Arvin Belarmino’s ‘Tarang’ named Best Picture at Interfilm Berlin
Filipino filmmaker Arvin Belarmino won the Berlin-Brandenburg Award for Best Film for his short film titled Tarang/Life’s Pedal.
It was announced Saturday, December 5, by the organizers of the INTERFilm.
The award for Best Film comes with a cash prize of 6000 Euros.
“We are very happy with our film’s humble achievement,” said Belarmino who was very ecstatic with the win.
“We made the film without any plan of submitting it to any festival.”
The film was named the Best Picture among the 6,000 films entered in the festival.
The short film Tarang/Life’s Pedal was based on Belarmino’s childhood experience of witnessing dubious transactions in the streets.
He said the film is a depiction of the lives of impoverished families clinging to knife’s edge for the sake of survival.
“It is where women selling their flesh and submitting themselves to dangerous sexual services done obscenely inside pedicabs parked along public streets had become a norm,” the director recalled.
“I witnessed communities like this where people will do anything just to survive. I thought of looking deeper to search for soul in this kind of environment so I can truly understand it. This became my mission as a writer and director–to tell stories of circumstances that affect my life.”
Belarmino said he didn’t expect that Tarang/Life’s Pedal will be noticed or win an award since there were so many entries.
“To be one of the finalists in Interfilm is already a great honor. I read from their website that there were almost 6,000 films submitted to them. I was really happy just to be included in their competition program out of the 6,000 entries,” said Belarmino.
What is the inspiration behind the story of Tarang?
“It’s my firsthand experience of living in a marginalized area and seeing people facing different challenges. Real life stories have an effect on our humanity and spirituality so it should be heard. That’s the reason I continue writing about it. The first thing I want to point out is that the nature of art itself is somewhat personal and inquisitive. It invites us into a dark cubicle inside our own hearts,” the director explained.
“Extensively, TARANG depicts prostitution from an unexplored perspective. Its story reaches out to the viewers’ emotional core and leads to empathy. Ultimately, it is one that implies — and hopefully prompts — social change. We all have stories to tell regardless of where we are in the economic ladder. And as long as it influences my existence, I’ll choose to stay true to my voice and express it through my art.”
As of now, Belarmino has no plans of expanding the story of Tarang/Life’s Pedal and make it a full length film.
“But who knows where this story will lead me? It is something that my heart and mind need to discuss.”
The news of Tarang/Life’s Pedals victory came directly from Interfilm organizers.
“I really wasn’t expecting it, it didn’t sink in instantly. I was in disbelief that our film won their highest award which is the 36th Interfilm Berlin-Brandenburg Best Film Award.”
The victory of Tarang/Life’s Pedal in Berlin is not only a big one for Belarmino but for the Philippines as well.
“It’s a great honor and reminder for me. A reminder that I should persevere more, “stay hungry” in this industry; and to stay true to my voice and message that I aim to share to the world through cinema.”
