By Astarte Abraham
A FILM competition can unify regions in the promotion of their arts and culture. This was made apparent in the first-ever North Luzon Film Festival (NLFF), held at the Brickstone Mall Cinema in Tuguegarao City, Cagayan.
The festival showcased films from the Ilocos Region, Cayagan Valley, Cordillera Administrative Region and Central Luzon. It also served as a venue for discussion for film directors and culture and arts researchers.
This year’s theme was “Cinema Padday: Sikami Nga Taga-Norte” (Cinema Padday: We from the North). Padday is an Ybanag and Itawit word, which means “to make”. A total of 22 independently produced short films participated in the competition.
Joseph Arcegono, the festival coordinator, said the event was a project of the North Luzon Cinema Guild Inc. in partnership with the Office of Congressman Randolph S. Ting, the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), the Department of Tourism (DOT) Region 2 the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), the Philippine Information Agency (PIA) Region 2, and Viddsee.com. Media partners were WhenInManila.com and Cinema Bravo.
Purita Licas, the regional director of the PIA Region 2, said during the opening ceremony on March 24, that a short film can be an archive of culture, and the festival can serve as an inspiration for young filmmakers to tell stories, not only from the present, but also from the past using film as their medium.
As Virgilio Maguigad, the regional director of the DOT Region 2, put it, “A beautiful place must be supplemented with stories. The stories link us to our culture.”
“Culture abounds in each place, and short films can be made featuring tourist destinations—such as Saint Dominic Church and the Tocalana Ruins in Lal-lo, formerly known as Nueva Segovia,” said Maria Olivia Pascual, president of the Cagayan Valley Regional Tourism Council, Inc.
Ting of the Third District of Cagayan said, “Culture and the arts transcend generations. Therefore, their promotion should continue, regardless of insurmountable odds, lack of funds, changes in the leadership in government, and even lack of support from the audience itself. Culture evolves. Hence, the youth can improve on the old and create new culture—a culture that speaks to their current sensibilities. It is up to us Filipinos to promote our own culture and to support our filmmakers. We can protect our cultural icons so we can pass them on to future generations.”
Jerome Dulin, director of the festival as well as the North Luzon Cinema Guild Inc., said films could feature topics unique to North Luzon (i.e., the burial practices of the Ybanags or the Ilocanos), and to use the languages in the region. He also described the festival as a passion project. “Nobody can steal your passion. Your project can be stolen. But your love for one art form cannot be stolen from you.”
Edru Abraham, the founder-leader of the Kontemporaryong Gamelan Pilipino (Kontra-GaPi) and himself an Ybanag, agreed. “Cagayan Valley is one of the most culturally diverse and the richest geographically, linguistically in the entire country.”
During the awards ceremony held at the Valley Hotel on March 25, Elvert Banares, a member of the committee on Cinema of the NCCA, viewed the festival as a celebration of each other’s artistry.
“Cultures must not be pitted against each other. As an independent filmmaker, one is free to tell stories in one’s own style. Even if only one person understands or likes your film, it’s a good start,” he said.
Paul Angelo Atienza, program officer of the FDCP, said one of FDCP’s biggest advocacies is the empowerment of regional cinema and the establishment of an education division, which can help propagate cinema in the local level.
The festival trophies—made of clay and reflective of North Luzon’s pottery business—were painstakingly handcrafted in Iguig, Cagayan.
The winners in the college/professional category were: Fiyag Ad Ngatu from Louissian Eye Productions (Best Film); Darryl Yap for Squatterina from Likhang Sawakas (Best Director); Kristofer Aldwin Galinato for Squatterina from Likhang Sawakas (Best Actor); Jeava L. Baggas for Fiyag Ad Ngatu (Best Actress); Redz Olarte for Lihim ng Stalker from RnR Ventures (Best screenplay); John Carlo Nova for Squatterina from Likhang Sawakas (Best Cinematography); Coleen Angela Romero and Janelyn Ancheta for Fiyag Ad Ngatu of Louissian Eye Productions (Best Production Design); and Mark Aguirre for Deathmarch from TalesWeTell (Best Editing and Best Sound Design).
Ang Lihim ng Stalker, directed by Redz Olarte of RnR Ventures, received a special jury citation for an animated film.
The winners in the high-school category were: Pula sa Pilak from Polarisa Productions (Best Picture); In the Name of Love from Tekenoshi Productions (Best Editing); Pinissay from Queentown Productions (Special Jury Prize); Pula sa Pilak from Polarisa Productions (Best Cinematography); Benito Alipino III for In the Name of Love (Best Actor); Jaymaida Tabangcura for In the Name of Love (Best Actress); Pinissay from Queentown Productions (Best Screenplay); Balintataw from DY Productions (Best Production Design); and Joan Ivy Garcia for Pula sa Pilak from Polarisa Productions (Best Director).
Philippine cinema is not just comprised of commercial or mainstream films. Regional independent film festivals such as the NLFF should continue in order to broaden the Philippines’s cinematic landscape.