11th Guam film festival celebrates ‘New Voices’

HAGÅTÑA, Guam—The 11th annual Guam International Film Festival is set to begin Friday, Nov. 5, 2021 and will run every Friday and Saturday until Nov. 19, 2021.

This year, the festival will stream live online for free on the free PBS Video app every Friday and Saturday from 3pm to 7pm. GIFF 2021 will also be locally televised by PBS Guam on KGTF Channel 12. Specific dates and times for films can be found on each film’s individual page on this website.

This year’s film festival will feature the theme of “New Voices,” centered around the emergence of new Pasifika artists and perspectives from within a rapidly changing global community.

Returning to lead the GIFF Grand Jury is head juror Dr. Tom Brislin of University of Hawaii at Manoa along with Gabrielle Kelly of the American Film Institute.

“Once again the jury has been given the difficult task of choosing from among a slate of excellent nominees. All are worth an enjoyable viewing by an audience fortunate to have the outstanding Guam International Film Festival bring such quality cinema into their homes this year,” said Brislin.

The list of the GIFF 2021 honorees are:

• BEST NARRATIVE FEATURE: TIONG BAHRU SOCIAL CLUB (Dir: Tan Bee Thiam, SINGAPORE)

• BEST NARRATIVE SHORT: GEORGIA (Dir: Jayil Pak, SINGAPORE)

• BEST DOCUMENTARY FEATURE: LAMAFA (Dir: Bon Ishikawa, JAPAN, INDONESIA)

• BEST DOCUMENTARY SHORT: MAWHIALEO OTE ALOWHA / OUR LOVE (Dir: Valeriya Golovina, NEW ZEALAND)

• BEST MADE IN THE MARIANAS: KÅNTAN HERERU – A BLACKSMITH’S SONG (Dir: Sean Lizama, GUAM)

“The three finalists were diverse in style and subject matter, making the task of judging them in the same category quite challenging. Each was unmistakably creative, unique, and representative of the talent and quality of our community of storytelling visionaries. They were all a joy to watch,” said Marie Calvo-Monge, one of the Made in the Marianas jurors.

Calvo-Monge, who is CEO of KUAM Communications/Pacific Telestations, was joined on the panel by Josie Moyer, contributing writer for the New York Times and international media specialist for the Guam Visitors Bureau, and Ina Carillo of BLUSH Boutique and BLU, and current general manager of the Guam Educational Telecommunications Corp. or as PBS Guam.

For more information regarding the festival, including film showtimes, visit www.guamfilmfestival.org. (PR)