I was fortunate to have been part of the jury of the 6th Mindanao Film Fest. And together with film historian Teddy Co of the NCCA and local filmmaker Rudolph Alama, I watched, critiqued, and chose the best among the field of contenders. It was an enjoyable task, but very much taxing. I liked one of the films very much. It was, in fact, my personal favorite. (Obviously, I was outvoted. Hehe!) The film is Director Ronald Gary Bautista's Ang Sipyat which he made in collaboration with his brother and student Leo Jeorge Bautista under the production outfit Studio Beta. The film won Best in Sound in the 6th MFF and was a strong contender in most categories. Ang Sipyat (The Error) is the story of a famed thief who made the mistake of victimizing a girl. His victim, it turns out, has two siblings who are skilled in martial arts. The story seems simple enough. Shallow, in fact. But upon watching the film, as cliche as it sounds, there is more to it than the summary says. The story has a slight but not off putting twist. Can't tell you more coz it would spoil the fun of watching…
Tag: mindanao
Congratulations to GenSan News Online Mag!
This PBA 2010 Best Travel and Destination Blog for Mindanao is GenSan News Online Mag by Avel Manansala of General Santos City. Avel has been blogging since 2007. Since then, he has won awards, organized blogging workshops and summits, and founded the Soccsksargen Bloggers. His blog, GenSan News Online Mag covers a wide range of topic from events to politics, from personalities to food, all about General Santos City and the Soccsksargen region. Soccsksargen stands for South Cotabato, Cotabato City, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, and General Santos City. All of these cities and provinces are part of Region 12. A respected and well-loved member of the Gen San community, Avel needs to call on the Soccsksargen Bloggers, sponsors, and their community leaders just once and he will receive overwhelming support for his blogging endeavors. And why not? His efforts are not for himself or his group alone, but for the benefit of his community and his beloved hometown, General Santos City. Truly, General Santos City is lucky to have Avel in the forefront, generating interest for, sharing news and information about, and leading the promotion of General Santos City. He is prolific as a blogger and as a hard-working Heneral. Other…
MFAT: Soccsksargen Summer Safari Day 2
This is a very late post. I know. I'm sorry. :P But better late than never, right? May 30 was Day 2 of the first ever Mindanao Food Appreciation Tour: Soccsksargen Summer Safari. The day began early for the participants as we woke up from our comfy beds at the Ice Castle Experience. Our gracious hosts Avel and Orman Manansala together with Donna Congson fetched us very early. Why? To have our breakfast at Dolores Farm Resort en route to Lake Sebu. Most of us lacked sleep, but nobody complained after seeing the very beautiful Dolores Farm Resort and the yummy breakfast they have prepared. Aside from the bangus, sinangag, and itlog combo meal, they served deep fried tilapia and hot native chocolate. I love Tilapia. Bow. And I was overly (AS IN OA!) excited to see the very pretty deep fried tilapia. And the hot native chocolate was a the perfect drink to complement the meal. Aside from breakfast, we toured the Dolores Farm Zoo. It freaked me out by most of the participants enjoyed it. Sorry na, I'm not an animal lover. Our next stop? The Seven Falls of Lake Sebu. It was breath-taking. Literally and figuratively. We…
Ateneo Human Knights Film Festival
I was invited to the press screening of the Ateneo de Davao Human Knights Film Festival. The Human Knights Film Fest is the public screening, competition, and awarding of the film projects of the Communications majors under AdDU Faculty member Ronald Gary Bengil Bautista. Gary Bautista is himself a multi-awarded indie filmmaker, having won numerous awards in the 5th Mindanao Film Festival for his film Sandugo. Bautista taught and mentored his students for a semester and the Human Knights Film Festival is the culmination of their class for the second semester of SY 2009 - 2010. First up was dramedy Tick Tock by JP Curay. Tick Tock is a Bisaya film by Cinesthesia Films, produced by Abby Araullo. It stars Jessa Mabasag as a girl with only 24 hours to live. The catch? She is young and a virgin. LOLS! The film is funny and a bit sexy peppered by of course, some drama. The second film was more serious and darker, Hatsu Tamo, a Japanese language film by Jap-Fil Hashiko Nagasaki. It is an emotional suspense movie. My favorite among the four films was Thy Will Be Done by Kristian Somera. It is produced by Carmelle Jumawan and stars…
Mindanao Food Appreciation Tour Day 1
It's already May 30, 1 am, Day 2 of the epic Mindanao Food Appreciation Tour / Soccsksargen Summer Safari (MFAT). Yesterday (a few hours ago) marked a first, Day 1 of the first ever MFAT. The day started with the arrival of Cagayan de Oro Bloggers in Davao City, led by President Chiq Montes. CDO Bloggers and Davao Bloggers ate a sumptuous feast at Ranchero's Grill and Restaurant in Davao City. All thanks to the generosity of Paolo Sunglao and his family. Everybody enjoyed the cornucopia of seafoods and the very tasty and tender baby back ribs, among other dishes. It was a very filling lunch. After lunch the group traveled to General Santos City led by Davao Bloggers Project Lead Brendel Balaga. Upon their arrival they checked in at the official hotel of the event, the Ice Castle Experience where I am currently blogging from right now. It is a soon to open hotel which has really nice amenities. Aside from the free WiFi, have beautiful rooms with flat screen tv, comfortable beds, and clean bathrooms. SUPER NICE! After settling down and freshening up, the participants went to the Pacman Sports Bar owned by Manny and Jinkee Pacquiao where…
Kalilangan 2010 Street Dancing Competition
I managed to video snippets of the colorful and beautiful Street Dancing Competition of the Kalilangan Festival 2010: The Kalilangan Festival is the celebration of the foundation of General Santos City. The celebration is spearheaded by the City Government led by Mayor Jun Acharon and the GSC Chamber of Commerce led by its President Pilar Afuang. The Kalilangan 2010 is spearheaded by Festival Director, Orman Manansala. One of the highlights is the Street Dancing Competition in two categories: Kadsagayan for the General Santos contingents and Open Category for contingents representing other festivals in Mindanao. This was held on February 27, 2010. Congratulations to all the winners! :)