Bacolod filmmaker bags Best Director award at Active Vista for “Sa Pwesto ni Pistong”

Bacolod filmmaker Vincent Joseph Entuna has achieved another significant milestone, winning the Best Director Award at the Active Vista Human Rights Film Festival 2025 last October 18 in Quezon City for his short film “Sa Pwesto ni Pistong” (The Barber’s Chair). The victory continues to mark the young filmmaker’s dedication in amplifying the stories and struggles of the marginalized through regional cinema. “Sa Pwesto ni Pistong” is a short period film set during the Martial Law era. It follows a humble barber, Teopisto, and his nephew, Carlos, as they witness the gradual decay of freedom and the consequences of remaining neutral within their community. The barbershop, where Teopisto teaches Carlos the craft before the latter departs for Manila, serves as a microcosm of the larger socio-political climate of the Philippines. The film’s plot sees the restless and idealistic Carlos becoming entangled in the resistance movement against the oppressive regime. Teopisto’s journey from pacifism to action mirrors the struggles of a community in crisis. Stylistically, the film is told entirely through a single locked camera angle, a choice praised by critics for its precision and restraint. This technique powerfully mirrors the themes of control, voyeurism, and silence under dictatorship. In his acceptance speech, Entuna dedicated the award to the voiceless and forgotten. He specifically highlighted the victims of the 1985 Escalante Massacre in Negros Occidental, a tragic event that the film honors and whose victims are commemorated every September 20. “This film is for those who were silenced by history,” Entuna said, following his third Best Director award. He stressed the power of cinema, reminding today’s generation that “art has the power to resist” and that storytelling must not only entertain but also “bear witness.” The Active Vista recognition follows the film’s success at the Bacolod Film Festival in September 2024, where it swept the major awards, Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay. It also received a nomination for Best Musical Score. Entuna also won the Best Director Award early this year at the Pangasine Film Festival. The film has also earned multiple nominations, including a Best Picture nod in the Open Category of the Sinag Maynila Independent Film Festival 2025 and another recognition at the Hundred Islands Film Festival 2025. Producer Benj Ramos and Bacolod Film Festival 2024 coordinator Kristin Bactad-Jor were present to support Entuna at the Active Vista awards night. The Active Vista Human Rights Film Festival, organized by DAKILA, is one of the country’s leading platforms for socially conscious cinema, celebrating films that uphold human dignity, freedom, and democracy.