Another Cinemalaya comes to a close as the independent film festival celebrates the best and the brightest during its closing awards ceremony held on August 17th at Shangri La Plaza in Mandaluyong.
Mothers Win Big
Horror-drama Mag-Iina won not one but two of the top prizes of the festival. The film picked up the Best Full-Length Feature award, equivalent to Best Picture while Giancarlo Abrahan picked up Best Director for the same film. The eerie and tense film stars Janine Gutierrez, Jackie Lou Blanco, and Cherry Pie Picache. The film also nearly swept the craft awards, winning Best Screenplay (Full Length), Best Original Music Score and Best Production Design, awarding the suffocating and rotting ancestral home depicted in the film.
Meanwhile, social drama 2 Valid IDs starring Marietta “Pokwang” Subong as a woman trapped by chaotic bureaucracy, won the Special Jury Award (Full Length) and the Audience Choice Award (Full Length).
Best Actress ended up in a tie, as the Balanghai trophy was awarded to both Subong for 2 Valid IDs and to veteran actress Ruby Ruiz, the star of Status: Rejected, a film about a lonely woman who falls for an online suitor. Ruiz made history earning her fourth Cinemalaya award, the most of any actor or actress in history. Also, Best Supporting Actress was handed to Bituin Ecalante for her powerful portrayal of a governor’s struggling wife in A.ni.mál. The political satire also picked up Best Editing.
The Kids Are All Right
This year’s Cinemalaya films featured several child actors giving acclaimed performances. Almost all of the main competition entries had major child performances in them, and during the awards ceremony, the festival celebrated all these performances with a short tribute. Cinemalaya has always been a ground for new and young talent, and this year was no different.
To add to that, the Best Supporting Actor award was given to two child actors: Lucas Andalio for Mag-Iina and KD Omalin for Hand of God. Andalio’s performance in the aforementioned horror film is another one to add to the long list of great “creepy child” characters in Philippine cinema, while Omalin was the heart of his film about child soldiers.
Best Actor, on the other hand, was awarded to Martin del Rosario for Tayo Lang ang Nakakaalam. Del Rosario played Neil, a gay man whose long-time partner suddenly falls ill, upending their quiet life. The film also picked up several more awards, including Best Ensemble, Best Sound Design and Best Cinematography.
The Best of the Rest
The Shorts trophies were also awarded during the evening, with Rey Anthony Villaverde’s touching drama Silkscreen winning Best Film (Short Film) and Para-Paraan, a short documentary about the troubles faced every day by wheelchair users, won the Special Jury Award.
As for the crafts, Best Director (Short Film) was awarded to Gabriela Serrano for sci-fi drama Elenita, Elena, Elaine, while Best Screenplay (Short Film) was given to Lysa Catolico & Jazmine Gin R. Pateña for RUNO!, an animated short about a dog and his owner during a zombie apocalypse. The Audience Choice for the shorts went to Hoy, Hoy, Ingat!, a social dramedy about a struggling brother and sister trying to make the most of what they have.
As with every year, Cinemalaya showcased the best of what Philippine independent cinema can offer. From haunted house thrills to affecting social dramas, this festival had something for everyone.
Photo Courtesy of Cinemalaya.