MANILA, Philippines--At last, Raymond Red's aNticipated full-length feature, ?Himpapawid (Manila Skies),? is screening at the Cinemanila International Film Festival this month. Aside from his film, two members of the Red clan are in the festival: Raymond?s eldest son, Mikhail, has ?Harang? in the shorts category, while brother, Jon, competes in the Digital Lokal section with ?Beerhouse.?

Mikhail shares, ?I was inspired by an actual event experienced by my father and his film crew. In the middle of the night, as they were heading home after filming in a remote location, they saw that the path ahead was blocked by a mysterious bed frame. I used this situation as premise for a commentary on the desolation of man.?

Passion

Raymond realized that his passion for filmmaking did run in the blood when his son showed keen interest and talent in the visual arts. He notes: ?He loved drawing and conceptualizing comic stories.?

Jon shares, ?We all loved watching movies. When we were kids, our drawings were not solitary images, but a series of pictures with stories. And, my brothers and I would even reenact TV skits.? His film, ?Beerhouse,? which was produced by Joel Torre and stars Ryan Eigenmann, Jeffrey Quizon and Gwen Garci, is a black comedy set in a bar filled with colorful characters.

?My intention was to ?marry? indie and mainstream aesthetics. Being a low-budget project, the film needs all the help it can get to reach a wider audience. Cinemanila is a good venue for this experiment,? says Jon.

Credits

How important is family support to a budding filmmaker? Mik replies: ?It?s crucial. If you look at the credits of ?Harang,? many of my relatives are acknowledged. I get them involved. Their support defines me as a filmmaker.?

Raymond?s ?Himpapawid? will have its world premiere at the Tokyo International Film Festival, which is slated from Oct. 17 to 25. He adds, ?My intention is to leave a legacy of true cinema that touches lives by being worthy of its audience. Don?t expect to be accorded recognition.?