By Seymour B. Sanchez
Student films from Mapua University and De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde topped the different categories of Piling ObrangVidyo XV held last January 26 at the University of the Philippines Cine Adarna, UP Diliman, Quezon City.
Mapuan filmmakers Celina Mae Medina and Tricia Sotaso won Best Narrative Film and Best Cinematography for “Ophelia,” respectively, while “Gatilyo” (Trigger) got Best Director for fellow Mapuan Harold Lance Pialda, Best Sound and Best Production Design. Best Experimental Film also went to another Mapuan, Gabrielle Lloyd Reyes, for “Ang Mambabarang at ang mga Taong Pinatay sa Limot.”
“Ophelia,” which recently won Best Director, 2nd Best Film, Best Cinematography, Best Actress (Rea Molina) and Best Supporting Actor (Soliman Cruz) at University of Perpetual Help-Molino’s Cinema Primera, tells the story of a depressed college student (Molina) who wants to seek psychiatric help. However, her parents (Cruz and Angelina Kanapi) have other plans in mind.
“Mental health has always been one of my advocacies ever since I was younger. In this film, I wanted to tackle how it feels to have depression and what it feels like to be invalidated. But, in this film, I also attempted to show the side of the parents who just want to help their daughter,” Medina shared.
“Ophelia,” Medina’s thesis film in Mapua, is the product of her research and personal experience as someone who is diagnosed with bipolar 2 disorder. “The method I used for research was autoethnography, which is a form of qualitative research in which an author uses self-reflection and writing to explore anecdotal and personal experience and connect this autobiographical story to wider cultural, political, and social meanings and understandings,” the award-winning filmmaker revealed.
Mental health is also the main theme of “Gatilyo,” which tells the story of a soldier (Rocky Salumbides), the lone survivor of an ambush, who is being haunted by the war he survived. The mainstream actor also got ample support from Liya Sarmiento, Miguel Domino Roberta, Roberta Daleon and Jester Cortes.
Meanwhile, “Aswang” by Hannah Grace Maur of Far Eastern University won Best Screenplay for Marygail Alcantara while “Babuyan” by Aaron Alsol of UP Film Institute won Best Editing, People’s Choice (chosen by the audience) and Cinemasters’ Choice (selected by the organizers).
POV-winning films“Gatilyo” and “Aswang” are both collaborations of filmmakers from Mapua and FEU. Mapua’s Pialda worked with FEU filmmakers Juan Pablo Pineda III, who bagged the Best PD award, producer Patricia Salic, acting coach Raf Evangelista, camera operator and BTS photographer Christian Babista, art director Rowi Du, property master Jay Francis Letrillard, art department coordinator Novie Francisco and pre-production coordinators PJ Muñoz and Thirdy Rivera for “Gatilyo” of Hello Po Productions. Meanwhile, FEU’s Maur got the support of Mapua-based 1440 Productionsfor “Aswang.”
The other finalists in the narrative category are “Press, Pause and Play” by Jessa Doydora of FEU, “Hindi Mo Naman Ako Iiwan, ‘di ba?” by Gilb Baldoza of UPFI, “Ang Pagpatay sa mga Kuliglig” by John Lloyd Priolo Moralda and Bobby De Veyra of Polytechnic University of the Philippines, Agreement Over Dinner by James Liam of Asia Pacific Film Institute, Dasalanan by Juan Marcus Cañeso of Asia Pacific College and Krusanto by Ronaldo Magsakay of Bulacan State University.
In the experimental film category, “Ang Mambabarang at ang mga Taong Pinatay sa Limot” won over “Kanin Baboy, Taong Baboy,” also directed by Reyes, “Ang Pagtuklas sa Larangan ng Pagiging Maria Clara” (The Discovery in the Realm of Being Maria Clara) by fellow Mapuan Lady Vicente, “Icing” by Alexis Guinevere Ann Sayson of University of San Carlos (Cebu) and “Ang Lisyang Edukasyon ng Pilipino” (The Miseducation of the Filipino) by Vincent Joseph Entuna of UPFI.
Benilde filmmakers James Fuentes Garcia and Eluigi Macalintal brought home Best Documentary for “Househusband,” which follows the life of 49-year-old Oliver Siao who chose to let his wife be the breadwinner of the family. “Househusband” beat “Ipanew” by fellow Benildean Vince Jan Olzen Banta, “Pagsilay ng Pag-asa” by Charlotte Vinluan of UST Angelicum College, “Popeye” by Dennize Jem Basa of Mapua and “Ritmosa Lihimna Mundo” by Kim Irvin Pardo of University of Makati.
Garcia and Macalintal previously won Best Documentary for “Househusband” at Sinepiyu XI, an annual intercollegiate film competition organized by the FEU Film Society and the FEU President’s Committee on Culture, and second prize at the Pagwanawanan Festival short film competition in La Union. However, they shared that their winning experience at POV was different and something special.
Garcia said that being able to witness the reaction of the audience while their film was being screened made them already feel like a winner. “Perhaps, getting an audience engagement for our documentary felt like a victory like we’ve never felt before for it fulfilled our goal in letting our film speak for itself.”
“Win or lose, just having to see the feedback that the audience had towards our project is already a win for us. This inspired me to create more documentaries that could be about a jeepney driver, a sampaguita vendor in Quiapo, an old couple with nothing and nobody to turn to, or a person who belongs to the ethnic group of Badjaos,” Macalintal revealed.
The winning filmmakers also plan to submit their films in more competitions. “Probably we would still continue to try to enter Househusband in other film festivals. We hope to reach more people to inspire them about not just our message to the concept of stereotyping, but also the journey of this film which only started as a documentary class project,” Garcia added.
On the other hand, Medina haveother things to think about whenever “Ophelia” gets selected. “Every time that I will get into a film festival or win an award I will think back to the core of my film. I made Ophelia because for years I want to be able to do something for myself and others as well. I know that this is just a film but if it speaks to someone like me or anyone who feels depressed and/or invalidated and it reminds them that they are not alone. Then I feel like I’ve done my job,” she shared.
Award-winning scriptwriter Rody Vera, director-editors Carlo Manatad and Chuck Gutierrez, director of photography Dix Buhay, actor Christian Bables, production designer Lars Magbanua, filmmakers Prime Cruz and Miko Livelo and sound designer Raffy Magsaysay served as jury for the narrative films. The documentaries were evaluated by Hiyas Bagabaldo, Wena Sanchez and Keith Deligero while the experimental films were judged by filmmakers Jet Leyco, Jim Lumbera and Rox Lee.
POV, an annual interschool video competition where aspiring student film makers from different universities and colleges around the Philippines showcase their talents and skills on the big screen, is organized by UP Cinema, an academic, social and cultural organization based at the UP College of Mass Communication. A POV afterparty, which featured performances from Stef Aranas, Sea Mendoza, and John Libunao, was held at Barangay UP Village Multipurpose Hall immediately after the awards night.
Aside from organizing the annual POV competition, UP Cinema serves as a venue for the open and free discussion of issues and ideas concerning cinema as a movement, art and industry. Among its notable alumni are filmmakers Antoinette Jadaone, Hannah Espia, Whammy Alcazaren, JP Habac, CharliebebsGohetia and writer/spoken word artist Juan Miguel Severo. UP Cinema is also behind the mini-film festival “Kontra: The Alternative Film Project” and “Kino Punch Film Critique Magazine.”