LOOK: Filipino Film Student Receives Prestigious BAFTA Grant

Filipino filmmaker Drama Del Rosario has been awarded the Short Film Commissioning Grant of the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) and the Global Student Accommodation (GSA).

Del Rosario is a 24-year-old New York Film Academy student and won the grant on July 9 for his documentary “I’m Okay (And Neither Are You)”. His short film “In This Family” was also shortlisted at the 2018 BAFTA Student Film Awards.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A TRULY LIFE-CHANGING MOMENT. ?? Last night, I was announced as the winner of the inaugural BAFTA-GSA Commissioning Grant for my upcoming personal documentary, “I’m Okay (And Neither Are You)”. I received $8000 to put my next documentary together. ??✨ . . . ??? TRIGGER WARNING??? I was so nervous to deliver an acceptance speech for this grant because I knew that it would be the first time I would publicly open up about my mental health. In June 2018, I was sexually assaulted by a stranger. At that time, I was already in a happy relationship with Chris, so late 2018 was a rough period for us as a couple. My trauma reached a breaking point days before Christmas 2018; Chris had to call the police, and I was detained for suicidal ideation. In documenting my recovery from trauma, I have learned so much about how my mental health affects the mental health of the people closest to me. Thank you so much to @bafta, @baftala, and @gsaspacetogrow for awarding this inaugural grant to a queer person of color. Thank you to the talented people from @newyorkfilmacademy and @nyfalosangeles for helping me put this film together. Thank you to all my friends and loved ones who have witnessed my mental health firsthand despite how happy I may usually seem. And most of all, thank you, @chrisisthebombdotcom. I literally would not be alive right now if you had not called the police. ❤️ THIS IS SO AMAZING, AND I AM SO EXCITED TO PUT THIS DOCUMENTARY TOGETHER!!! ?: @lansrealgram; shoutout to @nextdocfilm! ⭐️✨ #baftastudents #gsaspacetogrow

A post shared by Drama Del Rosario (@dramadelrosario) on Jul 10, 2019 at 1:27pm PDT

“I’m Okay (And Neither Are You)” follows Del Rosario’s year-long recovery from sexual assault and suicide ideation. It further documents how this affects his and his boyfriend’s mental health. In addition to this, Del Rosario’s film also puts a spotlight on the stigma of mental health issues in the Philippines and how people still think that religion and prayer would remedy mental illnesses, as reported by CNN.

At the moment, Del Rosario is still finishing the film. The funds he received from the BAFTA grant, which amounts to $8,000, is going to post-production and marketing of the movie. Once completed, GSA will screen the film around the world.

You can watch a sneak peek of “I’m Okay (And Neither Are You)” here:

 

View this post on Instagram

 

I’m Okay (And Neither Are You)

A post shared by Drama Del Rosario (@dramadelrosario) on Jul 7, 2019 at 4:00pm PDT

[ALSO READ: Filipino Director of “Birdshot” and “Eerie”, Mikhail Red, Gets Signed by US Agent]