Bacolod filmmaker bags Best Director plum at Active Vista for ‘Sa Pwesto ni Pistong’

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Bacolod filmmaker Vincent Joseph Entuna achieved another milestone by winning the Best Director award at the Active Vista Human Rights Film Festival 2025 on Oct. 18 in Quezon City for his short film Sa Pwesto ni Pistong (The Barber’s Chair).

The recognition marks Entuna’s continued dedication to amplifying the stories and struggles of marginalized communities through regional cinema.

Sa Pwesto ni Pistong is a short period film set during the Martial Law era that follows a humble barber, Teopisto, and his nephew, Carlos, as they witness the decay of freedom and the consequences of political neutrality.

The barbershop, where Teopisto teaches Carlos the craft before the latter departs for Manila, serves as a microcosm of the country’s broader socio-political climate.

The plot unfolds with the restless and idealistic Carlos becoming entangled in the resistance movement against the oppressive regime, while Teopisto’s shift from pacifism to action reflects the awakening of a community in crisis.

Told entirely through a single locked camera angle, the film was praised for its stylistic precision and restraint, echoing the themes of control, voyeurism, and silence under dictatorship.

In his acceptance speech, Entuna dedicated the award to the voiceless and forgotten, particularly the victims of the 1985 Escalante Massacre in Negros Occidental, who are commemorated every Sept. 20.

“This film is for those who were silenced by history,” said Entuna, who noted this is his third Best Director award.

He emphasized the power of cinema and reminded the audience that “art has the power to resist” and that storytelling must “bear witness” in addition to entertaining.

The Active Vista honor follows the film’s success at the Bacolod Film Festival in September 2024, where it won Best Picture, Best Director, and Best Screenplay and earned a nomination for Best Musical Score.

Earlier this year, Entuna also won Best Director at the Pangasinan Film Festival, while Sa Pwesto ni Pistong received nominations for Best Picture in the Open Category of the Sinag Maynila Independent Film Festival 2025 and another recognition at the Hundred Islands Film Festival 2025.

Producer Benj Ramos and Bacolod Film Festival 2024 coordinator Kristin Bactad-Jor were present to support Entuna during the Active Vista awards night.

The Active Vista Human Rights Film Festival, organized by DAKILA, is one of the country’s leading platforms for socially conscious cinema and honors films that promote human dignity, freedom, and democracy.