The fruits of 119 Digital Filmmaking students’ labor showed as four of their short films, out of the total eight, were named finalists in the 2020 Summer Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF), where they portrayed the theme: “Pinoy Pride” to be proud of the familial, the familiar, and the pressing political hot topics.

Last March 9, the following Benildean short films were deemed finalists:

• “AaBaKaDa
• “Sala, Salin-Laway
• Sina Alexa, Xander At Ang Universe
• “Paano Maging Babae”

Through exploring a great deal under five minutes, AaBaKaDa asks what the possibilities look like if the Philippines keeps its foreign, specifically Chinese presence, unchecked.

In an interview with The Benildean, the Director-Editor Tyrone James B. Luanzon described how it was “surreal. I felt so awed and I couldn’t believe it. I originally made [AaBaKaDa] as a passion project not really thinking about winning but, here it is as one of the eight finalists.”

However, the submission did not entirely consist of elated shrieks. “Submitting was a rollercoaster of stress and fulfillment. The production of this film was another step of growing.”

For Daniella C. Verzosa, the director of “Sala, Salin-Laway,” local film festivals such as MMFF is a “a great opportunity for me and other student filmmakers to excel in our craft; and to share our message to a wider audience.”

Audiences can expect a “quick yet immersive trip to the Filipino household” as the “brevity of the film might keep them hanging but the passage will surely suffice.” From exploring Miss Universe mania, scrutinizing the implications of our nation’s foreign influx, and as Verzosa puts it, “the conflicting spectrums of what ‘Pinoy Pride’ really means,” as the story tells about a family uniting to watch the worldwide pageant.

Benildean creators of these films used the Philippines’ social conditions—its influx of foreigners, its people’s cultural quirks, and even their own experiences—as their muses.

As scriptwriter Vahn Leonard C. Pascual shared “sa panonood ng aming maikling pelikula [Sina Alexa, Xander At Ang Universe], makikita niyo kung gaano kasaya at kakulay ang buhay kapag ine-enjoy mo ito at wala ka munang iniisip na problema,” inspired by his personal life with a similar vein and spins of Pinoy Pride on pageantry.

However, what more can be said on “Paano Maging Babae” without giving away spoilers? The film shall seek to answer its titular question.

These short films should definitely be at the top of your list of summer flicks you can’t afford to miss! Other entries are “Balik-Bayan” of the University of Makati, Western Mindanao State University’s harrowing “Kyokok (Nilingaw)” set against the backdrop of war, the Philippine High School for Art’s short films namely “Lipstick” and “Paraisong Parisukat.”

Eight out of 24 were chosen as the official entries for the 2020 Metro Manila Film Festival. However, its screening on April 11 to 21 and other film festival activities was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, its next target dates have yet to be seen.