As a veteran Melbourne-based Filipino actor who currently appears in the Stan series, Bali 2002, and my daughter, Charlotte Nicdao, who plays the lead role in AppleTV+ Mythic Quest, we decided to host the official launch of Pangkat Sining Artists Collective at my home in Docklands on October 1st.
Pangkat Sining literally means Art Group. But when it was created as a Summer Project of PETA in Manila back in January 1974, it stood for Theatre Arts Collective, where a group of young, amateur creatives were given a chance to come together and be a part of a theatre performance set in a cemetery in the suburb of Paco in Manila.
I decided to form Pangkat Sining here in Melbourne so our group of young Filipino Australian creatives will also have the opportunity to come together and create stories which one day will become part of history we call our own. Pangkat Sining Melbourne hopes to help our creative community grow and find ways to connect with each other to tell stories that inspire us.
Film and stage creatives attended the event, which included actors, directors, writers, production designers, cinematographers, and more. Deputy Consul General Anthony Mandap gave a speech encouraging our young talents to create stories that belong to them. He expressed his excitement in seeing so many enthusiastic, young Filipinos connecting with each other. Filipino Aussies Theresa Angela and James Mckinnon from Multicultural Arts Victoria also gave a speech. They informed the group of ways they may be able to get government funding for their future projects.
I hope to make Pangkat Sining the space where Filipino Australian creatives can create Filipino migrant stories. There is a need to give our culture the representation it deserves in the wider community. After all, we are the fifth largest migrant community in Australia.
If you are a budding Filipino creative and would like to be a part of Pangkat Sining Melbourne Collective, please send your expression of interest to Alfred Nicdao – alf.nicdao@gmail.com
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