao are what give us an edge)," he said.
This year’s theme, "Un/Tamed," arose organically from the programming, reflecting the raw passion and untamed storytelling that push the boundaries of Asian cinema and redefine the meaning of "ngilngig."
The festival will also feature several Mindanaoan films recently premiered at the 2024 Cinemalaya and Sinag Maynila Film Festivals. Among the Asian titles is a debut feature from Singapore that premiered at the Locarno Film Festival and a film recently unbanned after a 25-year restriction.
Ngilngig started in 2010 as a series of short horror films independently produced in Davao City, showcasing five stories unified by a “ngilngig” (chilling) factor, exploring themes like the paranormal and strange dreams.
The success of these films inspired more filmmakers to produce horror shorts, expanding into crime and psychological horror. In 2013, these works were screened at the Cinematheque Center Davao as part of the Davao Ngilngig Festival.
Since 2017, the festival has toured schools across Davao, screening some of its best short films in high school and college auditoriums and classrooms. The outreach program is designed to introduce film education to young moviegoers and aspiring filmmakers.
The free screenings include discussions and talks with programmers and directors. The tour runs from mid-September to early October and features a 30-minute introduction, an hour of film screenings, and a 30-minute Q&A session. DEF
