DOORS at the historic Metropolitan Theater (MET) opened on Tuesday, June 4, to kick off the 2024 edition of The Manila Film Festival (TMFF), featuring a dozen short films from student filmmakers and award-winning directors.
With the theme “Manila in Me: City of Infinite Possibilities and a Thousand Tales,” the second edition of the festival served as a platform for young filmmakers to share their narratives and showcase their talents in filmmaking.
Eight of the 12 short films are the works of independent student filmmakers across the country, which follow unique stories of people in Manila City. The remaining four films were helmed by TMFF’s featured directors Sigrid Bernardo, JP Habac, Pepe Diokno, and Dwein Baltazar.
The red carpet event of TMFF 2024 saw the student directors, award-winning filmmakers, film enthusiasts, students from different colleges and universities, and several well-known personalities gathering at MET on Tuesday to show support for the young talents and Philippine cinema.
12 ‘love letters’
During the red carpet event, festival director Ed Cabagnot said that these student filmmakers did not just create films that would be added to the works of other seasoned directors but also “love letters” to the City of Manila.
He believes that holding film festivals like TMFF, which gives the spotlight to the fresh breed of filmmakers, is important in preserving the culture of Manila City and elevating the local film industry.
The 12 short films were divided into two sets, with one batch consisting of two featured films by award-winning directors and four student entries.
Set A is composed of the following films:
- “Nananahan” by Dwein Baltazar
- “Una’t Huling Sakay” by Vhan Marco Molacruz
- “An Kuan” by Joyce Ramos
- “Happy (M)others Day!” by Ronnie Ramos
- “Pinilakang Tabingi” by John Pistol Carmen
- “Shortest Day, Longest Night” by JP Habac
Meanwhile, Set B consists of:
- “MAY at NILA” by Sigrid Bernardo
- “threefor100: o ang tamang porma ng pag uukay at iba pang mga bagay-bagay, i think!” by Cedrick Labadia
- “Ballad of a Blind Man” by Charlie Garcia Vitug
- “DITAS PINAMALAS” by Adrian Renz Espino
- “Bahay, Baboy, Bagyo” by Miko Biong
- “Lumang Tugtugin” by Pepe Diokno
In an interview with republicasia, Ramos, who is a second-year Communication student from Pamantasan ng Lungsod ng Maynila (PLM), shared that her film “An Kuan” is “personal” for her as it is based on her mother’s experience.
“An Kuan” follows the story of a queer daughter who receives a swimming scholarship in Manila. When she brings her non-Tagalog speaker mom to the city, she helps her look for a job that will not require her to speak.
“The story behind that is my mother. Meron kasi siyang Warray accent, so nahirapan siya one time when she was applying for a call center job,” recalled Ramos.
“Kahit medyo gasgas na yung trope na pupunta ng Maynila, may pangarap, it still happens. People from the province still feel alienated sometimes, not only socially but also economically,” she added.
Meanwhile, Vitug, a film student from De La Salle – College of Saint Benilde, tackled freedom and reclaiming one’s youth in her film “Ballad of a Blind Man.” It tells the story of a young daughter who looks after his ailing but overbearing father.
For the student director, the film mirrors the stories of most women in the Philippines who have to “sacrifice their youth either for their family” or their “very difficult relationships” with other people.
“The film basically tries to critique how at the end of the day, especially us women, we should be prioritizing ourselves,” Vitug said.
In “NANANAHAN,” Baltazar focused on the loneliness a person feels amidst the buzzing city of Manila.
“Fascinated ako sa themes of loneliness and alienation, and also sobrang love ko kasi ang Maynila ever since,” the director explained.
The ticket price for one set of short films is P200. The theatrical run for the 2024 TMFF is from June 5 to 11 at Cinema 3 of Robinsons Manila; and on June 10 to 11 at Cinema 3 of Robinsons Magnolia in Quezon City.
TMFF experience
Ramos and Vitug were both thankful to the festival for giving them a platform to relay their messages through their films to a wider audience and for exposing them to the real work in the local film industry.
“TMFF was very giving,” said Vitug. “There were a lot of photoshoots, there were a lot of workshops where I got to be mentored by some of my industry idols.”
Ramos, on the other hand, expressed her gratitude to the festival for helping them make their projects possible by giving each of them a P150,000 cash grant for their film production.
“Sobrang hirap makakuha ng pondo sa paggawa ng pelikula, yung resources sobrang scarce dito sa Philippines, so to be given a grant to make a film na importante sa akin, very personal, sobrang laking opportunity,” she stressed.
Meanwhile, Baltazar emphasized the importance of holding such a film festival that supports young talents, as she shared her past experience as a novice in the local film industry.
“Nung nag-i-start ako wala din halos na nagtitiwala sa’kin sa pagbuo, sa paggawa na kaya ko. So ngayon, mas marami yung nagbibigay ng tsansa para sa mga bagong boses, para sa mga bagong filmmakers,” she said.
Because of these film festivals, Baltazar said more and more aspiring filmmakers are stepping forward to share their narratives and raise awareness.
Awards night
This year’s edition of TMFF will conclude with an awarding ceremony, where these young individuals and the people behind their respective big-screen projects will be recognized for their outstanding performances.
The awards night is set for June 11 at the Metropolitan Theater, where 11 recognitions are expected to be given.
