Filipino director Arvin Belarmino receives invitation to join Oscars voting body

Filipino filmmaker Arvin Belarmino is among this year's newest invitees to the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS), joining more than 500 film industry personalities selected for membership and are eligible to vote in future Academy Awards (Oscars).

AMPAS, the organization behind the Oscars, is a professional honorary body in California, US, dedicated to advancing the arts and sciences of motion pictures and is best known for presenting the annual Oscars.

The invitation marks another international milestone for Belarmino, whose work has continued to gain recognition on the global film festival circuit. In announcing this year's invitees, the Academy specifically cited his short films “Agapito” and “Hinakdal.”

Hinakdal, a 12-minute short, tells the story of a zombie family whose quiet, isolated life is interrupted when a human tries to steal their livestock. The film earned Best Screenplay – Short Film, the Audience Award, and the NETPAC Award at the 2023 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival. It also won Best Story & Screenplay and Best Director at the 2022 Bakunawa Festival.

Belarmino co-directed the 15-minute "Agapito" with Kyla Danelle Romero, who also co-wrote the film with him, as she did on "Hinakdal." 

The short premiered at last year's Cannes Film Festival before screening at the Toronto International Film Festival, where it received an Honorable Mention for Best International Short Film. During the same year, it also won the Golden Star Award at the El Gouna Film Festival in Egypt.

Set inside a duckpin bowling center, "Agapito" follows a group of staff members preparing for an “unknown” event in a visually striking story that celebrates sibling relationships and chosen family.

Belarmino, 38, is the latest Filipino to receive an Academy invitation, joiningDolly de Leon from the Actors branch,  Ditsi Carolino, PJ Raval, and Baby Ruth Villarama from the Documentary branch, and  Brillante Mendoza and Lav Diaz from the Directors branch.