Brillante Mendoza Film Workshop Awards Night at SM Aura

MANILA, Philippines - It was an evening of new film ideas, exciting alternative cinema talk and camaraderie during the recently-held Brillante Mendoza Film Workshop Awards Night at the Sky Park of SM Aura Premier.

Ma. Alyyana Antiporda won the Best Film Award for Masher, a commentary on social media, while Raymund Anthony Gutierrez was named Best Director for Anggulo, a film about students who cope with different dilemmas on making an indie film. Natileigh Marie Therese Sitoy, who played the wife visiting her jailed husband in Labas-Pasok, and Jomari Umpa, who played a teenager who fears that he contracted HIV from a much older man in Pasa, won the Best Actress and Best Actor awards, respectively.

A joint project of Centerstage Productions, SM Aura Premier, Samsung Electronics and Goldilocks, the event  was the first workshop organized by the 2009 Cannes Film Festival Best Director and recent recipient of a knighthood from the French government for culture and the arts.

Director Mendoza recalled that when he began making films nine years ago, he received offers to hold workshops, “but at that time, I felt that I was not yet prepared for it, and there was still so much I could learn.”

The idea was floated again early this year, and this time, he felt he was ready for it.  “This is also my way of giving back,” said the director, who is known for his advocacies and groundbreaking films that tackle social issues.

The workshop, which was held for six days drew in students, filmmakers and professionals. Participants underwent days of rigorous training guided by the movie industry’s stars.

Filmmakers Chito Roño, Jeffrey Jeturian and Joel Lamangan joined Mendoza in the directing workshop, while screenwriter Armando “Bing” Lao led the scriptwriting workshop.

Coco Martin, Eugene Domingo, Cherry Pie Picache and Jaclyn Jose served as mentors for the acting workshop.

This resulted in 19 five-minute films that amazed even Mendoza with their storytelling and production values, “considering that these were done during a very limited time and budget, I was also happy the way the different groups bonded together to make their films, considering that many only met during the workshop.”

The short films included On Duty, Caretaker, Epitaph, Here, Masher, The Make-Up Artist, Sinungaling, Papetir, Labas-Pasok, Monique, Pasa, Biboy, Night Shift, Legacy, Taxi, Anggulo, A Reason to Live, The Great Pretender and Madonna and Child.

Mendoza also said that organizing the workshop made him realize a lot of things about his work, and “I learned from the participants in the same way they learned from us.”  Needless to say, this could be the first of many workshops.