SHORT films and documentaries have always been special to the Manunuri. For this year, the following short films have been nominated. Their synopses hereunder follow:
In Naboc: The River of Gold, a little boy finds a rock which unleashes greed and acquisition among the members of a small community in the middle of a gold rush. Rodel Artiaga, part of the new wave of Mindanaoan filmmakers, directs the film.
In Sa Paglupad ka Banog, Elvert Bañares reimagines a dance that is presented through three layers of interpretation: a boy asks his grandfather to teach him the movements of the dance, then the epic on which the dance was culled is presented; finally, the dancers begin their performance of Binanog (the dance of the Hawk).
A film, which, the filmmaker said took five years to make, tells the story of loss, grief, and recovery—where a man digs the grave of his partner only to spend precious moments with the beloved. The film is Read Only Memory by David Corpuz and Kristine Camille Sulit.
Never Forget, a line we attribute to the memories of martial rule and years of oppression and brutality, is Ida Anita del Mundo’s take on how the mind is the greatest link, and also the most violent, to remembering the past of a country.
RS Magtaan composes his own realities out of fragments—“phone footage and film photographs that intertwine with poetry, politics, and personal desire.” By their collapsed nature, these elements translate into the form of a short film, titled The Night is Drunk When We Suffer.
Tong Adlaw nga Nag-Snow sa Pinas (The day it snowed in the Philippines) by Joshua Caesar Medroso recounts the story of two boys creating a world of their own, where snow, a coveted fantasy of many children and adults, happens. But one day, one of the boys discovered bruises on the body of his friend.
The synopsis on the Cinemalaya website explains succinctly the narrative of Jose Nepomuceno’s Dikit: “Loosely based on a lost silent film by Jose Nepomuceno, Dikit reimagines classic Philippine folklore into a contemporary diptych of feminine bodies, rage and freedom.”
Four documentaries have been nominated for this year’s Gawad Urian. Here they follow:
Mervine Aquino contributes to the memories of the two or three years when Covid-19 practically stopped all movements in this country. In Palengke Day, a documentary recalls life in the Baguio Public Market during the pandemic and allows us into the history of spaces.
In Jeannette Ifurung and Mike Alcazaren’s 11,103, we revisit the lives of those whose rights, in the biggest understatement possible, have been violated by the structures and systems propped up by the dictators and their martial law.
Rocks in Windless Wadi by EJ Gagui utilizes archived footage and conversations to ruminate on the unseen. The rocks are captured in their stillness recalling memories of trauma.
Naisangsangayan a Daga by Melver Ritz Gomez is a tender look at a vanishing craft, with a very few elderly women persistent in the pottery-making, a cultural heritage of the Ilokanos.
For this 46th Natatanging Gawad Urian, the equivalent of a Lifetime Achievement award, the Manunuri has selected Jaime Fabrégas.
In the formal letter sent to Mr. Fabrégas by Dr. Gary Devilles, the present chair of the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino, states: “With a warm and joyous heart, we want to honor you as this year’s Natatanging Gawad Urian for all your work in the film industry. Your musical score for films Shake, Rattle & Roll, Rizal sa Dapitan and Kutob, to name a few, deserve to be recognized and we want you to be part of this tradition….” It continues: “The Natatanging Gawad Urian is one of the most respectable awards that honors a person in his/her field of work and his/her unique and valuable contribution to Philippine cinema. To be part of this tradition is a testament of your determination and passion toward your work and your works have been truly inspiring and thought-provoking to us all, both here and abroad.”
Asked about Jimmy Fabrégas’s response to the award, the Bikolano artist was first worried he might say something cheesy. However, I urged him (“to bring warmth to this essay”) to say anything. “Never be afraid of failure, it is part of the uphill climb to success,” were his words. Not bad for someone who was training to be an engineer, ventured into cinema and excelled both in music design and acting.
The Gawad Urian will take place on November 30, 2023 at the UP Film Institute.
NATATANGING GAWAD URIAN
- Jaime Fabrégas
SHORT FILMS
- Rodel Artiaga, Naboc: The River of Gold
- Elvert Bañares, Sa Paglupad ka Banog
- David Corpuz and Kristine Camille Sulit, Read Only Memory
- Ida Anita Del Mundo, Never Forget
- RS Magtaan, The Night is Drunk When We Suffer
- Joshua Caesar Medroso, Tong Adlaw nga Nag-snow sa Pinas
- Jose Nepomuceno, Dikit
DOCUMENTARY
- Mervine Aquino, Palengke Day
- Jeannette Ifurung and Mike Alcazaren, 11,103
- EJ Gagui, Rocks in Windless Wadi
- Melver Ritz Gomez, Naisangsangayan a Daga