A project for a Cinematography class under the Digital Filmmaking program of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) School of Design and Arts (SDA) bagged the Special Jury Prize at the Sine Kabataan short film competition.
Director Jocelyn “Len” Frago received the award for her film Koleksyong Pamalo during the 2018 Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (PPP) Gabi ng Pasasalamat held last August 19 at Whitespace, Don Chino Roces Ave. Ext., Makati City.
Koleksyong Pamalo tells the story of a boy who collects all the memories of his mother’s different kinds of “pamalo.”
“I wanted to present what abuse is like at a young age in a darkly comical and colorful manner where you feel sympathetic and warm at the same time,” Frago explained.
Frago said that the innocence of a child plays a big factor in how we view children. The film, which she submitted as a project for her CINEMAT subject under Sir Danton Wieneke, deals with the questions “When does a child stop being a child?” and “When does a mother stop being a mother?”
Lorys Plaza at Ardinian “Jaq” Sanque won Best Short Film for Bato Bato Pik, which is about a young teenage girl faced with an untimely pregnancy. As she and her boyfriend contemplate the consequences and the effects of this problem in their young lives, their conversation suddenly leaves the fate of their unborn child to a game of chance.
Daniel Delgado and Tiara Angelica Nicolas received the Best Director prize for Masaya Ako, which tells the story of a boy who encounters many struggles in life, like bullying, his parent’s separation and trouble in school, but he still forces a smile to get by each day.
Enalyn Legaspi‘s Alas-Nuebe ng Tanghali brought home the Audience Choice Award. The short film is about three children who indulge in the nicest toys and tastiest food only to find out that everything turns out differently from what they are seeing.
Runner by Levi Jun Miscala got the #GlobeOfGood award for honoring the youth’s representation of current social issues the young Filipino faces day-to-day. In the film, Boy, a fast runner, wants to continue his secondary education by becoming an athlete but his inauspicious boss obstructed his aspiration because he is the best drug runner.
The other Sine Kabataan finalists are Anonymous Student Vlog by Christian Babista, Bahay-bahayan by Brian Spencer Reyes and Isang Tula Para Sa Nawawala by Rod Singh. The short films were featured along with the PPP full-length film entries from August 15 to 21 in cinemas nationwide.
The Sine Kabataan films were judged by award-winning director Mikhail Red, producer Bianca Balbuena-Liew and actress Angeli Bayani.
Launched last year as one of the pet programs of then National Youth Commission Chair Ice Seguerra with the Film Development Council of the Philippines, Sine Kabataan aims to provide a youth lens on youth issues that affect the sector.
