By: Railon Deniega
Photo grabbed from the Film Development Council of the Philippines' official Facebook page.
A FILM by the Institute of Communication (iCOMM) seniors bagged a Special Award in We Are Intramuros Short Film Festival 2018 that was organized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) last November 18 at the Instituto Cervantes in Intramuros, Manila.
The short film “Mamang Kutsero” produced by 19/20 productions tackled the plight of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender (LGBT) community as it narrates a story of a homosexual driver of a horse-drawn calash in Intramuros.
The Special Award is a prize given to one or two production teams chosen by a group of film critics from FDCP.
Communication Arts senior, Aaron Salem expressed his amazement on how the film achieved the award, noting the struggles they have endured during the making.
“I can't believe na nanalo kami dahil maraming nangyari during the competition. Naaksidente ako sa motor during the competition so nagsu-shoot ako kahit injured ‘yong right knee and right hand ko [dahil] kailangang lumaban para sa Colegio at sa mga taong naglo-lookup sa amin,” Salem told The LANCE.
When asked about the edge of their output among other entries, Communication Arts major Olivia Dayao said: “Nanalo kami, sa tingin ko dahil nakuha namin ‘yong touch of comedy. Which is one of our wildcards na dapat ma-achieve namin, and ‘yong touch of family kung saan si Bea [one of the characters], nakahanap siya ng pamilya sa piling ng isang bading na may halong nanay na at tatay pa.”
19/20 Productions is composed of Raven Pedron and Olivia Dayao as directors, Jose Montecillo as an editor, and Aaron Salem as the director of photography.
We Are Intramuros Short Film Festival is a 24hr filmmaking challenge that provides an opportunity to all young aspiring filmmakers around Metro Manila which aim to promote the outstanding values of the Filipino people like hospitality, valuing family, hard work, and resourcefulness.