"Halaw," "Wag Kang Titingin" & "Donor" truimph in Cinemalaya 2010

Sheron Dayoc’s Halaw won the Best Film award in the New Breed Full Length Feature category while Pam Miras’ Wag Kang Titingin topped the Short Feature category and Mark Meily’s Donor was named Best Film in the Directors Showcase of the 6^th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival and Competition.  This was announced in the Cinemalaya awarding rites on July 18, 2010 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines’ Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo. 

 

Halaw was cited “for its timely depiction of the rigors and dangers that Filipinos go through in order to reach Sabah in search of greener pastures, its mastery of the elements of filmmaking and meaningful narrative, and its powerful herald that Mindanao cinema has come of age.

Three other awards went to Halaw--- Best Direction for Sheron Dayoc, who also wrote and produced the film, Best Performance of an Actor (John Arcilla) and Best Editing (Lester Olager and Chuck Gutierrez).

In the Short Feature category, Pam Miras’s Wag Kang Titingin was named Best Film “for its very striking story about a girl’s attempt beyond death and destruction to maintain for her younger sister a semblance of peace and order amid so much violence and conflict that seems the lot of today’s Filipinos.”

Donor, which was cited “for its mastery of nearly all the technical elements of filmmaking, its all-too-real depiction of the compromises and sacrifices that Filipinos go through to get out of the poverty trap, and its engaging portrayal of a woman forced to donate a part of her body in order to discover herself”, swept up a total of five awards in the Directors Showcase. In addition to the Best Film award, it won awards for Best Performance of an Actor (Baron Geisler), Best Performance of an Actress (Meryll Soriano), Best Performance of a Supporting Actress (Karla Pambid), and Best Production Design (Aped Santos).

Francis Xavier Pasion’s Sampaguita won Special Jury Prize in the New Breed Full Length Category “for its effective and coruscating take on the lives of young sampaguita vendors that dot the urban landscape of poverty and squalor, for its powerful documentary realism, its touching poignancy and its gnawing humanity.” 

Special Jury Prize in the Short Feature Category went to Rommel “Milo” Tolentino’s “P”, which was cited “for its humorous take on the joys and challenges of childhood, its near-flawless execution of a coming-of-age story, and its wit and charm that somehow approximate the unflagging optimism of youth and promise.”  The award for Best Direction in this category also went to Tolentino.

 Special Jury Prize in the Directors Showcase went to Gil Portes’ Two Funerals.  The film also won Best Direction for Portes, Best Screenplay (Enrique V. Ramos), and Best Cinematography (Arvin Viola).

In the New Breed Full Length Category, Lovi Poe won the award for Best Performance of an Actress for her role in Dan Villegas and Paul Sta. Ana’s Mayohan.  The film also won the Best Screenplay award (Paul Sta. Ana).  LJ Reyes won the award for Best Performance of a Supporting actress for her role in Ian Dean Loreños’ The Leaving while Emilio Garcia got the prize for Best Performance of a Supporting Actor for his role in Rekrut by Danny Añonuevo. 

Other awards in the New Breed Full Length Feature  category were given to Rekrut  (Albert Michael Idioma) for Best Sound; Mayohan (Emerzon Texon) for Best Original Music Score; and The Leaving (Syrel Lopez and Ivan Zaldarriaga) for Best Production Design.  The award for Best Cinematography was shared by the films Mayohan (Dan Villegas) and The Leaving (Rommel Andreo Sales, Jr.).

In the Short Feature category, Mikhail Red won the Best Screenplay award for his film Harang.

In the Directors Showcase, Tirso Cruz III won the Best Performance of a Supporting Actor for his role in Sigwa by Joel Lamangan while the Best Editing award went to Joselito Altarejos’ Pink Halo Halo (Chuck Gutierrez).

The 2010 Cinemalaya jury was composed of Jose Javier Reyes, Ricky Davao, Joselito Zulueta, Ishizaka Kenji, and Italo Spinelli.

Cinemalaya 2010, now on its sixth year, was held from July 9-18, 2010 at the CCP.  It is a competitive all digital film festival that aims to discover, encourage and honor the cinematic works of Filipino filmmakers and seeks to invigorate the Philippine film industry by developing a new breed of Filipino filmmakers.  Cinemalaya is a presentation of the Cinemalaya Foundation, the CCP, Film Development Council of the Philippines and Econolink Investments.