By Alona Cochon
ROME – Filipino filmmaker Ryan Machado brought home the Best Director award for “Raging” at the 23rd Asian Film Festival in Rome on Wednesday night, marking another milestone in the Philippine film’s growing international recognition.
Held annually in Rome, the festival is a premier platform for Asian cinema in Europe, showcasing diverse voices and stories from across the region.
“Raging,” starring Elijah Canlas, tells the story of a young man grappling with trauma and abuse in a rural community, exploring themes of silence, masculinity and unspoken realities.
Machado expressed gratitude for the award, dedicating it to his team and the people of Sibuyan, Romblon.
“I’m honestly still trying to take everything in. Also thankful for the congratulatory messages from friends, colleagues, and family,” he said in a virtual interview.
“When we were making Raging, it came from a very personal and urgent place: questions about violence, masculinity, and the spaces we grow up in but rarely interrogate. I didn’t quite imagine it would travel this far, and to receive Best Director at the Asian Film Festival feels very surreal, but more than anything, it also feels like a quiet affirmation that the stories we tell can resonate beyond where they are from.”
Raging had its international premiere at the Berlinale in Rome earlier this year.
“That experience was already overwhelming, and yes, validating. I couldn’t help to think about our share of challenges making this film, and while they feel distant now, they were very real at the time and made me doubt whether I could tell the story the way I envisioned it. Now, it made me realize that creating something personal, something that speaks to an urgent issue within my own community, can open up conversations not just locally, but across cultures as well. And to see the film continue its journey through festivals like this, I’m just deeply grateful that it’s finding audiences willing to sit with its discomforts and contradictions,” he said.
“I mentioned in my acceptance speech that this recognition is not mine alone. It belongs to the people who trusted the material, who gave their time, their talent, and their emotional labor to bring Raging to life. We all know that filmmaking is collective and it should also be a safe space. I carry this award with them,” he added.
He said as a regional filmmaker, “there’s always that quiet desire to be heard beyond the margins.”
“At the same time, I’m reminded that the work should not end here. If anything, this pushes me to keep telling stories that are difficult, rooted in where I come from, and stories that refuse to simplify who we are as a people and as a community,” he said.
Deputy Head of Mission Donna Feliciano-Gatmaytan received the Award on Machado’s behalf.
“Raging” was one of the four films featured in the 2026 Filipino Day as part of the 23rd Asian Film Festival at Cinema Farnese in Rome on April 8.
The three other films include: “Republika ng (Republic of) Pipolipinas“ directed by Renee Dimla; “Magellan” by Lav Diaz; and “Moonglow” directed by Isabel Sandoval.
The festival also features other Asian films from Indonesia (April 9), Thailand (April 10), Korea (April 11), Japan (April 12) and Malaysia (April 14).
In his message during Filipino Day, Philippine Ambassador to Italy Neal Imperial said the 23rd Asian Film Festival in Rome is an important opportunity to showcase the Philippines’ most recent significant films. (PNA)
