An absurd romantic-comedy story of two praying mantises was awarded as this year’s Best Short Film of the Margaha Film Festival during its awarding ceremonies on Feb. 28 at the Sagay City Public Plaza.
“Taga-Taga” (praying mantis) directed by Trini Archie Garcia, a college student from Colegio San Agustin-Bacolod, best other six films in the fifth edition of SineMargaha which the jury cited for setting a new trend of filmmaking in Sagay.
“Highly experimental in form and content, this film brings to a world that, while human emotions still exist, are really about different creatures,” the jury citation stated, adding “Different from us, they are part of Nature and we learn more about being human from them than from depictions of how we are superior to them.”
The film explores the story of a female praying mantis facing a moral dilemma of whether to consider a romantic involvement with a playful male mantis who helps her in finding a new mate instead of him.
The characters of the mantises were played by Romeo Descartin, Jr., and Zoe Clarisse Limson.
Garcia’s film was also awarded for its direction, screenplay, cinematography, actor, supporting actor, editing, and sound design.
This year’s SineMargaha panel of jurors were film critic and anthropologist Tito Valiente, National Committee on Cinema Chairperson Butch Ibañez, “Nocebo” actress Chai Fonacier, award-winning director Arden Rod Condez, creative writer Kenneth Rivera, and local historian Rod Florentino.
The SineMargaha Jury Prize award was given to the film “Mananguete” directed by Mery Grace Rama-Mission which is about the dying tradition of coconut wine making and an exploration of experiences of dementia in a person.
In their citation, the jury said that Mananguete can be described as traditional in its manner of storytelling but it does not stop us from viewing the life of an ordinary family and reveal to us great lessons about simplicity and humility.
“Towards the end, the film quietly develops into a form that is not yet greatly practiced locally - the creative documentary. Here is a film that wears its heart openly for us to admire and emulate, a role that cinema should never lose,” the citation stated.
Mananguete also brought home awards for musical score, production design, poster, and the Nunelucio Alvarado Panublion Award.
Thirdy Macam’s “Bang Bang Bang Patay Ka Na Patay Ka Na” received the Margaha Excellence for Film Award for a modern treatment and “a cautionary tale about how films and, for that matter, social media, are dangerous and should never be ignored”.
SineMargaha also gave the first-ever Margaha Lifetime Achievement Award for Acting to Dante Macam.
Other films in competition this year were “Aba” by Aljean Joulse Tagayong, “Kalye Bruka” by Joan Honoridez, “Lampitaw (Lady of the Night)” by Kent Raven Ardeña, and “Mahanduraw ko Nimo” by Ry Cortez.
Here are the full list of winners this year: Best Trailer- Mahanduraw ko Nimo; Best Poster- Mananguete designed by Rafael Amit; Special Citation for Production Management- Last Day Productions for Mananguete;
Best Sound Design- Khyle Zedrick Anasta for Taga-Taga; Best Musical Score- Lex Chavez for Mananguete; Best Original Soundtrack- “Taguon” for the short film Aba. Performed by Aljean Joulse Tagayong, Brian Ferraro, and Melizah May Morerah, Music by Brian Ferraro, and Produced by Anti-Heathens Heathen Studio;
Best Editing- Taga-Taga, edited by Khyle Zedrick Anasta; Best Production Design- Mery Grace Rama-Mission for Mananguete; Best Cinematography- Kent John Desamparado for Taga-Taga; Nunelucio Alvarado Heritage Award- Mananguete of Last Day Productions;
Special Citation for Acting- Patrick Facultad for Bang Bang Bang Patay Ka Na Patay Ka Na; Best Supporting Actor- Romeo Descartin, Jr. in Taga-Taga; Best Actor- Zoe Clarisse Limson in Taga-Taga; Best Screenplay- Trini Archie Garcia for Taga-Taga; Best Direction- Trini Archie Garcia for Taga-Taga;
Margaha Lifetime Achievement Award for Acting- Dante Macam; Margaha Excellence for Film- Bang Bang Bang Patay Ka Na Patay Ka Na; SineMargaha Jury Prize- Mananguete; SineMargaha Best Short Film- Taga-Taga.
The festival was highlighted by a fluvial parade with the filmmakers at the Sagay Marine Reserve, a premiere night by the black sand beach of Margaha, and closing ceremonies at the city public plaza.
All seven films of this year’s film festival are available to be streamed on JuanFlix, Film Development Council of the Philippines’ online channel until March 8.
The premiere of the short films by the Margaha Beach is a dream of Master Artist Nunelucio Alvarado to celebrate all disciplines of art and to have movies screened with the backdrop of the Sagay Sea.
The festival, which started with a film workshop with actress Chai Fonacier in 2017, has already produced 38 short films in the span of five years, all were given financial assistance from the City Government of Sagay and support from the National Commission for Culture and the Arts- Committee on Cinema, and the Film Development Council of the Philippines.
The festival is one of the landmark programs of Sagay City in partnership with Syano Artlink, Office of Vice Mayor Leo Rafael Cueva, Office of Neg. Occ. 2nd District Rep. Alfredo Marañon, III, Negros Occidental Provincial Government, FDCP, NCCA, and the Balhasanay Filmmaking Movement.*