“Sa Pwesto ni Pistong” (The Barber’s Chair) bagged three major awards at the maiden Bacolod Film Festival (BFF) awards night held at the SM Cinema 1 in Bacolod City on Sunday, September 15.

The movie won Best Picture, Best Director and Best Screenplay.

“Sa Pwesto ni Pistong,” written and directed by Vincent Joseph Entuna, is about a humble barber navigating a tumultuous era while serving diverse customers, including a prominent haciendero and an idealistic nephew.

The BFF, organized by the city government with support from the Department of Trade and Industry and the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), featured 10 short films with the theme “Stories with a Smile” from September 12 to 15.

“To all the stakeholders who contributed to this successful event, I would like to say thank you from the City of Bacolod. It’s a very, very good start, I would believe,” Mayor Alfredo Abelardo Benitez, chairperson of the BFF Council, said in his message during the event led by festival director Seymour Sanchez and graced by Movie and Television Review and Classification Board chairperson Diorella “Lala” Sotto-Antonio.

Other winners included “Laragway sa Karon” – Best Actor (Dante Macam), Best Editing (Xavier Nojas and Fahleen Fang), and Audience Choice; “Chicken Inasal” – Best Special Effects (Poli Gonzales), Best Sound (Rolf Baynosa) and Best Production Design (Margaret Kathryn Tecson-Baynosa); “Puli Na, Diche Lesly” – Best Supporting Actor (Rene Hinojales); “Glub” – Best Make-up (Alvin Belesario Diaz); “A Flower A Day” – Best Musical Score (Kyhle Zedrick Anasta); and “Aninaw” – Best Cinematography (Rosco Cofreros) and Jury’s Prize for Ensemble Acting (Milton Dionzon, Reynaldo Amaguin and Louis Dormido).

Film critic Philip Cheah, lawyer and producer Joji Alonso, FDCP chairperson and chief executive officer Jose Javier Reyes, renowned director Lawrence Fajardo, and screenwriter and film educator Wanggo Gallaga composed the jury panel. (PNA)