Photo by Nathalie Espinosa
Out of 174 submitted entries, Institute of Communication’s (IComm) very own "Nakauwi Na" has been selected as one of the 12 finalists running for the Best Short Feature in this year's Cinemalaya.
Made by fourth year Communication students last school year, "Nakauwi Na" follows Mang Jerry as he finds ways to earn enough money to get his son, a victim of extrajudicial killings, out of the funeral home.
Directed by Marvin Cabangunay and Jaynus Olaivar, the said film was an official entry for last year's CinemaKnights and was hailed the Best Film in the recently concluded Excellance 2017.
"Being one of the directors of ‘Nakauwi Na’ is one of the highlights of my college life. It challenged me," said the fresh AB Communication graduate Cabangunay, who thought of giving up during the production days.
Cabangunay added that being part of the prestigious event is already an achievement.
"Before it was only my habit to watch the annual film festival but never did occur to me to be part of it," he said. "And now we're one step away to become a film maker we wish to be."
However, despite competing with those who have already names in the industry, Cabangunay and the rest of his team remain optimistic on bagging awards.
"Timely and timeless. I think these are just two of the strengths of our film. I believe that a film must not only amaze you by its graphics or by its cinematography and other technical stuff," said the director who believes that their film has really a lot of potential.
"The most important and challenging thing is to tell a story in your most effective and creative way. Our film is nonlinear and that's also our strength because it's still fresh to our viewers. If you combine it all, it's a masterpiece," he added.
Aside from Cinemalaya, the short film became part of the recent Sine Tomasino of UST Film Society. The proud Letran filmmakers received three awards namely Best Screenplay, Best Director and Primera Cine Award for Best Short Film.
With all these present accolades, Cabangunay looks forward in joining other international festivals like Singapore International Film Festival and Busan International Film Festival.
(First published on The LANCE's June Issue)