LOS ANGELES — Arvin Bautista, the Filipino artist who created the animated sequences in the US indie feature “My Suicide,” is representing the film in the ongoing Cinemanila International Film Festival. The film won the Crystal Bear in the Berlin International Film Festival last February and also recently bagged (along with a film from Spain) Best International Feature at the Raindance Film Festival in London.

The LA-based filmmaker, who moved with his family to the US when he was 9, will conduct an animation seminar on Monday, Oct. 19, from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m., at the U-View theater at the Fully Booked basement in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. “My Suicide” will be screened immediately after the seminar.

The film’s other screenings are on Sunday, Oct. 18, 3:15 p.m. and Tuesday, Oct. 20, 1:00 p.m., at Cinema 6 and 8, respectively, in Market! Market!, Bonifacio Global City.

Tikoy Aguiluz, founding director of Cinemanila, said of Arvin via e-mail: “We have so many talented animators in this country but they are not allowed to come out in the open or produce their own works—they are all bound by a contract to the big animation studios in the US and they are forced to be invisible. Arvin is a maverick—and that is what Cinemanila has always recognized— filmmakers with an independent spirit.”

“We are doing an afternoon session with Arvin so that he can share his stories and interact with the local filmmakers,” Tikoy added.

Arvin credits Filipino cartoonist Pol Medina Jr. as a big influence. The Quezon City native issued an open invitation to Pol: “I would love to extend a personal invitation to Pol to attend the screening. I have nearly all of his ‘Pugad Baboy’ books (several with multiple copies). They’re a big reason why I can still speak Tagalog.”

Starting in high school, Arvin won awards for his animation film “Fetal.” He went on to study Cinema-Television Production at the University of Southern California. He founded Greasy Pig Studios, an animation and design boutique that did animation work for feature films such as “LA Blues,” which starred Anthony Michael Hall, and “National Lampoon’s Dirty Jokes.”

Arvin’s biggest breakthrough came with “My Suicide,” whose cast includes the late David Carradine, Mariel Hemingway and Joe Mantegna. Director David Lee Miller asked Arvin to create the animated sequences in the film.

What are you looking forward to in representing “My Suicide” in the Cinemanila International Film Festival?

It’s very special to me. This will be the first time I get to be the sole representative of the film in a festival. I feel very honored for the producers to entrust me in properly presenting the film.

What are your personal thoughts on attending a film festival in your native Philippines, especially as it struggles to rise again after the storm devastation?

It’s a huge deal, as this will be the first time my work will be viewed on the big screen in the Philippines ... I was very concerned about the floods ... even the entire ground floor of our house in Novaliches was under water. But I know that Filipinos can weather anything. If they have any time at all to sit for two hours to be entertained, I will be honored to show our film.

What are your memories of growing up in the Philippines?

I remember New Year’s Eve when the fireworks were nonstop, and the next morning when we realize we’re covered in soot ... Weekends spent with my many cousins ... Elementary school at Community of Learners ... Watching “Batibot” and crying when Pong Pagong and Kiko Matsing were removed from the show. I can still speak Tagalog pretty fluently, which is surprising for many, though I’ve only come to realize that my vocabulary is probably only as good as any other 9-year-old boy.

Tell us about the animation seminar that you will conduct prior to the screening of the film on Oct. 19.

Animation is such a huge industry in the Philippines, at least as far as actual production work for many television shows. I look forward to meeting fellow animators. I’ve always maintained that Filipino animators are top-notch. However, I believe there continues to be a crisis of identity where even local productions like “Urduja” or “Dayo” are so heavily influenced by western animation, that much of the Filipino heritage was buried. I look forward to seeing animation from the Philippines that really takes on a Filipino aesthetic.

Does the story of “My Suicide” resonate with you in some ways?

I’ve never harbored any suicidal thoughts, but Archie, the main character in “My Suicide,” is typical of teenagers with access to an unending supply of media, via television and especially the Internet, and being overwhelmed ... I connect with Archie in that I also taught myself film and animation, spending countless nights in front of my computer working on a film project. Like Archie, I found my creativity to be the perfect way to vent whatever frustrations I may have had, helping me to make the personal connections with other people on my own terms.

You animated David Carradine’s character, Death Poet, in the film. What were your thoughts when you heard the news that he passed away?

I never got to meet the late great David Carradine while working on “My Suicide,” since I only came on after the film had already finished principal photography. I did, however, get to animate his image in several sequences. He has such a distinctive face that you just love to draw him, full of wrinkles and personality. We were devastated when we learned the news of his death (I woke up to receive a text message from our director of photography). We were obviously concerned for his family and didn’t want his role in our movie to further complicate the situation, but we also felt obligated to issue some statement, especially since Carradine plays such an important role in our film.

What’s the story behind the name Greasy Pig Studios?

Greasy Pig Studios is the name of the animation and design boutique I started. The name was something I created as far back as elementary or middle school. In fact, I believe it was inspired by Pol Medina Jr.’s “Pugad Baboy,” which was a huge influence on me. I’ve since decided to keep the name as sort of a tribute to my younger self, and to always remind me to be grateful that I get to fulfill my childhood aspirations.

For you, what were the highlights of attending the Berlinale?

It was one of the greatest moments of my life. We had worked on “My Suicide” for so long, and getting that first premiere was nerve-wracking ... From day one, it was like a fairy tale; everyone in our crew was there, in this completely foreign country, and it was just a nonstop party. I turned 25 while we were there, and everyone sang “Happy Birthday” to me in the subway station.

Were you guys around during the awards ceremonies, when the film won the Crystal Bear?

It was an incredible surprise. We were all around to accept the Crystal Bear at the ceremony, which was great because they made a concession to allow everyone in the main creative team to go up on stage and accept the award, not just the director, writer, or actors.

What are your next projects?

I was in the Philippines last year to shoot some footage for a documentary I’m working on. It’s called “Alab ng Puso,” from the line in the Philippine National Anthem. It chronicles the courtship of my mother and father while they were student activists during the Marcos regime and the Edsa People Power Revolution. I only knew vague details of their story ... But it wasn’t until recently, when I was having drinks with my parents at a bar, that they recounted a lot of the juicier details.

Email the columnist at rvnepales_5585@yahoo.com and read his blog, “The Nepales Report,” on http://blogs.inquirer.net/nepalesreport.