Filipino teener tops Blair filmfest

Through a three-minute video, an 18-year-old Filipino film student shared his take on faith and got the nod of top judges from around the world.

Singapore-based Paulo Reyes was named  one of the top three young filmmakers in the global short film competition of the Tony Blair Faith Foundation (TBFF), the former British Prime Minister’s organization promoting interfaith understanding across the world.

Reyes submitted his film “First Steps to Recovery” to the TBFF’s Faith Shorts competition, which asked teen filmmakers to create a visual response to the theme “let me show you how my faith inspires me.”

Currently on a scholarship in Singapore’s LASALLE College of the Arts, Reyes flew to London over the weekend to present his film before a distinguished audience at the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (Bafta).

The judges, which included Blair and renowned actors Hugh Jackman and Jet Li, also picked the works of UK’s Amna Aslam, 14, and Canada’s Nadim Merrick, 15, in rounding up the top three short films.

First major win

“It was pretty cool knowing that all the judges, some of whom I really look up to, have actually seen my film. This is my first major win as a filmmaker and hopefully this will open more doors of opportunity for me,” Reyes told the Inquirer via email.

Describing his film, Reyes said: “First Steps to Recovery is a story about a woman who is inspired by the big faith of a little boy. Yasmin, an accomplished journalist, is about to interview a young boy dying of cancer. Little did she know, this interview would change her perspective on life forever.”

Reyes said his London trip gave him a chance to meet top personalities in the film industry.

“I’m really grateful for this win as it is a stepping stone for me to continue to develop my craft and grow as a filmmaker,” he said.

Reyes’ work was selected from a flood of entries from 14 to 18-year-olds from around the world, including Australia, Canada, the United States, India, Lebanon, Singapore, the United Arab Emirates and the United Kingdom.

In a statement, Blair said Faith Shorts aimed to take stock of how youth from all over the world view faith, hoping to “build bridges across cultural and religious divides.”

“This new generation holds the potential to help turn the tide against religious tensions, building unity to counter those who see faith as a source for division and conflict,” said Blair.