By Seymour B. Sanchez | Contributor
A short film about a janitor who raises his mute daughter inside a restroom cubicle won the grand prize in the 2018 Metro Manila Film Festival student category at The Theatre at Solaire in Parañaque City.
“Kasilyas” by Leslie Ann Ramirez from Bulacan State University bested seven other finalists in the student short film competition. She received a trophy and 100,000 pesos cash prize during the MMFF Gabi ng Parangal held last December 27. Character actor Bobby Tamayo and child wonder Miel Espinoza starred in the winning film as father and daughter, respectively.
The young filmmaker said that the idea accidentally popped into her mind while on a break in a meeting with Bulsu Cinephilia, her organization which is focused in honing the skills of students in photography and filmmaking. “I went out for a while with my orgmate when we saw that the CR in our college was closed. It’s usually closed for some unknown reason even though it’s not under renovation,” she recalled.
Despite being pissed at not being able to pee in the restroom that time, Ramirez thought of situations after arguing with the janitor. “What if the janitor is hiding something in the CR, that’s why it’s usually closed? What if his intention is not bad after all and he is just protecting someone? That’s how ‘Kasilyas’ started,” she shared.
Ramirez added that she was inspired by her father while writing the script. “There’s a scene in the film where the daughter drew a house, which she later showed to her father. Deep inside, she wanted them to have a house and get out of the CR which serves as their home. What I really wanted to say in the film is for my father to come home since he has been away from us for four years while working hard abroad,” she said, hoping that he will be able to watch the film she made for him.
The graduating broadcasting student also shared that what made the shoot more difficult is her production team’s schedule. “They’re not my classmates. We’re just part of the same organization.” To add to that, they are also working on their theses. “It’s good that we have the same goal to shoot the film and join the contest so we made time and extra effort to work on it.”
The other finalists are “Balita” by Allysa Nievera from Centro Escolar University, “Binibini 14. Beverly Lagdameo” by Neil Adrien Reyes from De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, “Dalawampung Pisong Pag-asa” by Pauleen Valdez from St. Dominic College of Asia, “Padyak” by Venice Awitin from Northern Mindanao Colleges, Inc., “Paraiso” by Carlo Lopez from University of the Philippines-Diliman, “Sasagot Ka Pa?” by Ronald Van Angelo Dulatre, also from DLS-CSB, and “Tahanan” by Demetrio Celestino III from Catanduanes State University.
“Balita” is about a reporter who wants to stay ahead of the pack in covering drug-related killings. He always receives a tip from his source until a call leads him to what may or may not be the biggest scoop he has scored in his career. In “Binibini 14. Beverly Lagdameo,” a househelp is left to take care of a large house owned by a former beauty queen. Driven by her aspirations to also become a beauty queen like her boss, she tries to do something to fulfill her dreams.
Meanwhile, grandmothers are the main characters in both “Paraiso” and “Sasagot Ka Pa?” In “Paraiso,” a boy gets scolded by his grandmother for coming home late after selling ricecakes. He runs away from home and the old woman chases him to a place she has almost forgotten. On the other hand, a teenage girl visits her traditional-minded grandmother in “Sasagot Ka Pa?” as the latter criticizes the former’s look, posture and others. However, as the insults get more absurd, the reasons why the old woman feels so much contempt for the teenager are revealed.
In addition, “Dalawampung Pisong Pag-asa” follows the trail of a twenty-peso bill as it gets handed over from one person to another while “Padyak” tells the story of success of a crippled man who graduates from school despite his condition and age, as narrated by a young man close to him. Last but not the least, “Tahanan,” the only animated entry, is a stop-motion animation focused on the issue of family separation as told through the lens of a young green sea turtle.
Sixteen semifinalists were initially selected out of 123 scripts submitted for the MMFF Student Short Film category. The list was trimmed down to the eight finalists, whose films were shown in cinemas together with the full-length entries from December 25, 2018 to January 7, 2019. They were given 20,000 pesos seed money to shoot their short film. On top of that, all finalists received plaques, certificates of recognition and 50,000 pesos each during the awards night.
“Kasilyas” was paired with the Jericho Rosales-Jessy Mendiola romantic comedy “The Girl with the Orange Dress” directed by Jay Abello. “Balita” was partnered with Joel Lamangan’s LGBT-themed film and family drama “Rainbow’s Sunset” starring Eddie Garcia, Gloria Romero, Tony Mabesa, Aiko Melendez, Tirso Cruz III, and Sunshine Dizon while “Binibini 14. Beverly Lagdameo” was coupled with the Vice Ganda-starrer “Fantastica” by Barry Gonzalez.
“Dalawampung Pisong Pag-asa” was matched with Joven Tan’s horror flick “Otlum” starring Jerome Ponce, Buboy Villar, and Ricci Rivero, among others; “Padyak” with the Kim Chiu-Dennis Trillo-JC De Vera love triangle “One Great Love” helmed by actor-director Enrico “Eric” Quizon; “Paraiso” with Yam Laranas’ shipwreck horror-thriller “Aurora” starring Anne Curtis; “Sasagot Ka Pa?” with the Toni and Alex Gonzaga-Sam Milby romantic comedy “Mary, Marry Me” megged by RC Delos Reyes; and “Tahanan” with Mike Tuviera’s action comedy “Jack Em Popoy: The Puliscredibles” starring Vic Sotto, Coco Martin and Maine Mendoza.
The MMFF launched the school-based short film competition last year “in order to provide a platform to all aspiring filmmakers and an opportunity to expose their fresh talents.” This is according to MMFF Executive Chairman and Department of Transportation Usec. Thomas Orbos, who is working under the authority of MMDA and MMFF overall chairman Danilo Lim.
“It is a nationwide competition for students to encourage the youth to harness their creativity and talents in storytelling through filmmaking,” Orbos added.
Although short films usually go unnoticed, their inclusion in the often controversy-laden MMFF is still a breath of fresh air. Short films have been included in the New Wave section of the festival in 2011 but they were screened in selected theaters a week before the main competition. Since 2016, they have become part of the regular run together with the full-length film entries.
Among the members of the jury, which chose the winners of both the full-length and short film categories, are award-winning actor Christopher de Leon, actress-director Gina Alajar and last year’s MMFF Best Actress Joanna Ampil, to name a few. Director Jose Javier Reyes, Movie and Television Review and Classification Board Chairperson Rachel Arenas, Dr. Rowena Capulong Reyes, MMDA Legislative and Legal Affairs officer-in-charge Atty. Crisanto Saruca, Jr. and Cinema Evaluation Board member Rina Navarro comprised the short film selection committee.