QUESTION AND ANSWER INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR JOEY AGBAYANI

 

DIREK JOEY'S FILM SCRIPT ON "INFIERNO" WINS AT FRIGHT NIGHT FILM FEST

"HOTEL PURGATORIO" ALSO WINS AS BEST HORROR THRILLER SCREENPLAY

"LOLA" TEASER POSTER, A STANDOUT ANIMATED FILM A FEW YEARS AGO CINEMALAYA FILM FESTIVAL

A PAINTING BY JOEY AGBAYANI

DIREK JOEY IN BLACK AND WHITE

DIREK JOEY AGBAYANI IN EYEGLASSES

DIREK JOEY'S SAINTLY FACE

DIRECTOR JOEY AGBAYANI CREATED A STIR A FEW YEARS AGO AT CINEMALAYA FILM FESTIVAL WHEN HE COMPETED HIS ANIMATED FILM IN THE SAID FESTIVAL ENTITLED "LOLA". FOR US, THE ANIMATED FILM WAS WAY AHEAD OF ITS TIME, WORLD-CLASS AND VERY ENTERTAINING. IT WON AWARDS AT CINEMALAYA.

FROM THEREON, THE NAME "JOEY AGBAYANI" WAS SO FAMILIAR AND PRESTIGIOUS FOR US. IT MARKS THE NAME OF A TRUE FILM ARTIST THAT'S LOW-KEY, ELITE BUT HUMBLE, AND YES, OH SO STYLISH.

HERE'S OUR QUESTION AND ANSWER (Q & A) INTERVIEW WITH A FILM DIRECTOR WE ALL MUST BE PROUD OF- LOCALLY AND INTERNATIONALLY. MR. JOEY AGBAYANI, A DIRECTOR PAR EXCELLANCE! READ ON:

Question Number 1: I have always admired your works as an animated film maker. Most of your films, I've seen at Cinemalaya Film Festival. For a more proper presentation, can you please mention again to us your film credentials as an animated film maker?

JOEY AGBAYANI: Here's my film credentials, Sir Robert. I rearranged them properly for proper presentation and reading:

 Films are both live action and animated shorts.

1) The Eye in the Sky (Lve action, Claymation and cell animation}

Super 8mm, 1984

1st Place Experimental Short and  Best Student Film at the 1984

Experimental Cinema of the Philippines Short Film Festival.

2) Kidlat  (Live Action)

16mm, 1984

1989 Gawad Urian Best Short Film 1989

Film Academy of the Philippines Best Student Short Film

3) Ang Bantay (Live Action)

35mm, 1993

Directed by Joey Agbayani & Rob Agbayani

3rd place, Gawad CCP Para sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Video

4) The Ghostwriter (Animated)

35mm, 1997

*WINNER: Best Animated Short at the Puerto Rico International Film Festival 2012, Vieques Island, Puerto Rico

*WINNER: Diamond Award at the California Film Awards, 2012, San Diego, CA

*WINNER: Best International Short Animation: Kidz Filmz Festival 2012, New Jersey, USA

*HONORABLE MENTION: 2011 Hyart Film Festival, Wyoming, USA

*OFFICIAL SELECTION: Athens Animfest 2015, Greece*

*OFFICIAL SELECTION: American Onlane Film Awards, Spring Showcase 2014*

*OFFICIAL SELECTION: Curtain Raiser Malta Film Festival For Children, 2013, Luqa, Malta

*OFFICIAL SELECTION: California International Animation Film Festival, 2013, USA

*OFFICIAL SELECTION: Indie Spirit Film Festival, Colorado, USA

*OFFICIAL SELECTION: Indieflix 2011, Seattle, WA

*OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2011 Offshoot Film Festival, Arkansas, USA

*OFFICIAL SELECTION: Animac Lleida International Film Festival 1998, Spain

*OFFICIAL SELECTION: Swan Film Festival 2011, Perth, Australia

*OFFICIAL SELECTION: WorldKids International Film Festival 2011, Mumbai, India

2 Category Animation2D

5) Lola (Animated)

HD, 2010

WINNER- CORMAN AWARD for Best Animated Film (CGI), Fright Night Film Festival 2012

WINNER- Best Animated Comedy Short, Las Vegas Comedy Fest 2012

WINNER- Best Foreign Film, Shockfest Film Festival 2011

WINNER- Best Animation, Mockfest Film Festival of Hollywood 2011

WINNER- Best Comedy Animation, Giggleshorts International Comedy Short Film Festival 2011

