Interview with Mikhail Red

Interviewer Ed Farolan

This young Filipino filmmaker whose debut feature film Rekorder has just garnered the Best New Director Award for VIFF 2014. He has won awards in various film festivals since 2013, among them the Excellent Asia-Pacific Young Director Award at the Gwangju International Film Festival in South Korea, the Special Jury Prize and Best Music at the 31st Annonay International Film Festival in France and the Best Actor Award to Ronnie Quizon, the protagonist of the film, in the Barcelona Film Festival.

In the interview, he said he started working in film at a young age from his father, Raymond Red, an indie pioneer in the 1980s who also won many awards for his innovative approach to film. We discussed many topics ranging from new filmmakers getting grants from Cinemalaya and how he was one of 10 that won the 500,000 peso ($10,000) award last year for his script, to the new approach to filmmaking using editing software, CCTV, ipadas, camcorders, iphones to produce films.

When asked about the new breed of Filipino filmmakers, he said: "The new filmmakers are paying tribute to classic Filipino cinema, but there's also a new wave of filmmakers trying to push forward and create new forms. In a way I feel like I'm combining both of them in Rekorder, paying tribute to both and combining them to make something else."

At 21, he has a lot of projects ahead of him and a bright future. He said tha hHis next film will be more commercial, with a much bigger budget and with his many awards, I'm certain he'll get investors to produce it.

I have the gut feeling that this young man will be one of the more notable directors in the years to come and I look forward to seeing more of his films in the near future. Check details of his awards and other images on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/Rekorder2013