Ben Madilynn
— A Filipino-led short film was one of the 15 finalists at the recently concluded 2025 EasterSeals Disability Film Challenge Awards.
The film challenge, now in its 12th year, accepts 1-5 minute short films promoting disability inclusion in front of and behind the camera, within a five-day period.
“20/80” is the directorial debut of UP Diliman graduate Bettina Someros-Ching, and her Filipino-American husband Steven — a mental health advocate with roots in Bulacan — wrote and starred in the short film.
The short film is based on Steven’s personal experience navigating life with a visual impairment and mental health distress.
Steven shared in a statement that “20/80” came from “a place of pain, healing, and honesty.”
“To see it resonate on this level — and to be recognized alongside other powerful voices — is overwhelming and deeply meaningful for all of us,” he continued. “It’s even more special to be able to carry our Filipino roots with us and show that our stories, our struggles, and our voices matter on the global stage.”
Involved in the short-film’s production from April 1 to 6 were composer and sound designer Polo Miguel Dela Cruz, Filipino-American visual artist Kevin Yu, and Aaron Anil Akhter as assistant cameraman.
The red carpet awards night was held at Sony Pictures Studios in Culver City, California, with notable attendees, including the film challenge’s founder Nic Novicki, Oscar-winning director Peter Farrelly, and “Wicked” stars Marissa Bode and Cesily Collette Taylor.
Winners were recognized in six categories. Best Film and Best Director went to “Everhand,” Dashiell Meier won Best Actor for “Day 21,” Steve Way and Danny Kurtzman won Best Writing for “We’ll Meet Again,” Lily Drummond won Best Editing for “Hypothetically, The End,” and “Emergency Plan” won Best Awareness Campaign.
The film challenge awarded $5,000 (P276,000) seed fund/film finishing grants from Adobe to the five winning short films and five $25,000 (P1.38 million) Alumni Adobe Grants to previous winners with the intention of being developed into a longer feature or episodic series. — Video from EasterSeals Disability Film Challenge’s YouTube channel
Source: Filipino-led short feature ’20/80′ makes disability film challenge finals
