Cinema One Originals Digital Film Festival premieres in schools
By BOY VILLASANTA, abs-cbnNEWS.com | 11/18/2008 5:07 PM
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In search of a new, dynamic audience, the Cinema One Originals Digital Film Festival has found its partner in the academe to inform students about its artistic merits and relevance.
The festival will kick off via a campus tour in selected universities and colleges around Metro Manila from November 19 to 27, 2008.
According to Ronald Arguelles, head of Creative Programs, Inc. (CPI) and Cinema One, students will benefit from this move.
"We have to explore a lot to gain the importance of digital films. There are a lot of audiences waiting to be tapped and campuses are just the many willing market of these breakthroughs,” said Arguelles.
Some of the schools to be shown the seven (7) finalists for the 2008 Cinema One Originals Digital Film Festival are UP, UST, Ateneo, De La Salle University, University of Asia and the Pacific and other selected institutions.
“We want to show the students that local films are also at par with the foreign ones,” said Arguelles. Although not yet endorsed by the Department of Education, Arguelles is trying to convince the government to include in its educational curriculum the study of digital filmmaking in the country.
The seven finalists include “Alon,” a love story between a forlorn young girl and lonesome grown man, by writer and director Byron Bryant and stars Charee Pineda, Mark Gil and Eula Valdez. “Dose,” by winning writer-director Senedy Quez is a tender and passionate friendship that knows no nor or gender and stars Yul Servo, Emilio Garcia, Irma Adlawan and Fritz Chavez.
“Yanggaw,” by writer-director Richard Somes, explores the eerie side of humanity and stars Joel Torre, Tetchie Agbayani, Ronnie Lazaro and introduing Aleera Montalla; “MotorCycle” of director Jon red and writer-producer Karlo de Guzman is a melodrama-joyride from Manila to Vigan of a young man who discovers the inner truths of his identity and family and stars Jason Abalos, Nonie Buencamino, Kat Alano, Shamaine Centenera, Lovely Rivero, Jojit Lorenzo, Lance Raymundo, Jao Mapa and Jose Buencamino.
“Imburnal,” the controversial Lino Brocka Grand Prize at the recent Digital Lokal department of the 2008 Cinemanila International Film Festival by young filmmaker Sherad Anthony Sanchez, is a very provocative story of young lives who are about to get into young manhood while finding solace in their own little worlds and casts John Barredo, Bagane Fiola, Joel Geolamen, Mark Limbaga and Jelieta Ruca.
“UPCAT” of director Roman Olivares and writer Inna Miren Salazar and Alfred Reyes is a hip teen drama that gives the excitement and anxiety late teens go through with their dream of making it in the country’s state university and stars Felix Roco and; “Kolorete” of artist Ruello Lozendo from a script by Sherad Anthony Sanchez is a period melodrama about landlords and peasants.
The Cinema One Originals Digital Film Festival awards night will be on November 28 at the Dolphy Theater of the ABS-CBN. The board of judges is composed of credible and respected media practitioners led by Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino members Grace Javier Alfonso and Lito B. Zulueta, internationally acclaimed filmmakers Brillante Mendoza and Jeffrey Jeturian and actress Eugene Domingo.
