Terrifying Filipino short film ‘Mosquito Lady’ premiere set to send chills in US
Photo screen grabbed from KrimStine/Vimeo
Fil-Am or not, but you’re curious about Filipino folklore stars manananggal, kapre, or tyanaks? Then you’re in for a treat as short horror film “Mosquito Lady” premieres in the US.
Its world premiere was set at Beyond Fest on October 7, the Chicago International Film Festival on October 20 and 21, and the Brooklyn Horror Film Fest on October 14. Directed and written by Kristine Gerolaga, this Pinoy short horror film is a tale of a pregnant teen seeking an abortion. But her parents were against it, pushing her to do an unconventional and terrifying method.
This spine-chilling Filipino film is proudly starring an all-Filipino cast. The brain behind this masterpiece, Gerolaga, shared her inspiration in an interview.
“The idea for this project came to me around 2015 when I was volunteering as a pro-choice clinic escort and helping patients get from their cars to the clinic doors as safely as possible while anti-choice protesters harassed them from the sidewalks.”
While filmmaker and actor Gerolaga wasn’t a newbie in the movie scene as she also directed the horror feature film, “Lamok,” this new horror film is also strutting its way to some of the biggest festivals in the movie scene.
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Festival premieres
Beyond Fest: Not just an ordinary festival but a champion of genre festivals in the US, also serving the genre scene in Los Angeles.
Chicago International Film Festival: An Academy Award, BAFTA, and Canadian Screen Award Qualifying festival, “Mosquito Lady,” is good enough to have its Midwest premiere here. Every year, the festival features an amazing lineup of good, quality films.
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Brooklyn Horror Film Festival: This is your jam if you’re a fan of anything unsettling and eerie. You can watch the East Coast premiere here.
Besides scaring you, this Filipino horror film is also about reproductive rights, as explained by Director Gerolaga herself. The film features the manananggal, a vampiric creature, to highlight the significance of unrestricted abortion and sex education.
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“I hope that those who watch this short film see it as a cautionary tale about the consequences of how we talk to children about their sexual health and their bodies,” Gerolaga says.
Furthermore, in 2022, Gerolaga bagged the Sundance Institute Uprise Grant for her project, “Lamok.” Through this grant, she was able to do her new horror film, “Mosquito Lady.”
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Screening schedules
This thriller will grace the theaters soon, and here are the dates:
Chicago
- AMC New City: October 20 – 10 p.m.
- Gene Siskel Film Center: October 21 – 12:15 p.m.
Los Angeles
- Los Feliz 3: October 7 – 1 p.m.
It will be a part of Shorts Block 3: Triplemoon, and you can attend for free with RSVPs, which will be open at 9 a.m. on the screening day.
Brooklyn
- Nitehawk Cinema Williamsburg: October 14 – 11 a.m.
You can buy tickets at brooklynhorrorfest.com starting October 13.
While you might be screaming your lungs out if you catch any of the premieres, this film is also bound to make you think of the current issues.
