BY NESTOR CUARTERO
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SHORT FILMS ONLY: By force of circumstance, Cinemalaya 2020 shall be limited to 10 expanded short films in competition instead of the usual feature films in festivals past.
Cinemalaya director Laurice Guillen, however, assured that the 10 films approved for production this year shall be added to next year’s festival.
CM 2021 therefore is expected to screen a record harvest of 20 films in competition.
Laurice admitted there’s quite a number of hurdles in producing films in this time of the pandemic.
“It doesn’t mean it is impossible to do so. We stress the importance of creating content at this time,” she admonished.
Chris Millado, CCP vice-president, said CM is truly going digital this year. He added Cinemalaya blazed the trail for digital films when it started in 2005.
“Our dream is to go online and stream into your consciousness,” he said during an online presser.
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SAMPU SILA: The 10 short films competing this year are 15 to 20 minutes long each. They will be screened via Vimeo together with 20 selected titles from previous CM festivals.
The films are co-produced by Cultural Center of the Philippines and Cinemalaya Foundation Inc.
Out of 244 entries submitted, 10 short films were selected and will vie for the Best Film award.
These are: “Ang Gasgas na Plaka ni Lolo Bert” (The Broken Vinyl Record) by Janina Gacosta and Cheska Marfori; “Ang Pagpakalma sa Unos” (To Calm the The Pig Inside–Joanna Vasquez Arong); “Excuse Me, Miss, Miss” (Sonny Calvento).
“Fatigued” (James Robin Mayo); “Living Things” (Martika Ramirez Escobar); “Pabasa Kan Pasyon” (Hubert Tibi); “Quing Lalam Ning Aldo” (Under The Sun–Reeden Fajardo); “The Slums” (Jan Andrei Cobey); “Tokwifi” (Carla Pulido Ocampo); and “Utwas” (Arise) by Richard Salvadico and Arlie Sweet Sumagaysay.
