By Seymour B. Sanchez
SHORT films from the University of the Philippines Film Institute and De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde film department triumphed in the CineMapúa intercollegiate category as the annual student film festival continues to expand with its theme of “Perfect Vision @ 18” next year.
UPFI’s “Once Lang Magkafirst Love” bagged the Cardinal Gold Film award, Best Direction and Best Screenplay for Jessa Mae Sargento, and Best Production Design for Arra Mae Caparas, while BenildeFilm’s “Tayo” by Ron Dulatre and Elaiza Rivera brought home the Cardinal Silver Film prize and Best Film Editing for Dulatre during the 17th CineMapúa awards night held at the Mapúa University gymnasium in Intramuros.
“Once Lang Magkafirst Love” tells the story of a high school student (Ash Nicanor) who experiences first love while a huge pimple grows on her nose. On the other hand, “Tayo” is about a socially awkward stand-up comedian, Reg (Karl Medina), who gets help from his subconscious in the person of Alyssa (Veronica Reyes). When Reg is about to give his performance of a lifetime, Alyssa suddenly disappears.
Winning the Cardinal Bronze Film award, Best in Sound and Music, and Best Performance of an Actor for Soliman Cruz is “Sa Gabing Tanging Liwanag ay Paniniwala” by Francis Guillermo of Far Eastern University. The film revolves around the continuous disappearances of townsfolk, prompting the local chieftain (Cruz) to find out who is behind it and where they are being brought. Upon conducting a search, he and his son (Dylan Ray Talon) get a mysterious answer.
The Cardinal Best Performance of an Actress award went to Angeli Bayani for her role as an activist-mother in “Ang Nagliliyab na Kasaysayan ng Pamilya Dela Cruz” by Miguel Louie de Guzman from De La Salle-Lipa (Batangas).
Eve Baswel won Best Cinematography for “Aswang” by Hannah Grace Maur. “Ang Pagpatay sa mga Kuliglig” by Bobby De Veyra and John Lloyd Moralda from Polytechnic University of the Philippines-Manila won the Audience Choice and Best Film Teaser. Another Benilde film entry, “Delta” by James Fuentes Garcia and Luigi Macalintal, got the Best Film Poster trophy.
James Allen Fajardo’s “Ang Lalaking May Regla sa Gitna ng Dagat from UPFI, Kurt Jimenez’s “Brujo” from Benilde, and Mia Francesca Cruz Mirano’s “Bon Voyage, Minnie” from University of Santo Tomas complete the list of finalists in the intercollegiate category.
Separate Category for Mapúans
IN the All Mapúans category, which is exclusive to Mapúa college and senior high school students from Intramuros and Makati campuses, “Gatilyo” by Harold Lance Pialda, “Fleck” by Jhonn Miguel De Guzman, and “Linger” by Jodie Gail Cua Go won the three best film awards. All three films were directed by Digital Cinema students from the School of Media Studies.
“Gatilyo” received the Cardinal Gold Film award, Audience Choice, Best Performance of an Actor for Rocky Salumbides, Best Production Design for Juan Pablo Pineda III, Best in Sound and Music for Runt Collective, and Best Direction, Best Screenplay and Best Cinematography for Pialda. “Fleck” and “Linger” got the Cardinal Silver and Bronze Film awards, respectively.
“Gatilyo” focuses on the story of a soldier battling against post-traumatic stress disorder after surviving an ambushed attack during a failed military operation in Maguindanao.
Winners of both the intercollegiate and All Mapúans categories brought home CineMapúa trophies and cash prizes of P10,000, P7,000 and P5,000.
Rea Molina nabbed the Cardinal Best Performance of an Actress award for her role as a depressed college student in Celina Mae Medina’s “Ophelia.” Delano Vinci Agapito also won Best Editing for the same film. Winning the Cardinal Best Film Teaser and Best Film Poster is “Pait-Tamis” by Siana Castro Elorde from the Multimedia Arts program.
Completing the list of Mapúan film finalists are “Ang Abo sa Sisidlan” by Antonio Caparros, “From Ramona” by Mark Arden Bisquera, “Juan Olisi” by Charles Ongchangco, “Panglaw” by Jesse Dimacali, and “Tama Na” by Jay Carlo Magboo.
New High School Category
MEANWHILE, for the first time in its 17-year history, CineMapúa opened its doors to entries from the high school level to showcase the talents of a new breed of young and aspiring filmmakers.
“Press Conference” from iAcademy-Makati dominated the High School category by winning the Cardinal Gold Film award and a cash prize of P5,000, Best Direction, Best Editing, Best Production Design and Best Performance by an Actor for Kyle Kimston Camaongay, Best Cinematography for James Laman, and Best in Sound and Music.
“Tulo” by Czaryna Mae Talento of UST got the Cardinal Silver Film award and Best Screenplay prize for Ayi Articona and Sabrina Periabras while “Bangungot” by John Luis Sarmiento of Jesus Dela Peña National High School-Marikina City received the Cardinal Bronze Film Award. Both schools bagged CineMapúa trophies and cash prizes of P3,000 and P2,000 respectively.
Andrea Agbing took home the Cardinal Best Performance by an Actress in the high school category for Kristina Sarmiento’s “Underneath the Art” of Adamson University. Winning Best Film Teaser and Best Film Poster is “Dayo” by Roel Masagca of St. Paul University Manila. The Audience Choice award went to Neil Espino’s “Limbo” of Our Lady of Caysasay Academy (Taal, Batangas). All the winners of special awards received CineMapúa trophies.
Rounding up the roster of high school finalists are “Kape” by Angela Palma of FEU, “Muling Pagtibok ng Tala” by Rolando M. Santos, Jr. of Don Bosco Technical Institute-Tarlac, “Only Time Will Tell” by Ethan John Dela Cruz of Siena College of Taytay (Rizal), and “Perpekto, Perspektibo” by Louisse Parado of Las Piñas National Science High School.
CineMapúa started as a culminating activity of a Social Science class under Prof. Benigno B. Agapito, Jr. when he was still teaching at the School of Languages, Humanities and Social Sciences, now School of Social Science and Education, at the Mapúa Makati campus. He organized initial stagings of the event with the help of the student organization TheaterLinks.
Agapito, who is now dean of Mapúa’s SMS, recalled that the legacy and academic value of CineMapúa continued through the efforts of the SLHS Makati professors until the Mapúa administration institutionalized it to be an official annual event. In 2015, the competition welcomed entries from other universities and colleges.
This year, the event was organized by SMS in cooperation with the Film, Arts, and Media Enthusiast (FAME) and in partnership with Cardinal Eye, .MOVE, and Design Deconstruct student organizations.
Said to be the oldest running student film festival in the Philippines, CineMapúa has become a platform to raise social awareness through films. “It is our responsibility at Mapúa to enhance Mapúans’ awareness on the importance of film arts in the academe, community, and the world as a whole and at the same time to promote values through film production,” Agapito shared.
As CineMapúa celebrates its 18th anniversary next year, the SMS dean promises a bigger celebration as it coincides with the centennial celebration of Philippine Cinema. “CineMapúa will continue to live up to its objective of showcasing the talents of the student filmmakers in producing short film and in appreciating the art of filmmaking, and the value of visual storytelling through digital film technology as a significant platform in educating young people.”