LAV DIAZ (left) and Brillante Ma. Mendoza at the awards ceremony. Eloisa Lopez
FILMMAKERS and audiences can expect a bigger, brighter Sinag Maynila next year, founder Brillante Ma. Mendoza told the Inquirer.
For next year’s edition, Mendoza will add two more sections (animation and documentary) to the three existing categories (full-length feature, shorts and Cinefone—short films shot with a smartphone).
In the Cinefone section, “99%” by John Paulo S. Barcena of Mapua Institute of Technology won first place; “Litrato ng Nakaraan” by Angelika Deofilo, Danilo Garcia and Samantha Mariano of Judge Juan Luna High School, second place; and “Espayb” by Ebone Cimafranca, Jacquiline Hidalgo, Jessica Rubete and Juselle Roble from Miriam College, third place.
In the shorts category, “Apuhap” by Rafhael R. Evangelista won first place; “The Foreseeing” by Justine Therese B. Ordeniza and Daniel Morial, second place; and “Ang Kapinunan Kan mga Alon sa Danay (Where the Lake’s Ripple Begin)” by Jennifer Lyn Romano, third place.
Heartening
Berlin-winning filmmaker Lav Diaz, head of the full-length feature jury, related that seeing the young people’s active involvement in the fest’s Cinefone and short films sections was “heartening.”
“The youth’s level of enthusiasm was inspiring,” Diaz told the Inquirer.
Mendoza agreed, admitting that he was “pleasantly surprised” that his master class during the fest had attracted a sizable crowd of interested students.
“I was willing to cancel it if no one showed up, but the venue was full,” Mendoza recalled. “When I asked the participants how many of them watched Lav’s eight-hour film, ‘Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis,’ many raised their hands. It only proves that there is a ‘hard-core’ audience for indie films.”
Loyal audience
Mendoza hopes to tap this loyal audience next year, by adding more films and activities in the third Sinag Maynila, which will be held in SM Cinemas, as well. “We will include one more feature-length film in the main competition,” he said. “Six is a good number we can handle.”
Unlike in the first two years, which had entries preselected by organizers, next year’s competition will be “open” to anyone who wants to join.
“Next year, I want to focus on young, budding filmmakers,” said Mendoza. “We want to give grants to directors who haven’t done a big movie yet.”
He related that the foreign jury members (led by film festival programmers Roger Garcia of Hong Kong, Philip Chea of Singapore and Kenji Ishizaka of Tokyo) volunteered to take part in an open forum with students next year. “They want to maximize their stay in the country by interacting with the youth,” Mendoza remarked.
He said fellow Cannes-winning filmmaker Apichatpong Weerasethakul of Thailand had already expressed interest in gracing next year’s Sinag Maynila.
“Apichatpong wants to give a master class, too,” he said. “We hope to have him as our guest of honor next year.”
“I salute [organizers] Brillante and Wilson [Tieng] for their simple and hands-on approach to the fest,” Diaz said. “Brillante has a clear vision of why he is mounting Sinag Maynila.”