Petersen Vargas | |
|---|---|
 Petersen Vargas in 2017 | |
| Born | Pampanga, Philippines |
| Alma mater | University of the Philippines |
| Occupation | Film director |
| Years active | 2015–present |
Petersen Vargas is a Filipino filmmaker. He is best known for directing the Cinema One Originals Best Picture winner 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten (2016) and the web series Hello Stranger (2020). [1]
Vargas was born and raised in Pampanga, Philippines. [2] Coming from a family of lawyers, he majored in Political Science at the University of the Philippines Diliman, but eventually switched to film after one year. [3] As a student in university Vargas's work in short films had attracted buzz among his peers and local indie movie enthusiasts. [4] He graduated cum laude from the University of the Philippines Film Institute in 2014. [5]
Vargas first received notice with his short film Lisyun qng Geografia, which won the Best Direction award at the 11th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival in 2015. [6] The following year, at the age of 24, Vargas directed his debut feature 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten (2016), which was written by fellow Kampampagan filmmaker Jason Paul Laxamana. [7] [8] The film starred Khalil Ramos, Ethan Salvador, and was the film debut of Jameson Blake. [9] The film premiered at the Cinema One Originals film festival, where it won Best Picture, Best Cinematography, and Best Supporting Actor (for Blake). [10]
In January 2019 Vargas was selected to be a part of the Southeast Asia Fiction Film Lab (SEAFIC), a script and development lab for Southeast Asian filmmakers. [11] He would go on to win the lab's grand prize, the SEAFIC Award. [12] The prize will go towards the production of Vargas's second feature, a road movie tentatively titled Some Nights I Feel Like Walking, to be produced by Alemberg Ang and Jade Castro. [13] The film was also selected to be a part of the Locarno Film Festival's Open Doors Hub. [14] Later in the year, the Vargas-directed music video of Nadine Lustre's single St4y Up won Music Video of the Year at the Myx Music Awards 2019.
In 2020, Vargas directed the web series Hello Stranger , starring Tony Labrusca and JC Alcantara. [15] In the same year, Some Nights I Feel Like Walking was selected to be a part of the 16th edition of the Cinéfondation's Atelier, a program under the auspices of the Cannes Film Festival which aims to encourage a new generation of filmmakers. [16] [17] Vargas also directed the short film How to Die Young in Manila (2020), which was spun off from his yet to be released second feature. [18] [19] The film had its world premiere at the 25th Busan International Film Festival and was later screened at the Singapore International Film Festival. [20] [21]
Aside from his work directing films, Vargas has also directed music videos, commercials, and has been a creative producer for the movie production company T-Rex Entertainment. [22]
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | Sakaling Hindi Makarating | No | Yes | No | [23] |
| 2016 | 2 Cool 2 Be 4gotten | Yes | No | No | [24] |
| 2018 | Billie and Emma | No | No | Yes | |
| 2019 | Open | No | No | Yes | [25] |
| 2021 | Hello Stranger: The Movie | No | No | Yes | [26] |
| 2022 | An Inconvenient Love | Yes | No | No | [27] |
| 2023 | Some Nights I Feel Like Walking | Yes | Yes | No | [28] |
| A Very Good Girl | Yes | No | No | ||
| TBA | Un/Happy For You | Yes | TBA | TBA | |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 5 Ning Gatpanapun | Yes | Yes | Yes | [29] |
| 2013 | Coup de Grace | Yes | Yes | Yes | [30] |
| Ito Ang Huling Araw | Yes | Yes | Yes | [31] | |
| 2014 | Lisyun qng Geografia | Yes | Yes | No | [32] |
| Swirl | Yes | Yes | Yes | [33] | |
| 2016 | Teka Lang, Uwi Na Tayo | Yes | Yes | Yes | |
| 2020 | How To Die Young in Manila | Yes | Yes | No | [34] |
| Year | Title | Director | Writer | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | Hanging Out | Yes | Yes | [35] |
| 2020 | Hello Stranger | Yes | No | [36] |
| Year | Title | Artist | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2015 | "Steady" | BP Valenzuela | |
| 2017 | "What Went Wrong" | Rusty Machines | [37] |
| "Autumn" | LONER | ||
| "The Life" | James Reid | [38] | |
| 2018 | "St4y Up" | Nadine Lustre | [39] |
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