WINNER- Best Animated Short, Atlanta Horror Film Festival 2011

NOMINATED: Killer Special Effects, Killer Film Fest, Somerville, MA

NOMINATED: Best Animation, Shockfest 2011, Hollywood, CA, USA

NOMINATED: Best Shockingly Silly Short at the Shockfest 2011, Hollywood, CA, USA

FINALIST: Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival 2010

FINALIST: Paranoia Horror & Sci-fi Film Festival, Los Angeles, 2010

OFFICIAL SELECTION: Dark Scream Film Festival, 2015, Portsmouth, Hampshire, UK

OFFICIAL SELECTION: Freeky Creek Short Film Festival, 2014, Fairmount, IL, USA

OFFICIAL SELECTION: Fantastik 2013, Granollers, Spain

OFFICIAL SELECTION: Cinema One Originals Festival 2013, Manila, Philippines

OFFICIAL SELECTION: Golden Orchid International Animation Festival 2013, Pennsylvania, USA

OFFICIAL SELECTION ZINEMA ZOMBIE FEST- Festival Internacional de Cine Fantástico y de Terror 2013, Bogotá, Colombia

OFFICIAL SELECTION: Festival Internacional de Animacion FIDA Chile 2013, Valparaiso, Chile

OFFICIAL SELECTION: The Malta Horror Film Fest 2013

OFFICIAL SELECTION: Killer Film Fest 2013

OFFICIAL SELECTION: Independent Days Filmfest 2013, Karlsruhe, Germany

OFFICIAL SELECTION South African Horrorfest 2012, Cape Town, South Africa

OFFICIAL SELECTION Chicago Comedy Film Festival 2012, Illinois,USA

OFFICIAL SELECTION Polygrind Underground Film Festival of Las Vegas 2012, Nevada, USA

OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2012 Outbox International Short Film Festival, Beirut, Lebanon

OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2011 Costa Rica International Film Festival, Montezuma, Costa Rica

OFFICIAL SELECTION: 2011 Marato de Cinema Fantastic i de Terror, Barcelona, Spain

OFFICIAL SELECTION: Grimm Up North Horror & Sci-fi Film Festival 2011, Manchester, UK

OFFICIAL SELECTION: Atlanta Underground Film Festival 2011, Georgia, USA

OFFICIAL SELECTION: Animacursed 2011 International Festival of Horror Animation, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil

OFFICIAL SELECTION: 9th Los Angeles Comedy Fest 2011

OFFICIAL SELECTION: The New York City Horror Film Festival 2010, Tribeca Cinemas, NYC

OFFICIAL SELECTION: Indy Horror Film Festival, Chicago, Illinois, 2010

OFFICIAL SELECTION & WORLD PREMIERE: A Night of Horror Film Festival, Sydney, Australia, 2010 

Question Number 2: Have you seen the great masterpiece and work of Art animated film "Loving Vincent"? Are you dreaming to do one kind of film like that someday? 

JOEY AGBAYANI: Yes I have seen Loving Vincent in 2019. My interest in painting began at the age of 10. My medium of choice was watercolor and acrylic. In 2006, I started to paint again this time with a new stylec in acrylic. A fusion of the watercolor wash style and thick textured impasto style of oil. If you'll notice most of my landscape paintings are empty - no figures of people in it. I was  thinking of using these paintings for another animated short. Then I saw Loving Vincent. I might still push through with the animated short, but of course it should not be a copy of that film.

Question Number 3: What can you say about the future of film animation in the Philippines? Can you say that we're not far behind? Your animated films can surely compete?

JOEY AGBAYANI:  I have seen all lot of excellent local animated films. We have so many very talented pinoy animators. In order to compete abroad we should develop a unique or distinctive style and look. My focus right now is live action films

Question Number 4: What is your greatest PASSION in life, direk Joey?

JOEY AGBAYANI: I am happiest when I am busy creating or inventing something. Right now it is making homade ice cream lol. I am exploring the best combination of ingredients.  Exploring new flavors. About painting and filmmaking, what I love about painting is that you have full control and creative freedom. In film naman, i enjoy  collaborating with a team of tallented people - actors, musicians, art directors, production designers and etc. In the near future it will be teaching and sharing my knowledge.

Question Number 5: The Agabayani's are a famous clan. Are you proud of your surname, direk Joey?

JOEY AGBAYANI: I am proud of what my father Aguedo and my two brothers Luis and Victor have achieved in the province of Pangasinan.

Question Number 6: You are one of the pioneers of animation in Philippine film making. What is your greatest dream as a film animator? Are you dreaming of becoming like Walt Disney someday? 

JOEY AGABAYANI: As I said earlier, my focus right know is live action films. I am hoping my two award winning screenplays - Hotel Purgatorio ( Best Horror Thriller Screenplay at the 2015 Fright Night Film Fest) and Infierno ( Best Supernatural Screenolay at the 2020 Fright Night Film Fest KY USA) will be produced soon.

Last Question: What can you say about your latest award as Best Supernatural Screenplay for Fright Night filmfest 2020 via your film Infierno? Did it further inspire you to do more films?

JOEY AGBAYANI: Infierno is an unproduced feature length screenplay. It won the screenwriting competition of the Fright Night Film Fest. I enter my screenplays to test its appeal and effect in the global scene.

---------end of interview---------

questions AND BLOGGED by: ROBERT M. SILVERIO

answers by: MR. JOEY AGBAYANI himself