Benilde Film Tops IUF, Next Competes at Gawad Alternatibo

Wazzup Pilipinas!

A short film about a 25-year-old lesbian, who is having a hard time coming to terms with her traditional Filipino father, won Best Feature and five other awards in the Indie Un-Film Festival 2018 last July 21 at the Br. Andrew Gonzales Hall, De La Salle University.

Sa Pag-agos ng Panahon, a capstone project of Annika Yañez and Janna Lejano under the Digital Filmmaking program of the DLS-College of Saint Benilde School of Design and Arts, also won Best Direction for Yañez, Best Cinematography and Best Editing for Lejano, Best Actor for Chase Salazar and Best Soundtrack for song composer M Laciste, song arranger Nick Lazaro and sound mixer and designer Veronica Valdez. 

Yañez, who graced the awards night with Lejano, thanked the organizers “for giving young filmmakers the opportunity to share our art to a bigger crowd, and for inspiring all of us to keep creating films – no matter how bizarre, vulnerable, charged they may be.” 

Meanwhile, Sa Gabing Tanging Liwanag ay Paniniwala, an entry from Far Eastern University, bagged Best Pamana Film, Best Cinematography for Rommel Ruiz, Best Production Design for Ron Alos and Best Sound Design for James Manalili. The inaugural Pamana category aims to bring forth stories of Filipino heritage and culture. 

Directed by Francis Guillermo, the film revolves around the continuous disappearances of townsfolk, prompting the local chieftain to find out who is behind it and where they are being brought. Upon conducting a search, he and his son came across a mysterious answer.

Another FEU short film, Dama directed by Trish Ruedas Antonio, bagged Best Production Design for Reopaolo Nuñez and Best Actor for Rolando Inocencio in the Feature category. Inocencio plays a father who adopts a stray child to cope with his son’s death in a crisis-ridden world.

The three films will next vie for awards in the 30th Gawad CCP Para sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Video, also known as Gawad Alternatibo, from August 4 to 6 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Tanghalang Manuel Conde or CCP Dream Theater.
Also in the Feature category, James Allen Fajardo's Ang Lalaking May Regla sa Gitna ng Dagat won Special Jury Prize and Best Screenplay. In the film, a fishing community faces an impending demolition when the landowner plans to turn the place into a beach resort. One of the fisherfolks is a teenage boy who had a menstruation in the middle of fishing. Fellow UP Diliman films Bago and Kasama Ng Paglisan ang Pag-alala at Paglimot won Best Sound Design for Alejo Barbaza and Best Actor for Ruby Ruiz, respectively.

Al Basir from the Lyceum of the Philippines University won for Best Direction for Raymond Cultura and Best Editing for Ralph Quijano in the Pamana category.

Mapua University's entry Dory, which is about a 101-year-old transwoman who walks around the streets of Tondo, topped the Documentary category and bagged Best Direction for Beverly Ramos, Best Editing for Kristian Palma, and IUF People's Choice award.
Si Baste, a documentary on the 127-year old all-steel Basilica of San Sebastian, brought home Best Sound Design for Xamantha Asdisen from Colegio de San Juan de Letran. Deane Marie Yase of UP Cebu won Best Cinematography in the same category for Unscathed, which tells the story of resilience of the victims of the recent Pasil Fire.

Vince Entuna from UP Diliman won Best Experimental Film, Best Direction, Best Production Design and Best Sound Design for Ang Lisyang Edukasyon ng Pilipinas while John Peter Chua of Ateneo de Manila University won Best Cinematography and Best Editing for Liyag.
In the Music Video category, Ghost won Best Direction for Aaliyah Ybañez, Best Editing for Miggy Arnonobal, and Best Production Design for the UPD entry while Riel Louise Castalone of DLS Lipa took home Best Cinematography for A Place Somewhere.
Organized by the DLSU Green Media Group, the 15th annual intercollegiate digital film festival celebrates film by showcasing the competition’s finalists and a plenary talk involving the country’s renowned filmmakers. The IUF talks, held last July 14 at Warehouse Eight in Chino Roces Avenue, had award-winning scriptwriter Clodualdo "Doy" del Mundo Jr. and filmmakers Antoinette Jadaone, Pepe Diokno, Ice Idanan and Kaj Palanca as speakers. 

The award-winning entries will again be screened on August 3, Friday, from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. at the Waldo Perfecto Seminar Room, Ground Floor, Br. Connon Hall, DLSU. For tickets, visit the DLSU GMG booth at 5F Artist Commons of the same hall. Interested parties may also visit www.indieunfilmfestival.com or contact Jenni at 0915-1291021.