World premiere
Some Nights I Feel Like Walking
Everyone deserves a dignified farewell from this world.
A queer boy runs away from home to a big city where he knows no one. There he meets other youths who have come to Manila in search of happiness. To provide for themselves they offer sexual services to horny old men. When one of them dies, they decide to fulfil his last wish – to go home. The journey begins.
There are a surprising number of films in Philippine cinema that can be described as LGBTQ+. These include many that far surpass the rest of the wide range of Philippine films in terms of artistic merit. As such, Petersen Vargas’s film clearly stands out. The vices of the big city experienced by the young men are only the background. What stands out is much more important. The need to belong, friendship and other ethical categories that have nothing to do with sex. An excellent ensemble of actors, fascinating dynamic cinematography. Music that supports the plot, and the director's ability to make the audience truly sympathetic to the story being told.
Mihkel Möölman
Petersen Vargas (1992) is a young Filipino filmmaker who focuses on queer themes and his regional roots in his work. In addition to films, Vargas also creates web series and music videos. In 2014, he graduated cum laude from the University of the Philippines Film Institute, and his first short films garnered attention in Asian indie cinema circles. One of them, “Geography Lessons” (2014), won the Best Directing award at the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival in Manila. His short film “How to Die Young in Manila” was screened at the 2021 PÖFF Shorts in the Rebels with a Cause Competition. The director’s feature film debut was the coming-of-age drama “2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten” (2016), which won the Best Film award at the Cinema One Originals Film Festival in Quezon City.
2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten (2016), An Inconvenient Love (2022), Un/Happy for You (2024), Some Nights I Feel Like Walking (2024)
Grand Prix for The Best Film, grant of 20 000 euros from the city of Tallinn, Award for Best Director, grant of 5000€ from Alexela
