‘CineMapúa has grown so much that it has become an institution with this yearly event being much awaited by students from many parts of the country and, hopefully later, in many parts of the world.”
Dr. Reynaldo B. Vea, Mapúa University President and CEO, painted this rosy picture of CineMapúa’s future during its 19th edition’s awards night last December 4. Broadcast Media students Lester Cal and Crystal Jade Mates hosted the event, which is considered “the longest-running and one of the most anticipated student short film festivals in the country.”
Prof. Benigno B. Agapito Jr., Dean of Mapúa’s School of Media Studies and Chair of CineMapúa, shared Vea’s hopes after getting more than 100 submissions for both collegiate and high school categories—the highest since its inception in 2002—and having international film entries in exhibition this year.
“The films reflect the young imagination and creativity of the students towards social realities. This 19th year of CineMapúa empowers students to continue creating quality stories to tell digitally despite the claws of pandemic,” Agapito added.
Collegiate Category
When the dust had settled, Sina Alexa, Xander at Ang Universe by Vahn Pascual from De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde emerged the big winner in the collegiate division by bagging P10,000 for the Cardinal Gold Film Award.
The film explores the theme of gender equality in its modern treatment of a “coming out” story of a teenage student who awaits the results of a beauty pageant with his mother.
Apart from the grand prize, the film also added the Cardinal Best Performance of an Actor (Pascual), Best Editing (Corlisse Nicolas), Best Production Design (Melissa Cuaderno and Ralph Mojica) to its growing list of achievements, which includes Best Film, Best Director, and Best Screenplay from CineMandirigma 2021 organized by the University of the East’s Silangan Film Circle, and an official selection from last year’s Metro Manila Film Festival Student Short Film Category, among others.
Pascual made it a double victory after getting the Special Jury Award for his other CineMapúa film finalist Silang Mga Naligaw sa Limot, which focuses on a teenage girl who wakes up after a typhoon surge and eventually sees a lifeless body lying by the seashore.
Earvic Noay from the UP Open University brought home the Cardinal Best Director Award for Miss Informed. The film revolves around a female nurse who snaps from her typical routine of helping COVID-19 victims after a conversation with a disillusioned survivor of the virus about recent events.
Miss Informed bagged P7,000 for winning the Cardinal Silver Film Award (2nd Best Film) as well as the Value of Social Reality Award, Best Screenplay for Noay and Jodie Dantes, and Best Production Design for Catherine Chu.
Veteran thespian Ruby Ruiz took the Cardinal Best Performance of an Actress for Ang Pagdadalaga ni Lola Mayumi for playing an old woman who hires a callboy and rents a motel room to experience having sex for the first time. In addition, the film by Shiri Francesca de Leon from Meridian International College received P5,000 for the Cardinal Bronze Film Award (3rd Best Film). De Leon, Darlene Ballano, and Bryant Gali also won Best Sound and Musical Scoring.
The Best Cinematography and Most Gender-Sensitive Film Award went to Lysistrata by John Patrick Manio from UP Diliman. It is about a woman with an ugly past who confronts the demons haunting her.
Manyaok by Kate Villanueva from UP Visayas and Tugaw sa Uma by Raphael Jay Cordova from Mindanao State University shared the Cultural Heritage Award for best depicting and preserving Philippine arts and cultural heritage. Jerico Felicilda of Polytechnic University of the Philippines got the Animated Narrative Picture Award for the film Bycatch.
The Congressus by Jan Darryl Villafuerte of Mapúa brought home the Most Viewed Award and Audience Choice for Film Teaser while Blood Stew by Aaron Neil Domingo from Far Eastern University took the Audience Choice for Film Poster.
The other finalists in the collegiate category are Ang Laswa ni Lola Mame by Vincent Joseph Entuna from UP Diliman, Maupay Nga Aga, Puniti Kita by Chicken Ligaya from University of San Carlos, Cebu City, The Girl from Nowhere by Flory Ann Tacuban from UP Visayas, The Transfiguration of Saint Mike by Jermaine Tulbo from MINT College, and Unsaved Changes by Andrei Francis Arrocena from Ateneo de Davao University, Davao City.
High School Division
In the high school category, FEU’s Cinemorayta Film Festival winner ILAW (stylized in all capital letters) dominated the field by garnering the Cardinal Excellence Film Award (Best Film for both categories), Cardinal Gold Award with a cash prize of P7,000, Best Performance of an Actress for Teri Lacayanga, Best Cinematography for Stephen Dominic Bonifacio, Best Production Design for Althea Luna and Vian Waoi, Best Sound and Musical Scoring for Jan Angelo Segador and Donelle Serrano. ILAW tells the tale of a mother (Lacayanga) and her unending love, sacrifice, and survival against humanity.
