Award-winning short film “Sa Pwesto ni Pistong” (The Barber’s Chair) continues its successful festival run after earning an official selection at the Diwa Filipino Film Festival, which will take place in Seattle this October.
Directed by Vincent Joseph “VinJo” Entuna, the film will headline Shorts Program 5: The Struggle Continues, a program that explores the continuing fight for fundamental rights, dignity, and social justice.
Set during a turbulent period in Philippine history, the historical drama follows Pistong, a humble barber whose shop becomes a meeting place for a diverse group of clients, including a powerful hacendero and an idealistic young nephew. Through the seemingly ordinary setting of a barber’s chair, the film examines the tensions and struggles that shape a community.
Joining “Sa Pwesto ni Pistong” in the program are “Ang Kahimayáang Matúod” (The Real Glory) by Adrian William Lo, “Tales My Father Told” by Sher Bautista, “Static Noises” by Jomz Alip Lailo, and “The Foresters” by Jefferson Geronimo.
The Seattle screening adds to the film’s growing list of festival achievements in the Philippines. Entuna has received Best Director honors in the Philippine Shorts category at the Margaha Film Festival in Sagay City, Active Vista Human Rights Film Festival, PangaSine Film Festival, and the 2024 Bacolod Film Festival, where the film also won Best Picture and Best Screenplay.
With its continued festival momentum, “Sa Pwesto ni Pistong” has established itself as a film that combines authentic cultural storytelling with a carefully crafted cinematic approach.
Entuna brought together a team of filmmakers and artists for the production, including director of photography and producer Joshua Fabricante, co-producer Benj Ramos, production manager and line producer Rosette Andres Caballero, production designer Josiah Gil Hiponia, assistant director Gian Paulo Suarez, musical scorers Jovic Entuna and Luigi Del Rosario, sound designer Glenn Barit, and colorist Jan Andrei Cobey.
The production team also included location manager Ariel Bautista, assistant cameraman Steven Paul Evangelio, gaffer Vrian Pamatmat, sound recordist Carlos Picache, wardrobe mistress Marissa Javier, hair and makeup artist Pocholo Ribaya, production assistant John Rex Oronan, behind-the-scenes crew Kent Lloyd Panilag and Karla Garcia, and barber Jude Michael Gadian.
The film stars Nonilon Torpez, Quito Treñas, Aubrey Jalipa Savet, Martini Manalo, CJ Fuentespina, DMs Boongaling, Zeke Entuna, Fredu Bayon-on, Leumel Renzo, Andre Yan, Ken Panilag, Lex Nillos, and Victor Villanueva.
For Entuna, an alumnus of the UP Film Institute, a student of MA Araling Filipino at De La Salle University, and a faculty member of Mapúa University’s School of Multimedia and Digital Arts (SoMDA) and Lyceum of the Philippines University Manila’s Broadcasting Communication Journalism and Multimedia Arts (BCJMMA) program, the film’s selection in Seattle offers an opportunity to bring regional Negrense history to a wider international audience.
Founded in 2014, the Diwa Filipino Film Festival is a community-driven initiative based in Seattle that celebrates independent films from the Philippines and the Filipino diaspora. Led by festival director, scholar, and filmmaker Adrian Alarilla, the festival provides a platform for preserving Filipino stories, exploring cultural identity, and amplifying narratives from marginalized communities.
