ILOCANO FILMS. Three Ilocano short films premiered at the Cinemalaya and Gawad Alternatibo film festivals at the Cultural Center of the Philippines Complex in Pasay City, Metro Manila over the weekend (Aug. 5-6, 2023). The films were directed by two Mariano Marcos State University alumnus and a junior Communications student. (Photo courtesy of MMSU)
LAOAG CITY – Three Ilocano short films produced by local talents in Ilocos Norte province were featured in film festivals at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Complex in Pasay City, Metro Manila over the weekend.
“Karkarma,” a short narrative film directed by Melver Gomez, was part of Cinemalaya 2023 under its Next Generation section.
The film revolves around the story of a woman on a journey to discover her karkarma, or a person's second soul in Ilocano culture.
Gomez is a faculty member of the College of Arts and Sciences - Department of Languages and Literature at Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU).
Meanwhile, the documentary film "Arapaap" (A Dream) directed by Ryand Angelo Ugalde, an incoming junior Bachelor of Arts in Communication student, was selected as a documentary finalist under the 35th Gawad CCP Para sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Video (Gawad Alternatibo).
“Arapaap” is a story set in a "perya" (carnival) about young dreamers.
MMSU alumnus John Gabriel Gantala's film "Baklaak" (I’m Gay) was also a finalist in the Gawad Alternatibo under the short feature category, the story of a transwoman preparing for a pageant.
Cinemalaya, now on its 19th year, is the Philippines’ leading independent film festival, while Gawad Alternatibo is one of the longest-running film festivals in Asia.
“This is another feather to MMSU’s cap. Congratulations to the MMSU talents. So proud of you!” said MMSU president Shirley Agrupis on Monday as she shared her excitement about the latest achievement of the state-run university in filmmaking.
In support of local artists and filmmakers, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts is inviting applicants for next year’s competitive grants for the development, protection, preservation, and dissemination of Philippine culture and arts.
The projects are categorized per sub-commissions such as arts, cultural and traditional arts, cultural dissemination, and cultural heritage, with a total grant of PHP107 million.
Deadline for submission of proposals is on Aug. 31, 2023. Filmmaking falls under the visual arts category. (PNA)
