Trinidad talks their film's inclusion on the Criterion Channel, their recent exhibit at Tarzeer Pictures, and how they locate student cinema in the tradition of alternative film practicepremiered at QCinema and went on to compete and rack up awards at numerous film festivals, locally and internationally, among them: Best Southeast Asian Short Film at the 34th Singapore International Film Festival and the Students Award at the 18th Jogja-NETPAC Asian Film Festival.
I still can’t believe it even now. I used to downplay myself, so when I received the news, it felt like nothing until my friends told me that I should celebrate it. I used to read Criterion for my film criticism class and even wrote essays about it. I couldn’t even afford to buy a subscription, so this experience is surreal.
I’ve also learned that weeks ago you met Hunt and the other filmmakers. What can you share about that get-together?It’s fun meeting new and old friends in one room. I love karaoke! I love singing! My childhood dream was to be a singer. Every time I get to be with these people, I can’t help but fangirl over them. I can’t believe that I’m sharing the same space with my idols. But I had to attend a two-hour online meeting for my thesis.
I didn’t think about this much at the time, but one of the biggest struggles we had growing up was not having our own home. It just so happened that a common ground among my friends and me is displacement.. He has been working with them and has had his photographs exhibited under Tarzeer. I used to visit Tarzeer’s website when I was a freshman, and I have wanted to be a part of them, but I didn’t know how such things worked.
I’d rather blame these problems on the institutions that fail to enforce humane policies in production. Working for 24 hours used to be normal in professional productions, so should we expect better from students who don’t earn from what they do? , another work about the trans experience. Has it always been your idea for a thesis? And how has the filming been?