The Cast and Crew of Filipino Short Film Agapito on Competing at Cannes

Days from Agapito’s world premiere at Cannes, directors Arvin Belarmino and Kyla Romero, lead actress Nour Hooshmand, and producer Mick Quito speak about their experience in an exclusive interview.

For the cast and crew of Agapito, Cannes still feels like a dream. The short film is slated to compete for the Short Film Palme d’Or in just a few days, placing its Filipino team in one of the most prestigious film festivals in the world.

“We’re really excited. That’s the emotion first,” says director Arvin Belarmino, who returns to Cannes for the second year in a row. “We’re happy that all the actors have successfully arrived here in France. Looking forward to our world premiere.”

Set against the backdrop of a fading duckpin alley, Agapito explores care work, familial duty, and the kind of communal connections that form in places where labor and life intersect. The film is deeply personal, born out of real-life inspiration from directors Arvin Belarmino’s family and Kyla Romero’s own memories of her father’s interactions with working-class sports communities in Manila.

Romero, now the first Filipina writer-director to compete in Cannes’ main short film category, reflected on the gravity of this moment. “While women are here in the industry, I still believe that we can benefit from a lot of representation. We need to be able to say that we can make it and we can do it to inspire a lot more to follow,” she remarks. “But labels aside, we’re just really here passionate about telling stories regardless of who we are, what our surface appearances are, our gender is, we’re just really here to tell stories.”

Beyond the storyline, Agapito represents a collective triumph for a group of young Filipino creatives who have grown together through years of collaboration. Belarmino and Romero previously worked together on the short film “Radikals” in the competition’s 2024 edition, but Belarmino says the opportunity is even sweeter the second time around. “For me to be able to do it two times in a row is so surreal to me. I just want to use that energy to further continue the fire,” he says. “I think the difference now is I get to present this with Kyla, who’s a longtime collaborator. So whatever chemistry we have, I think it’s working, for us to be acknowledged in one of the biggest film festivals in the world.”

For Romero, the spirit of the film goes beyond what’s on screen. “What made this production special was that it was an entirely collaborative, ethical kind of set,” she explains. “Even the actors were in on the process. It might start something of a change… maybe in the way we handle sets as well.”

Producer Mick Quito, who is Filipino American, found echoes of familiarity in the dynamic crew of Agapito. “Filipinos have been very family-centric even abroad,” he says. “Even my dad, who used to go bowling when I was a kid, has his own family of players after work. Then we’d have weekend barbecues with them. It’s just our nature to be family-based.”

Actress Nour Hooshmand plays the lead role in the film, and expressed her excitement as a first time collaborator. “It feels like we’ve known each other for a long time,” Hooshmand says. “The energies, the chemistry, it was definitely there. And I think that’s very important to create something honest… you cultivate a space that is safe.”

In Agapito, Hooshmand plays Mira, who manually resets pins at a duckpin alley while dealing with rude customers, managing the workers at the alley, and taking care of her brother who has special needs. While she shares a similar adoration for her sibling, Hooshmand notes that her family wasn’t her only inspiration. “I believe that a character is not just really me, but it’s an amalgamation of all the people around me, especially my collaborators, my réalisateurs, my directors.” she says. Her theatrical background played into the experience, as she described the set as a theater-film hybrid, especially in the rehearsals.

While Agapito is competing in a global arena, its roots are proudly and unmistakably local. The directors highlight the importance of “being proud of the stories from your own backyard.” 

“Maybe to us Filipinos maybe it’s a typical day-to-day thing,” Romero comments. “Outside it’s going to be unique because it came from you authentically.” Optimistically, Belarmino notes that this recognition opens up more doors for Filipino talent. “They’re looking for genuine stories of a nation they’re not familiar with,” he says. “For filmmakers, I think it will inspire them to not be afraid to tell their own stories. They don’t have to “elevate” anything.” 

In the weeks prior to Cannes, the crew of Agapito were faced with a seemingly impossible challenge, due to the lack of funding for the film’s cast and crew to head to Cannes for the 2025 edition of the film festival. Still, they persevered, through fundraising events and donations. When asked about their reaction to the industry’s collaborative efforts, Hooshmand says it wouldn’t be possible without the help of their friends and family. 

“This opportunity is very rare so that’s the mindset that everyone had, that we deserved to come  here,” Belarmino says. “Filipino talents deserve to be seen on an international stage and recognized on an international stage,” Romero adds. “We have to push for these actors and these artists to be exposed to the world.” 

Agapito’s world premiere for the Cannes Film Festival 2025 will be on the 23rd of May at 11:00 at The Théâtre Debussy, and at 13:00 The Salle Bazin.