Busan Winner ‘Ria,’ Arvin Belarmino’s Folk-Punk Debut, Boards Lights On (EXCLUSIVE)
Filipino filmmaker Arvin Belarmino’s debut feature “Ria” has been acquired by international sales company Lights On after premiering at the Busan International Film Festival, where it won the Heart of Eurasia Award. The deal gives the folk-punk drama international sales representation as it begins reaching audiences beyond the festival circuit.
The film follows a young woman, her foster mother and fellow punks as they resist a developer seeking to demolish their home, the last building standing in a neighbourhood already reduced to rubble. It is co-produced by the Philippines, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Japan and Norway. Lights On said the acquisition also continues its relationship with Belarmino, following their work together on his Cannes-debuting short “Agapito”.
- Lights On acquired international sales rights to “Ria”.
- The film won Busan’s Heart of Eurasia Award.
- It is Belarmino’s first feature, co-produced by five countries.
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International sales companies help films reach distributors, cinemas and streaming platforms in different countries. Festival awards and premieres can raise a film’s profile, while sales representation helps it find audiences beyond the festival circuit.
Arvin Belarmino is a Filipino filmmaker whose earlier short film, “Agapito”, premiered at Cannes. “Ria” is his first feature-length film and was made with producers from the Philippines, the Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Japan and Norway.
The story centres on a young woman, her foster mother and a group of punks facing the loss of their home to redevelopment. Its setting—a neighbourhood largely reduced to rubble—frames a conflict over housing and who gets to remain as an area changes.
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