A check off her bucket list.
Singer-actress Maris Racal arrives in Germany for the 75th Berlin International Film Festival in support of Sunshine, her independent sports drama film competing in the festival’s Generation 14plus category, which highlights stories and narratives focusing on children and young audiences.
In her post on Instagram, the 27-year-old shared the surreal moment of attending the annual film festival.
“I’m excited because I’m curious; paano nila i-a-accept itong (how they will accept this) story. I’m sure they will be open-minded about it […] I know this will open a lot of new perspectives for me, and hopefully a lot of doors too,” Racal shared in an interview with ABS-CBN at the airport before flying to Germany.
Sunshine had its world premiere at the 2024 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) last year. The film is directed by Antoinette Jadaone (That Thing Called Tadhana, Never Not Love You), and also stars Elijah Canlas, Xyriel Manabat, Jennica Garcia, Annika Co, and Meryll Soriano. In the film, young gymnast Sunshine (Racal) aspires to join the national team but discovers she is pregnant the week of the national tryouts.
The Berlin International Film Festival, established in 1951, is an annual event held in Berlin, Germany. It is one of Europe’s “Big Three” film festivals, alongside Italy’s Venice Film Festival and France’s Cannes Film Festival.