Time flies fast
Days before the New Year and right after it, preparations are underway for the next big celebration that Cebu will be having-the SinulogFestival. It might be too early to talk about it but the truth is even as early as November, delegations were already planning and preparing for the street parade. Practices have started already, probably short breaks for Christmas and New Year. Hotels and condos are fully-booked. And for the annual short film festival, I have heard that groups have started and are done with their shootings. And this is understandable as post production takes another huge challenge.
But prior to this, there was initial news that this activity won't anymore push through for this year. And I reacted so desperately considering that I know some film people have already polished their storyboards to share on the big screen. But when I verified it from Mr. Ronaldo Tan, the Sinulog Short Film Festival director, it was a complete opposite. I do not want to stop the momentum that the local cinema has gained for the past few years. Such momentum has to be sustained as this is a potent avenue for expression of the people's unique stories and aspirations centered on one's faith and devotion to the child Jesus Señor Sto. Niño.
I am optimistic that for this year, our young writers would come up with astounding stories to tell on the big screen, stories that would still revolve on the very reason of the celebration. With great story linked to the faith of the child Jesus is never absent.
Wondering what else can still be explored in terms of originality of the story. But unless we have new breed of young filmmakers, producers, scriptwriters, directors and actors, we would never run out of stories. More so that every year new experiences, new twists to time-tested general themes of faith, family, love, and even betrayal and pains are brought to wide screen for general appreciation and reflection.
The Sinulog Short Film Festival has been an avenue to showcase fresh ideas from first-timers as the festival's aim has been to develop young Cebuano filmmakers. And for Cebu that has started to resurrect the golden years of cinema, the appeal is once again to give the local cinema a chance to survive, and thrive vigorously.
And for the Sinulog short film festival, a film can only be shot for a day or two but the preparation and after shooting require a lot of patience and meticulousness. For actors, a day of shooting is like his or her entire life is into it. Personally, I take every film as if my entire life is in it, a legacy for the future generation. Future generation can always view films many times and be made basis for future films. In the performing arts, an actor is only as good as his last performance. And so it is a challenge to make every new performance better than the last ones.
The Sinulog fever is already in the air. Several coordination meetings have been conducted already. It is already few weeks to go and we can't anymore stop it as the faith is drawing the believers to the celebration. The grandeur of the celebration is pulling the visitors from other provinces and even from abroad year after year, getting bigger and bigger.
The superficiality of Sinulog, in some ways, celebrated with grandeur and magnitude, should never cloud its real essence. Now and forever, be an occasion for renewal of faith that is livelier than drums, colorful than costumes and brighter than fireworks.
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