Filipino horror short Takot premieres at the Sydney Opera House with Blacktown Shorts on 29 October
Takot, a Filipino horror short by a western Sydney Filipino-Australian filmmaker, is one of five films commissioned for the 2026 Blacktown Shorts Film Festival and premieres at the Sydney Opera House on 29 October, alongside other commissions with Filipino stories and artists.
Takot, a Filipino horror film, is set to premiere at the Sydney Opera House on 29 October as one of five films commissioned for this year's Blacktown Shorts Film Festival, SBS Filipino reported. Its writer, director and producer spoke on SBS Filipino's Pinoy Pride program with festival curator Vonne Patiag about the making of the film and the strong online engagement its teaser has attracted.
According to Blacktown Arts, the film follows a grieving Filipino girl who begins seeing a spirit during a family dinner, and the folklore stories meant to scare her become a doorway to the goodbye she never had with her father. Its director is a Filipino-Australian multidisciplinary artist, photographer and filmmaker born and raised in western Sydney, whose work explores the Filipino diaspora of growing up in Australia. The crew includes co-writer Adrian Magno and director of photography Ralph A. Villegas, a second-generation Filipino cinematographer from Rooty Hill.
Takot is not the only commission with Filipino roots. Offside follows two 17-year-old best friends, one Filipino and the other Pasifika, fighting for their final position during schoolboy cup trials, and Orb, by Filipino-Australian artist Kristone Capistrano, is a moving image artwork centred on a hand-drawn setting sun, prompted by the hyperscale data centre under construction in Marsden Park.
Now in its fifth year, Blacktown Shorts supports and celebrates the growth of western Sydney filmmaking. The festival is presented by Blacktown Arts in partnership with the Sydney Opera House and supported by Blacktown City Council, and an encore screening is planned in Glendenning.
Key facts
- Takot premieres at the Sydney Opera House on 29 October 2026.
- It is one of five films commissioned for the 2026 Blacktown Shorts Film Festival.
- Blacktown Shorts is in its fifth year and is presented by Blacktown Arts with the Sydney Opera House.
Official sources
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