Both Aldwin Jerico Atutubo and Pascual, directors of the two winning short films in the high school and college divisions, respectively, graduated from FEU High School and are now studying film in Benilde.
Ethan John Dela Cruz and Marie James Palisoc from Siena College of Taytay shared the Cardinal Best Director award for Dapithapon with Jadrien Marc Morales from MINT College for Sa Labas. In Dapithapon, a young woman struggles mentally to move on from her sister’s untimely death while her condition worsens as she seeks courage to save her sanity. In Sa Labas, a young man who has lived in a bunker for a long time suddenly finds a way to reconnect with the outside world in the year 2037.
Dapithapon also won P5,000 for the Cardinal Silver Award, Most Viewed Film, Best Teaser, Best Poster, and Best Editing for Dela Cruz. On the other hand, Sa Labas took home P3,000 for the Cardinal Bronze Award as well as Best Production Design for Morales and Kyle Bryan Bumatay.
Ahmad & Abdul by Muhaliden Cawi from MSU-Malabang Community High School, Lanao del Sur won the Cardinal Best Performance of an Actor for Abdul Fais Boloto, Best Screenplay for Norjannah Haron, Value of Social Reality Award, and 3rd Most Viewed Film. It centers on two young men as their friendship is tested by a “rido” or clan feud.
Orpheus by Vince Ivan Vesiete from General Santos City National Secondary School of Arts and Trades won the Most Gender-Sensitive Film Award while the Cultural Heritage Award went to Babo Kikasoy by Nabelah Dimaocom, also from MSU-MCHS. Lente by Tereon Jay Tulaña from University of Perpetual Help System Biñan, Laguna is the 2nd Most Viewed Film.
My Dearly Love by Joseph Marc Salas from St. Mary’s School of Cagayan de Oro, The Elusive Star by Norbert Francis Baylon from Kabankalan Catholic College, and The Girl from Paradeyes by Amelia Elizabeth Perez from Catholic Filipino Academy, complete the film finalists in the high school division.
YFilms and World Section
Aside from the CineMapúa organizers, Vea also commended the Yuchengco Museum for its new digital platform YFilms, which hosted the festival’s online screenings from November 22 to 28.
“We note that Filipino students, including those still in high school, simply love to tell stories through film. Before the pandemic, busloads of high school students from the provinces came to Mapúa to watch and root for the entries of their schoolmates. We ran out of chairs for them in our venue,” Vea recalled.
“Now, I guess, we can accommodate more in the online space courtesy of the Y Museum,” referring to the hub which was created to offer and promote independent Filipino filmmakers and cultural films.
“What I said of the Filipino student may surely be said of students in other countries as well. We all love watching films. Note that CineMapúa has opened this year the World Short Film Section, a film exhibition section for foreign student filmmakers globally,” Vea revealed.
Grandma’s Tale of the Magical Outenga by Rishab Thakur from India, My Black Heart by Garush Ghazaryan from Armenia, Split by Kang Zheng Shueen from Malaysia, and Tears of Gold by Richie Chooi from Taiwan comprised the official selection for CineMapúa’s inaugural World Short Film Section.
Agapito, for his part, was elated by the overwhelming response that CineMapúa got from student filmmakers. He said that the festival has served as a testament to the power of visual storytelling through film technology and it has helped in uplifting the spirits and articulating the concerns, dreams, and hopes of the viewing public despite the pandemic. The organizers will consider having a competitive section for international films next year as the festival turns 20.
“CineMapúa reminds them that stories have no boundaries and limitations. No matter what situation or experience the world has now, film narratives are there to shape up people’s lives and characters. This health crisis needs more visual narratives to deliver information and knowledge formation among the people. Their visual storytelling could be a compelling channel for human and social development, particularly during this time of global health emergency,” he concluded.
Dr. David R. Corpuz, Mapúa Digital Film program head, led the CineMapúa selection committee which determined the finalists, with fellow SMS faculty Celina Mae Medina and Duztine Clyde Delos Angeles as members. The jury is composed of director James Robin Mayo, actress Elora Españo, and this author.
After hosting CineMapúa via YFilms, Yuchengco Museum Director Jeannie E. Javelosa disclosed that they will continue “to strengthen its online direction with the launch of a series of education and entertainment culture-related initiatives.”