By Seymour B. Sanchez
Young and aspiring filmmakers from Navotas City will get the chance to strut their talents and skills once again, as the city government, through its Public Information Office, trains and supports junior high school students for their shoot in the fourth Navoteño Film Festival.
Expected to compete in the annual student competition, which showcases film entries with a total running time of ten minutes or less, are Kaunlaran High School (KHS), La Naval Academy (LNA), Navotas National High School (NNHS), Navotas National Science High School (NNSHS), San Jose Academy (SnJA), San Rafael Technological and Vocational High School (SRTVHS), San Roque National High School (SRNHS), Tangos National High School (TNHS) and Tanza National High School (TzNHS). It remains to be seen if another high school from Navotas will join the fray this year.
Flashback to the 3rd NFF
Last year, NNHS kept the crown when its entry “1485” won Best Film, Best Direction for Elaisa Detera, Best Performance by an Actress for Zymone Daniel De Leon, Best Screenplay for Epifany Valdez, Best Editing for Raymharc Samonte, and Best Original Song for “Natagpuan” written by Jairo Angelo Billiones and performed by the Purple Sky band.
“1485,” which got its title from the city’s zip code, follows the story of two siblings (De Leon and Cyruz Padilla) who were separated when they were younger after their parents died in a car crash. The winning theme song was used in the story as a device for them to be reunited.
NNHS received P20,000 and a plaque of recognition for topping the competition. The production team also won an additional P10,000 and a plaque for winning the Box Office Hit (People’s Choice) award.
SnJA came in second with “Iris,” which also won Best Sound Design for director Francis Gabriel Garces. “Iris” tells the story a campus journalist (Jhudiel Pascual) who is working on an article and researching about the city’s “real treasure.” This is the second straight year for the private school to end up with a bridesmaid finish behind NNHS after joining the event in 2017. Another NNHS entry “Limbo” edged out “Banyera,” SnJA’s short film debut in the NFF two years ago.
TzNHS was awarded third prize and Best Trailer for “Padyak,” which is about a tour guide who, ironically, has yet to fulfill his promise to bring his crippled younger brother around Navotas.
For their feat, SnJA and TzNHS got P15,000 and P10,000, respectively, and a plaque each.
Meanwhile, LNA’s “Mea Patria” (My Homeland) won Best Cinematography for Roangelie Sarah Ramos and Best Poster for Jose Paolo Sy. SRNHS entry “Aninag” won Best Performance by an Actor for Ronan Pascual and Best Production Design for Jaylo Hidalgo.
“Love @ First Vlog” from KHS, “Sukbit” from NNSHS, “Draw Lots” from SRTVHS, and “Pantagrace” from TNHS completed the roster of short film finalists in last year’s event, which focused on Navotas tourism as its theme to create more awareness about what the city can offer to potential visitors. NNSHS competed at the NFF for the first time last year.
Individual winners of special awards received a cash prize of P1,500 and plaques. Consolation prizes of P5,000 and plaques were given to the non-winning schools.
Outgoing Mayor John Rey Tiangco, who shared his experience watching the shoot of the Hollywood film “Bourne Legacy” at the Navotas fishport, hopes that through NFF, the city government would be able to correct misconceptions about Navotas and promote its intrinsic beauty and rich culture.
“Many think Navotas still suffers from perennial flooding. They do not know we have pumping stations and our city is surrounded by a coastal dike and riverwall system. Severe flooding is now a thing of the past,” Tiangco explained.
Fast-forward to the 4th edition
In preparation for this year’s NFF, official representatives of the participating schools attended a digital filmmaking seminar-workshop scheduled last May 2 and 3 at the Navotas Elementary School-Central.
Filmmaker and Prof. Rianne Hill Soriano, who currently serves as an academic adviser at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde film department, facilitated the workshop. A review and mentoring session with Soriano on storytelling and cinematography will also be held before the final submission of entries in June.
PIO head Irish Cubillan, whose office handles this annual activity of the city government, said that all members of the production team must be officially enrolled in the school they are representing. A maximum of eight students per school will be allowed to participate, given that a certification from the school and a written parental consent endorsed by the teacher-adviser/s and principal must be submitted to the organizers prior to production.
“The film festival serves as a platform for future filmmakers of Navotas to develop and harness their craft and showcase their works, as well as a means to discover young and talented Navoteños for the city’s arts scholarship program,” Cubillan shared.
The NC Sports Complex is expected to be filled to the rafters when the official film entries are shown to the public on June 22, Saturday. Viewers will be given one ticket each to vote for their chosen entry. The film which gets the highest number of votes from the audience will win the Box Office Hit (People’s Choice) award.
Judges from the film industry and/or the academe will be invited to determine the winners. Among the esteemed members of the jury in the past NFF stagings are television and film director Pam Miras (“Dragon Lady,” “Pascalina”), independent filmmaker and art academician Richard Legaspi (“Paano Ko Sasabihin?”), and script continuity supervisor Ren’z Estacio.
This year’s entries will be evaluated according to the following criteria: 50 percent for originality and execution and 50 percent for adherence to this year’s theme, which is Navotas history and culture. The awards night will be held on the same day of the public screenings and at the same venue.