Horror film project Posthouse, directed by Nikolas Red and produced by Iana Bernardez, bagged the Discover of Asia Award and the VIPO Award at the Network of Asian Fantastic Films (NAFF) 2022 Awarding Night last July 12, 2022, held as part of the festivities of Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) 2022 in South Korea.
Helmed by the Filipino production company, Epicmedia, the film project won the critical recognition of the jury that awarded them two film fundings amounting to roughly 15, 000 USD. The Discover of Asia Award is granted to a newcomer to the Asian genre film scene, while the VIPO Award is given to the best project by the festival’s premiere sponsor and partner, Visual Industry Promotion Organization (VIPO), a Japanese non-government organization that supports the creative industry.
After going through preliminary screenings and final meetings with the three-member jury of experts, Red’s creative work was selected by the jury. According to them, the film “represents a new generation of filmmakers keeping the [Philippines horror] flame alive and praying homage to their cinematic predecessors, while making innovative and unique movies, mostly aimed at a raving young audience.”
The 14th edition of NAFF, with their two programs, Project Market and Fantastic Film School, has long been supporting projects and cultivating filmmakers to bring their films to life. As the industry arm of BIFAN, it has established itself as an Asian creative hub for genre films.
This year, Posthouse was one of 32 projects from 18 countries participating in the hybrid format of NAFF 2022. The program consists of 5 sections, putting Red’s winning film under the It Project section together with another Filipino film project, Last Resort by Tan Chui Mui with producer Arleen Cuevas of Cinematografica Films.
This much-awaited horror film project tells the story of a worker in a post-production facility which is believed to be haunted. In a race against time, the man must complete a puzzle of disturbing images in order to save his daughter from a sinister entity.
The Posthouse team’s participation at NAFF 2022 was supported by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) through its International Film Studies Assistance Program (IFSAP).
Red’s project has been part of two FDCP programs. In 2021, it participated as a short silent film at the Mit Out Sound International Silent Film Festival, and earlier this year, it was a selected project to undergo the Fiction Lab of the Full Circle Lab Philippines.
FDCP Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño exclaims, “Being part of Nikolas Red’s Posthouse journey has been a delight. Slowly but surely, the project is gaining the attention it deserves and we are proud to have been able to support the project. This is our validation that Filipino horror and thriller genre films have a fighting chance in competing globally.”
The Philippine delegation at the 26th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival (BIFAN) consisted of representatives for two Filipino films, two film projects, one mentee, and one film writer who were all present in the in-person festivities held in South Korea from July 7 to 17.