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Newsmakers

3rd SVCC Film Festival: Judy Ann Santos & the value of 15 minutes

NEW BEGINNINGS - Büm D. Tenorio Jr. - The Philippine Star
3rd SVCC Film Festival: Judy Ann Santos & the value of 15 minutes
Judy Ann Santos hands the Best Actress trophy to Marjorie Batac (for the short film Pasada) at the 3rd SVCC Film Festival. With them are SVCC owners engineer Simeon and Marina Chavez.
STAR/ File

Young superstar Judy Ann Santos arrived at the awards night of the 3rd St. Vincent College of Cabuyao Film Festival determined to encourage student-filmmakers to dream, to inspire them that “everything that starts small becomes big—in time.”

Pandemonium broke loose when Juday, best actress for Espantaho at the 50th Metro Manila Film Festival and a judge at this year’s SVCC Film Festival, entered the events place of the school with her husband Ryan Agoncillo. Former chairman of the Cinema Evaluation Board Christine Dayrit, this year’s film fest chairman of the board of judges, joined the couple at the four-hour festivities last Friday. Filmmaker Dante Nico Garcia, director of the critically-acclaimed Ploning (that starred Juday), formed part of jury.

“Nakakataba ng puso na napabilang kami ni Ryan sa espesyalna gabi ninyong lahat. ‘Wag kayong matakot mangarap dahillibre ‘yan. ‘Wag kayong matakot mag-fail dahil d’yan kayo matututo,” Juday told the cast and crew of the 27 short films that competed this year for the film fest. Each film was 15 minutes long.

What to Juday is the value of 15 minutes?

Celebrity couple Ryan Agoncillo (extreme left) and Judy Ann Santos (fourth from left) are joined by SVCC executives (from left) Lt. Col. Jannette Chavez-Arceo, engineer Simeon Chavez, Marina Chavez, SVCC Film Fest jury head Christine Dayrit and the author as convenor of the film festival.

“Every minute is valuable. How much more 15 minutes? Fifteen minutes is enough to tell a story, if we base it on the 27 beautiful films your students produced. In 15 minutes, they were able to tackle political issues, solutions to family problems, or even the simplicity of a well-meaning life. The films they made were sincere. Even the acting was sincere,” she said.

When I conceptualized and executed in 2022 the SVCC Film Festival, I had a clear vision that it would be a fiesta of talents. I always believe in my students’ dreams. Their dreams are always the focal point of my discussions in the subjects Philippine Pop Culture, Art Appreciation and Philippine Literature.

I am always grateful that the school supports me in my vision. Doubly grateful that I have friends from the film industry who are more than willing to help me execute my dreams for my 622 students.

Juday handpicked this year’s Best Actress (Marjorie Batacfrom the short film Pasada) and Best Actor (Joseph Kyle Panorel for Barya). She personally gave the Rachy Cuna-designed trophy to Batac while Ryan handed the trophy to Panorel.

TEAM GUSOT. The cast and crew of Gusot, adjudged Best Film at the SVCC Film Festival 2025, pose with their nine trophies. (Seated, from left) Prince Dela Cruz, Jasmine Digma, Erika Hernandez, Angel Capuchino, Jella De Lumen, Gain Barrios, Joven Jompilla, Tricia Bonilla, Janell Ymata, John Lloyd Morilla and Franzgerard Paltep; (standing, from left) Allison Tabafunda, Velarde Ashley, Jeciel Deimos, Angel Librada, Dennise Nipas, Eunice Joy Jacolbe, Rommel Aragao, Janell Ymata, Zhane Kriztel Llarena, Maverick Castro, Jeramil Looc and Franz Galo.

Singer Poppert Bernadas chose the Best Original Song and Jose Ardivilla, a political cartoonist and visual arts professor at the UP-Fine Arts, judged the Best in Poster Design.

The short film Gusot was the big winner of the night, bagging nine awards out of 20, including Best Picture. *

SVCC

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