Gerry Balasta
- Producer
- Director
- Writer
While working with children with disabilities as an Occupational Therapist, Gerry pursued a career in filmmaking, a life-long passion. Inspired by a vision of sharing the spirit of people in Manila living in extreme poverty, he completed courses in film production at New York University-SCPS.Gerry went to the Philippines, where he was born and raised and instituted an acting workshop open to the residents of the Philippine's largest garbage-collecting town. Graduates of the workshop acted in his first feature film, The Mountain Thief.
The film had a hugely successful film festival run and won the Special Jury PrizeE at the 2010 San Francisco International Asian-American Film Festival, The Prix Du Public (Audience Award) at CciIFF, France and the George C. Lin Emerging Filmmaker Award in Washington DC. It also has been selected to play in more than 20 International Film Festivals and events. Gerry is continues his work as a filmmaker and media activist, working on the The Solar Champion a documentary, and films, including a comedy acted by the actors of The Mountain Thief. This film extends Gerry's film and advocacy work to green and renewable energy.
In 2012, he founded The Mount Hope Project Inc., a charitable organization with the mission of using films and the arts to make a direct impact on lives. He also founded The Mount Hope Initiative in the Philippines where the children and the actors of his workshop in the dump site town had medical care and are now going to school, to give them options outside of scavenging for trash.
The film had a hugely successful film festival run and won the Special Jury PrizeE at the 2010 San Francisco International Asian-American Film Festival, The Prix Du Public (Audience Award) at CciIFF, France and the George C. Lin Emerging Filmmaker Award in Washington DC. It also has been selected to play in more than 20 International Film Festivals and events. Gerry is continues his work as a filmmaker and media activist, working on the The Solar Champion a documentary, and films, including a comedy acted by the actors of The Mountain Thief. This film extends Gerry's film and advocacy work to green and renewable energy.
In 2012, he founded The Mount Hope Project Inc., a charitable organization with the mission of using films and the arts to make a direct impact on lives. He also founded The Mount Hope Initiative in the Philippines where the children and the actors of his workshop in the dump site town had medical care and are now going to school, to give them options outside of scavenging for trash.
