Students and alumni alike hailing from the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde dominated the 29th Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Independent Film & Video Festival (Ika‐29 Gawad CCP Para Sa Alternatibong Pelikula At Video) last August 7 at the CCP Tanghalang Manuel Conde.

The films in the competition, which are part of 13th Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, were divided into four categories namely Animation, Experimental, Documentary and Short Feature. Majority of the winners in the Short Feature and Animation Categories were Benildeans.

Benilde’s Digital Filmmaking alumnus Alfonso Silva bagged second place in the Short Feature category with his entry “Proxy,” a sci-fi drama short that talks about loss, longing, and depression. The story revolves around a man who lost his wife from cancer, who then acquired an artificial intelligence unit that resembles and functions as his new wife.

“I really did not expect to get any award at all. First, there were [more than 40] films in the competition and the probability of placing in the top three is highly unlikely. The film I sent to the competition is actually my thesis film that I made last year,” Silva said.

Meanwhile, Andrea Arias and Mia Rosero placed third for their entry “Auntwo Susan,” a story of a 54-year old aunt diagnosed with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) who has always lived alone and found an exceptional companion with an 11-year old neighbor, Julia.

In an interview with Arias, she shared she is overjoyed with the accomplishment and added the entry was also their thesis film.

“We didn’t think we’ll rank and besides, we were already contented for being a finalist,” she said.

Tim Rone Bagnas Villanueva took home the third place for his entry “Santa Nena!,” a patron saint statue in a church that springs to life every night and falls in love with a teeanager even though God forbids her. This is Villanueva’s 4th time to compete. Among the other competitions he joined were Sinepiyu 2017, Ateneo Video Open 2017, and CineSB7.

On the other hand, Benildeans also dominated the Animation category as the first and second places were held by alumni Agu Crisostomo and Sofia Abellera with their entries “Diskarte” and “Sorcerace” respectively.

“It was a pleasant surprise. I’ve been submitting my film wherever, and very seldom did it get selected, so I didn’t really keep track with updates from festivals,” Abellera said. Her entry is about a high-spirited witch who is willing to do anything to win the broomstick racing competition called the Sorcerace. When her greed for the prize places a life in danger, she is faced with a dilemma: to continue fulfilling her dream or to correct her wickedness.

In addition, “Pasada,” a horror film by Cesar E. Asuncion III and his group mates was awarded Honorable Mention. The film presents the journey of two friends (Ricardo and Jimboy) who operate a jeep in a heavily polluted city. Their story begins when they are caught in a mysterious fog emitted by a Balete tree, an age-old urban legend that has long been disrespected by citizens. Determined to survive, the two must do their jobs and bring their elderly passenger to safety as they face the unknown horrors that lie within the fog.

“We decided to put our own twists to them. We wanted to show a new perspective of our already rich culture and mythology,” Asuncion said.

The complete list of the winners are listed below:

Short Feature Category

1st Prize:
“Sa Saiyang Isla” (In His Island) by Christian Candelaria of University of the Philippines Diliman

2nd Prize:
“Proxy” by Alfonso Silva of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde

3rd Prize:
“Auntwo Susan” by Andrea Arias & Mia Rosero of Benilde Film/Suntanned Productions

Honorable Mentions:
“Ma’am La” by Vince Sevillano of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde
“Santa Nena!” by Tim Rone Villanueva of Benilde Film/TV Films

Animation Category

1st Prize:
“Diskarte” by Agu Crisostomo of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde

2nd Prize:
“Sorcerace” by Sofia Abellera of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde
“Pinagrok” by Maybelle dV. Escaro of Ateneo de Naga University

3rd Prize:
“Litrato” by Marc Jon B. Villanea of Ateneo de Naga University

Honorable Mentions:
“Pasada” by Cesar E. Asuncion III of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde

Documentary Category

1st Prize:
In the Middle of the Night (Sa Kalagitnaaan ng Gabi) by Bryan Kristoffer Brazil of Manila Montage Inc.

2nd Prize:
Spring by the Sea by Aleia Garcia of Mapua University

3rd Prize:
Timbre: Isang Dokumentaryo Tungkol Sa Laban Kontra Droga by Camille Saminte and Pam Bareo of St. Scholastica’s College Manila

Honorable Mention:
Bai: A Video Documentary of the Plight of Ata-Manobo Women in Talaingod, Davao Del Norte by Bianca Aquino, Angelica Gahoy, Rhianne Raval, and Hermes Tunao of St. Scholastica’s College Manila

Experimental Category

2nd Prize:
Recurrencia by Carmina Cruz of Bakunawa Productions

3rd Prize:
Ang Pagkalaglag ng Ginintuang Salaman ng Pagkakakilanlan by Tricia Sotaso of Mapua University

Honorable Mentions:
Chapter 2: On the Vanity of Existence by Mathieu Padilla of Marilou Diaz-Abaya Film Institute

Philippine Cinema: A Century Hence by Epoy Deyto of Independent – tollidBilly Productions

The CCP Independent Film and Video Festival, established in 1987, is considered the longest-running independent film competition of its kind in the ASEAN region.