May 7, 2022
Sinepiyu is an annual film festival organized by FEU Film Society which began in 2007. This festival encourages aspiring filmmakers from Far Eastern University and other schools in the Philippines to tell stories on social realities. The theme this year is "Ibayo" (Beyond), representing courage, resolve and perseverance to tell stories despite adverse weather and strong waves encountered in the journey of life.
There are a total of 30 finalists in four main categories of short films in Sinepiyu's 14th year this year: All-Tamaraws (11), Interschool Narrative (9), Interschool Documentary (5), and Interschool Experimental (5). They are being streamed for free on the website of the Film Development Council of the Philippines. There are also physical screenings being held at the Cinematheque Centre Manila.
The 11 finalists in the All-Tamaraws Division covered a wide range of genres and topics. There was suspense-horror -- "A Stop Over" (Jayven Manzano, 19 minutes) about a group outing gone wrong. There was coming of age -- "Pempem at ang Bomba Magazine" (Migs Ruallo, 19 minutes), with wacky Dada Garcia as a 15 year-old girl who found a girlie magazine in her schoolbag. There was fantasy -- "If I Could Give You the Moon" (Francis Tavas, 19 minutes), a silent short about a boy meeting the moon in human form.
Four were dramas about families. "Letra" (Jillian Marie Bolayog, 17 minutes), featuring cute little tyke TG Daylusan and his thick long mane of curls in the lead role of Kokoy, who was trying to write a letter to get through to his aloof father Mikko (Rey Mangabat) who had just returned after a long absence. "Tanda" (Julie Marx Barriga, 17 minutes) was light dramedy about an old man Juanito (Angel Roxas Dazo, Jr.) suspicious about his wife Teresita (Rosario Charing Atun) and her activities outside their home.
Two were about young women and their folk healer fathers, but with vastly different stories. In "Kris+ina" (Jessy Doydora, 19 minutes), Ka Virgilio (Francis Mata) was trying his best to rid his ailing daughter Kristina (Precy Villota) from the unwanted attention of a kapre. On a much darker tone was "On the Shepherd's Warning" (Lily Gomes, 19 minutes) about the disturbed daughter (Jeanette Jamora) of a man (Jun Nayra) who conducted secret healing rites for sick women. The work of cinematographer Imran Aquino here was commendable.
Four had a political theme. "Tanawing Pinta" (Edel Torres Hembrador and Samantha Maceda, 9 minutes) was a pointedly direct metaphor about a certain first lady. "arKibo" (Vhannie Dacumos, 13 minutes) was about the deep dark secret of a senator running again for office. "Soils of Corruption" (Carl Mendoza, 14 minutes) was about a presidential assassination as it was being discussed by two priests. "Ilo" (Serafin Emmanuel Catangay, 15 minutes) started as a sci-fi thriller about alien abduction, until the ending revealed who the aliens were.
Two of 9 finalists in the Interschool - Narrative category had a Martial Law theme: "An Amomonggo sa Aton" ("The Monster Among Us") (Vinjo Entuna, 16 minute) a motion graphics short about the Escalante Massacre in Negros Island in 1985, and "Gapos Sa Kadenang Walang Kandado" (Dan Versoza, 6 minutes) about a mother visualizing scenes of torture as she listened to tapes of her daughter talking about her difficult thesis work.
"Top Fans" (Vien Dimaculangan, 19 minutes), a satiric comedy about a retrenched writer (John Christian Magpantay) who became a paid social media troll during the pandemic. "Bulawan" (Gold on the Ground) (Jermaine Tulbo, 12 minutes), began lightly as a poor farmer (DMs Boongaling) and his son (Nathaniel Molina) dig for gold that came out from a 2030 eruption of Mt. Apo, but things turned dark when the police arrived, ordering them to stop.
"Mundong Walang Katiyakan" (Vahn Pascual, 10 minutes) was about a middle-aged gay couple dealing with early-onset dementia. "Lilibeth" (Shai Colanse, 16 minutes) was about a teenage couple (Rhythm Joy Alolor and Lean Gabriel Bustillos) dealing with an unexpected pregnancy. "Haan Ta Nga Mataengan Nga Aggidan" (We Won''t Grow Old Together) (Mike Cabarles, 10 minutes) was about a teenage boy and the old woman who adopted him when he was abandoned as a child.
"My Mother's Bicycle" (Gabriel Carmelo, 14 minutes), about a daughter dealing with her mother's death, was most remarkable because it was filmed in scenic rural Uzbekistan and featured an Uzbek actress Zebo Raximova in the lead role. The other standout in this set is "Cut/Off" (Von Victor Viernes and Sean Russell Romero, 12 minutes) with Vince Aseron giving an intensely moving portrayal of Chris, a closeted gay young man who had a vibrantly colorful drag queen persona struggling to come out. This could contend for Best Director and Best Actor.
There were five finalists in the Interschool - Documentary category. Two of them were intimate personal stories of young men and their mental health issues. "A Puff of Misery" (James Magnaye, 15 minutes) was about Wayne Austin Tagulao, a introverted paranoid young man who survived a suicide attempt, and his supportive mom Celeste. "Disorder" (Calvin A. Ponteblanca, 19 minutes) was about a day in the life of a young man working on his film thesis as he dealt with various medical conditions.
"Gising Sining" (Ruka Azama and Mel Perez, 19 minutes) was a more typical documentary about Filipino revolutionary street artists stirring the sociopolitical pot with their art. "Private Tomas" (Maxine Angelique Munoz, 8 minutes) introduced Tomas Mateo Claudio, a young man who emigrated to the US, served in WW1 and died in battle, celebrated as a hero in Morong, Rizal. "Two Women and the Rock Garden" (Mike Cabarles, 8 minutes) was about two long-estranged sisters who reunited in their family's beach resort in Bolinao, Pangasinan.
There were five finalists in the Interschool - Experimental category. The most accessible one was "Panaghoy ng Taong Ulul" (Bradley Jason Pantajo, 9 minutes), showing a guy reciting Hamlet's soliloquy while taking a shower. The others, "Salamin" (David Edrick Jimenez Collado, 6 minutes), "It's Bristle Time" (Aron Barrameda Abad, 5 minutes), "Lungkot" (Redsh Alba, 5 minutes) and "The Past is Far Behind Us" (Juan Antonio Saavedra, 4 minutes), were bizarre abstract works with seemingly random mixes of footage, graphic images, music, lighting and sound effects.
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