Earlier this month, the 17th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival finally began, streaming its films online for the second year amid this pandemic. Once again, it is showcasing short films for its main competition, with thirteen films competing for the prestigious Balanghai trophies.
During a virtual program this August 19, Cinemalaya officially announced the winners for this year’s festival, chosen by jurors Sigrid Andrea Bernardo, Jeffrey Jeturian, and Aruna Vasudev. Check them out below:
Best Film – Beauty Queen
Beauty Queen by Myra Aquino is a biographical short film about Remedios Gomez-Paraiso, also known as Kumander Liwayway. A beauty queen in Pampanga, Remedios also joined the Hukbalahap resistance to fight the Japanese invaders.
Best Direction – Kids on Fire
Best Screenplay – Kids on Fire
Kids on Fire by Kyle Nieva follows JC, a prepubescent boy who discovers his role on the impending apocalypse at a religious camp, and gets torn between his divine calling and his constantly emerging sexual fantasies.
Audience Choice Award – An Sadit Na Planeta
Special Jury Prize – An Sadit Na Planeta
NETPAC (Network for te Promotion of Asian Cinema) Jury Prize – An Sadit Na Planeta
An Sadit Na Planeta by Arjanmar H. Rebeta is about a man who is awakened by a mysterious voice and finds himself on a small planet. He then explores this little planet for 40 days.
The Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival officially opened last August 6, and it will continue its run until September 5. You can still catch the thirteen films, divided into two sets, on KTX.ph via pay-per-view. Each set is available for only P150.
Also part of the festival are the Cinemalaya mainstays including the Gawad CCP Para sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Video, Cinemalaya Retrospectives, Visions of Asia, IndieNation, and more.
For more information, visit the official CCP and Cinemalaya websites.
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Homestream image courtesy of Cinemalaya.
