The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) held its awards night for the Mit Out Sound (MOS) International Silent Film Competition on Dec. 3 during the 15th International Silent Film Festival Manila (ISFFM). Two short films by Benildeans, namely Alingasngas ng mga Kuliglig and Dikit, secured top prizes in this year’s competition.
“Alingasngas ng mga Kuliglig” directed by Vahn Pascual, ID 119 (AB-FILM)
The short film follows a young man named Agapito who is forced by his father, Mang Pedring, to follow his footsteps as an albularyo (folk healer), albeit against Agapito’s wishes. Throughout Agapito’s journey in becoming a folk healer, he stumbles upon and falls in love with a tikbalang.
In an interview with The Benildean, writer and director Vahn Pascual shared that the film is a metaphor for the queer community where he is a part of, “Nais kong ipakita ang mga masasamang karanasan namin mula sa ibang mga taong nakapaligid sa amin—ang mga panghuhusga, ang mga pang-aapi, at higit sa lahat, ang mga walang katarungang pagpaslang.”
With his film, Pascual wants to leave the audience with the question, “Sino nga ba talaga ang mga masasamang nilalang? Ang Tikbalang ba na nananahimik lamang at nais magmahal o ang mga taong mapanghusga at nais pumatay?”
True enough, this is more than just a film—rather a statement hoping for the approval of the SOGIE Equality Bill. “Kailangang managot ng mga taong dapat managot. Nakakalungkot isipin na pinalaya pa rin ang taong pumatay sa isang trans woman na si Jennifer Laude. Kailan ba namin makukuha ang katarungan at ilan pa [bang] mga bakla ang magiging biktima ng ganitong sitwasyon? Ano ba ang dahilan kung bakit pinagdadamot pa rin ng mga taong nakahalal ang aming karapatan?” he added.
Having had a plethora of short films under his belt, the ID 119 student shared that writing and directing a silent short film was a learning experience. It was the first time he ventured on a film with a production grant given by the International Silent Film Festival Manila (ISFFM). Furthermore, Pascual hasn’t had the chance to watch a silent film and this was his opportunity to experience a pioneering era in cinema.
During pre-production, Pascual had a hard time writing a silent film and showcasing the love between a tikbalang and a young boy without dialogue. However, he was able to apply the learnings from his screenwriting and conceptualization classes.
They were faced with budget constraints and the script went through changes. Pascual recalled that the real challenge was during production, “[Noong] unang araw ay nahirapan kami dahil hindi na kami nakapag location check, no’ng pre-production stage, dahil na rin sa layo ng lugar at dahil na rin sa pandemya. Kung kaya’t di na namin masyadong pinansin ang aming ginawang storyboard.” Shooting on that day ran until sundown. Luckily, Pascual and his crew were guided by actor Rolando Inocencio, who plays Mang Pedring, to come up with last minute decisions.
During the second day of the shoot, hiking a mountain and crossing a river posed a major challenge. “Ang lupa na ang dinaanan ay sobrang lambot dahil na rin sa pag-ulan, kung kaya’t maaari kang madulas at lumubog—na nangyari sa aming lahat. May napilayan, at may nawalan ng salamin sa mata. Naging kalaban din namin ang malakas na pagbuhos ng ulan, dahil mababasa ang aming mga dalang kamera.”
The musical scoring process was a test for Pascual, as the film's storytelling greatly depends on that aspect. The film originally had Karl Arthur Javier, ID 118 Music Production student, as the film’s music scorer, but Nik Rosacay, ID 117 film student, also came on board for the project.
Together, Pascual shared ` they easily had a connection with one another as fellow Benildeans, “Gumawa sila ng iba’t ibang tunog sa bawat karakter na lalabas sa pelikula. At labis ko silang tinitingalaan dahil sa kanilang mga angking talento.”
Lastly, in his parting message, “Kahit kailanman hinding-hindi magiging mali ang magmahal ng kahit sinuman basta’t wala kang tinatapakang tao. Dapat nating ipaglaban ang karapatan ng bawat isa at protektahan ang bawat isa sa mga taong sakim at makasarili. Dapat tayong bumoto ng tama at ipagsigawang dapat nang maipatupad ang SOGIE Equality Bill.”
“Dikit” directed by Gaby Serrano, ID 113 (AB-MMA)
This short horror, monster film follows a lonely, young woman hiding a secret about her body. She wants to change into a different one and sees her window of opportunity to do just that when a young couple moves in next door to her.
In an interview with The Benildean, ID 113 Multimedia Arts (MMA) alumna Gaby Serrano shared that the film is a reimagining of one of the lost films of Jose Nepomuceno, “founder of Philippine movies.” She wrote the screenplay together with her sister Sam, who happens to star as one of the film’s main characters. She recalled that they dug deep into being in isolation for almost two years.
More so, the film is heavily based on their “personal experiences and all the insecurity, envy, and oppression that come with being women,” Serrano said. “This is a monster film but we both agree these were the real horrors of this story.”
Having no spoken dialogue in the story shattered the misconception that making a silent film would be much easier. “But [this] proved to be a huge challenge一we had to express really complex emotions and decisions using pure imagery. We relied a lot on strong, emotive acting一 thank you to my cast for delivering一as well as laying out the events and details of the story in a very montage-like way,” she recalled.
Coming from a visual arts background as a graduate of the Multimedia Arts program, Serrano was used to sharing her own thoughts through images. Her training in arts and illustration, as well as editing, proved useful in that regard.
Interestingly enough, this film was the first real production she directed. Prior to this, she directed short films, mostly personal, where she did all the work on her own time. “With ‘Dikit,’ I had an actual crew to lead, a deadline to meet, and a large platform to exhibit it on, plus just the huge pressure of making my first big shot at a real film impressive and worth the grant they entrusted me with. I felt like I had to prove myself,” she added.
Foregoing with a split-screen format for the film, it was nightmarish to shoot and edit, according to Serrano. But despite the circumstances of the pandemic and a sudden typhoon during the shoot, she was happy and proud to have “Dikit” as her short film debut.
For the film festival, the musical scorers were to be paired randomly with the film entries. This was initially a huge concern for Serrano, as she was very particular with the style and sound she wanted for her film. “But luckily we were paired with Paulo [Almaden], who grasped the vibe and intention of our film from our very first discussion. Not only did he capture the emotion of each of the main characters, on each contrasting side of the screen, but also managed to stitch the story together in ways I could not have done with visuals alone. His score was the glue of the film,” she shared.
Serrano hopes that audiences can resonate with the film by watching the characters’ personal terrors and subsequent personal growth to rise above them.
“Women are to this day constantly judged and vilified by society, and by extension, trans and non-binary people as well. We are antagonized for our physical forms, our sexuality, our nature – things we cannot change about ourselves. And so we develop self-hatred and guilt for who we are. I think the idea of not feeling at home in your body/self is very universal, and that was the theme we wanted to explore through the lens of mythology and horror,” she concluded.
Catch Alingasngas ng mga Kuliglig and Dikit, along with the other entries, via the FDCP Channel until tomorrow, Dec. 10.
