The gripping drama “Silenced Nights” will be the first Filipino feature to compete at the Skopje International Film Festival. The 26th edition of the festival will run from November 4 to 9.
Director Lawrence Fajardo is slated to fly to North Macedonia to personally represent the film, engage with international audiences, and participate in festival discourse.
At its core, “Silenced Nights” plunges viewers into a stark, atmospheric urban landscape. Set against the gritty backdrop of Manila’s Tondo district and drawing powerful thematic inspiration from real-world struggles for justice, the narrative centers on an ordinary laborer (Nico Antonio).
The protagonist’s fragile existence is violently upended after he inadvertently witnesses a brutal killing, pulling him into a tense spiral of moral reckoning and survival.
Antonio got ample support from fellow actors Lotlot De Leon, Ina Feleo, Joel Saracho, Tanya Gomez, Dylan Ray Talon, Jorrybell Agoto, Simon Ibarra, Mario Magallona, Rom Factolerin, Soliman Cruz, Hector Macaso, Raul Morit, Bombi Plata, Apollo Abraham, DMs Boongaling, Mae Paner, Tess Jamias, Timothy Castillo, Kenken Nuyad, Micko Laurente, Enzo Osorio, and newcomer Aquisha Tombiga.
Fajardo collaborated with executive producers Atty. Joji Alonso, Perci Intalan, Hsin-Hung Tsai, and Vincent Wang, producers Ferdy Lapuz and Patricia Sumagui, screenwriter Troy Espiritu, and director of photography Albert Banzon, among others.
The project is an international co-production between Quantum Films (Philippines), House on Fire (France), and House on Fire International (Taiwan), created with support from the Film Development Council of the Philippines.
The film, which earned critical praise for its bold, unflinching look at urban survival and accountability, has established a historic trajectory on the international film circuit.
The international co-production earlier made major waves by securing a spot in the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) Platform Programme, an exclusive, highly selective international juried competition highlighting emerging cinematic auteurs. This also marked the first time a Filipino feature was ever chosen for the Platform section.
Seymour B. Sanchez
Seymour Barros Sanchez is an advocacy filmmaker, communication and film lecturer, freelance writer, creative producer, technical consultant, and a former producer for news and current affairs programs. He served as Bacolod Film Festival director in 2024 and Technical Consultant for Academic Linkages of the Film Development Council of the Philippines from 2022 to 2025. He is a member of the Academic Film Society Advisory Committee of the FDCP, a representative of the Education Sector to the National Committee on Cinema Executive Council, and Secretary of the NCC.
