COMMEND. We should commend filmmakers and artists representing 10 Cebu City barangays for their readiness to participate in the first Sinegugma Short Film Festival, a project of the Cebu City Mayor’s Office. Their involvement means they are willing to help revive the Cebuano film industry despite their limited budget. We learned from festival organizer Marlon Douglas Hofer that the filmmakers do not get any subsidy from the city government, but they are free to ask their barangays for financial assistance in making their short film entries.
Entries. Thus far, the entries and their respective barangays are Bato Lata of Kinasang-an; Kanbas, Budlaan; Grotto, Apas; Aninag, Sirao; and Mangga, Guadalupe.
We have yet to receive from Hofer the list containing the rest of the competing entries and their barangays. As short films, each entry has a maximum running time of 10 minutes because all of them will have to be screened, judged and awarded on July 18.
Hofer himself has produced a short film titled Kinit, but it will not be submitted as entry. We gathered from him that his film will serve as an opening salvo before the competition proper.
Prizes. Hofer also informed us that the cash prizes at stake are P15,000, P10,000 and P5,000 for the first, second and third placers, respectively.
There will also be awards for best director, best screenplay, best actor and best actress. This is a very encouraging development as far as the effort to revive the local film industry is concerned. We all have to admit that the move is very ambitious, so let’s thank the Cebu City Mayor’s Office for taking this move as a first step. We hope, filmmakers and artists from the other barangays would be encouraged to produce their short films.
There is still enough time for them to do so. They may seek Hofer’s advise on this aspect. He can be contacted at the Cebu City Public Information Office.
Movie. Talking of film, we continue to hope for the best as far as the showing of a Cebuano full-length movie is concerned. We are referring to Palad Ta Ang Nagbuot, a remake of the 1969 movie of the same title. California-based Dandin Ranillo, son of veteran actress Gloria Sevilla, directed this remake last year, but it has not yet been scheduled for booking in cinemas across the country. Boxing champion Nonito “The Filipino Flash” Donaire is the lead actor in this remake.
Plan. A local businessman, who asked us not to name him yet, has intimated to us his plan of producing a movie on the historic battle of Mactan between Lapu-Lapu and Magellan in 1521. He says he will tap our homegrown talents for this production. We agree with him, after all, Cebu has a surplus of talents just waiting to be tapped.