Brillante to take student filmfest abroad

MANILA, Philippines — Internationally-acclaimed movie director Brillante Mendoza naturally sees the big picture whenever he’s on board a project. Thus, in his capacity as artistic director for the annual short film competition CineMaybank, he is targeting to bring the festival at least to the attention of Philippines’ neighboring countries in Southeast Asia. 

“After achieving appreciation and awareness, my ultimate dream is to eventually have a CineMaybank in Southeast Asia,” he said last Nov. 17 during his speech prior to the awarding of the winners for this year’s Gawad CineMaybank participants held at the Maybank Performing Arts Theater in Bonifacio Global City, Taguig. 

Now on its second year after a successful launch a year ago, CineMaybank, with the theme Humanizing Financial Services, picked three schools and their entries to win the Top 3 Best Short Film recipients among 27 colleges and universities nationwide. The short dubbed Dribol, from Central Philippine University’s Himatuod Production and  which tackles indigenous boys playing basketball barefooted, won the top plum, followed by De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde Plan B Production’s Swelas and Asia Pacific College Wanmantim’s Sa Pag-alala. The students, who took the P50,000 cash prize for Dribol, happily stated they have “found friends in indigenous people.”

The second and third placers took home P30,000 and P15,000, respectively. Swelas is about a shoemaker with issues about the changing styles of the times, while Sa Pag-alala tells the tale of a granddaughter taking care of her amnesiac granny. 

All three winners were touchingly dramatic, inspiring takes on the lives of seemingly ordinary people who empower unconditional love and brotherhood.

Direk Brillante noted, “This year’s participants have increased compared to last year’s which is a positive indication that many young people are becoming more interested in filmmaking.”

The multi-awarded director conducted a two-day workshop on filmmaking last July among students involved and was joined in by directors Raymund Gutierrez and Zig Dulay. He gave students a piece of advice: “Filmmaking is continuous learning and the workshop is just one step. Don’t forget the realities that need to be told.”

A total of 14 creative, technical and special awards were presented at the event attended by Maybank Philippines president and CEO Choong Wai Hong, who described the entries as “compelling, powerful, insightful and at the same time funny, lively and colorful.”

CineMaybank is endorsed by the Commission On Higher Education (CHED) and in partnership with the Film Development Council of the Philippines, which awarded Special Jury Prize to Polytechnic University of the Philippines Bayani Production’s Teresa. 

Maybank also handed Tiger Awards for Tugma (Ateneo de Manila, Loyola Film Circle); Rio Tuba (Palawan State University, Pawikan Productions); Samal Ako (Cavite State University, Re-Right Productions); Ginto (Film and Media Arts International Academy, Horsemen Productions); and Urom (Ateneo de Davao University, Igknight Productions). 

“A filmmaker must choose the people who share his thoughts in order to create a film that is in synchrony with the filmmakers’ goal,” Brillante related. 

The CineMaybank judges included Cinemalaya co-founder Nestor Jardin and Film Development Council’s Wilfredo Manalang. 

Best Director citations went to students behind Dribol and Sa Pag-alala; Best Actress for Teresa; Best Screenplay for Swelas; and Best Cinematogtaphy for Dribol. 

Best Actor winner Rener Concepcion, who played the memory-challenged old man in Sa Pag-Alala, recalled, “It was a day’s work for me and the shoot went smoothly.” 

That’s saying that in reality, he recalled everything good about being part of CineMaybank.