"Immigrants and Cigarettes," a short film featuring Filipino-Australian actor Felino Dolloso, is a finalist in two international film festivals. Directed by Mike Kang, the film is an official entry to: - the Korean Film Festival in Australia on August 25, and
- the Guam International Film Festival on September 27-30.
Kang’s previous film "It's about Survival," also starring Dolloso, won the Best Film Award in the Digital Series Film Festival in Sydney this month. The film follows the story of Michael (played by Dolloso), a cleaner at a migrant resource center who devotes his life to the well-being of minorities. Dolloso, who is always on the lookout for “film projects with great characters, imperfect characters, and raw, off-center-type characters,” said he enjoyed doing "Immigrants and Cigarettes." “It [showed] the relationship between flawed human beings [and explains] why people do what they do and become the person they are, and the sacrifices they make,” he said in an email to GMA News Online. Dolloso is no stranger to a migrant’s life. Like the character he plays in the movie, he knows what it is like to work long hours to achieve your dreams. Hard work, humility pay off Born in the Philippines, Dolloso migrated to Australia as a young child. He got into acting by accident, wanting to skip classes by joining the high-school play. Today, he is one of the few visible Filipino actors in Australia, seen in theater, television, and film. His television credits include guest roles in "Packed to the Rafters," "Spirited," "Answered by Fire," "All Saints MRU," "Review with Miles and Barlowe," "Comedy Inc," and "The Hostages." Dolloso has also appeared in Hollywood films such as:
- "Point Break 2," starring Keanu Reeves,
- and "Candy," with the late Heath Ledger, Abbie Cornish, and Geoffrey Rush.
Dolloso's film credits include "The King’s Seed," "Suppose the Night Tasted Like Sugar," "Seeing the Elephant," "Callabona Red," "Under the Same Sky," "The Devil’s 6 Commandments," "Pitbulls," "Tallulah Falls Apart," "Balibo," "RaChoi," and "Mother Fish." Onstage, Dolloso has appeared in "Coup d’etat," "Aussies of the Magic Mic," and "Adobo Kind," and "A Quiet Night in Rangoon," among others. Critic Lloyd Bradford Syke called his performance in the play Havana Harlem “dynamic and arresting.”
Dolloso has also worked with Griffin Theatre, Riverside Theatre, The Colour Blind Project Theatre Festival, Urban Theatre Productions, Belvoir St. Theatre, Sydney Fringe Festival, and Brand Spanking New Festival. Currently rehearsing for his role as Dr. Jose Rizal in a play, Dolloso hopes to do a film in the Philippines in the future. His dream roles would be to play international boxing champion Manny Pacquiao or the national hero Lapu-Lapu. Despite his accomplishments in the last decade, Dolloso knows that show business is “a hard trade.” To Filipino-Aussies like him wanting to get into the industry, he has this advice: “If you’re passionate about becoming an actor, then take classes. Go to a drama school. Do projects—plays and films, paid and unpaid—and learn the craft properly. Always be humble and polite and [keep] your dignity always.” - VVP, GMA News 
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