Innovative shorts add excitement to indie scene

Recently, we were treated to exciting and innovative short films by upcoming filmmakers at numerous film events. The 23rd Gawad CCP for Alternative Film and Video held its awards night last Nov. 25. The short feature winner, Marianito Dio Jr.’s “Sarong Aldaw,” is about a farmer whose son is a passionate writer, while Samantha Lee’s “Agos,” which follows the life of surfer Mocca Eduzma, topped the documentary category. In the experimental category, Timmy Harn and Gym Lumbera won for “Class Picture,” and Jane Mariel L. Almoneda’s “Paano Hulihin ang Araw?” ruled animation.

Over at The Collective, last December 3, we were glad to catch the screening of “CineMangarap: Indie Long, Short Ito,” a collection of 13 short films directed mostly by graduates of the Marilou Diaz-Abaya Film Institute.

Among the standouts are “Mami” by Greg Rodriguez III, who wrote the film when his father was sick. It follows a young man (Victor Medina) who takes a break from his mundane life by eating his favorite noodles with his father (Jess Evardone), but flashes of his past trigger his hunger for revenge.

Stylish

Vitaliano Rave’s stylish short, “Shadow Play,” is about a lonely man and his “companion” — his own shadow. It stars Australian John Buckmaster. Among the crowd favorites was the mockumentary, “Emo,” by Ivan Andrew Payawal, who spearheaded the CineMangarap screenings. It stars Gian Magdangal, Sheena Ramos, K.A. Antonio, Jay Barrameda, Jay Pangilinan and Kring Elenzano.

At the Youki International Film Festival in Austria, Mikhail Red’s “Inosensya” bagged the grand prize, and it is tapped to open the 27th Interfilm Berlin Film Festival.

Another winner is Gino Santos, who recently earned an honorable mention citation for his experimental movie, “Bangungot,” at the 23rd Gawad CCP. Both Red and Santos were also mentored by Abaya.