MANILA, Philippines— Documentary films of students from the University of Makati (UMak) nabbed the top spots of the 2019 Class Project, dominating the intercollegiate mini-documentary competition.
In an announcement made on Friday, April 17, 3 documentary films by University of Makati reigned supreme out of 45 entries all over the country in the competition organized by Knowledge Channel Foundation Inc, together with ABS-CBN and Philippine Association of Communication Educators (PACE).
The entries were judged according to content, production quality, narrative flow, and impact. They also had to feature any of the following core values: social justice; passion to serve; commitment to holistic learning; integrity; and nationalism.
Students enrolled in educational institutions with faculty members affiliated with PACE were qualified to join the competition.
The films Titser Gennie, Kulitan, and Mga Batang Anipa bagged the first, second, and third places respectively in the competition.
Titser Gennie, a film by UMak broadcast production student Elijah Pares, depicts the struggles of Gennie Victoria Panguelo, a teacher who devotes her life to teaching her fellow Aetas in Tarukan, Tarlac. While everybody else dreams of a modern life, Panguelo leaves the comforts of her home and family to be with her fellow Aetas.
The film Kulitan by UMak broadcast production student Ederwin Capungcol, stresses the importance of the Kulitan, an indigenous script used for writing Kapampangan. The language is spoken in Pampanga and nearby areas.
Mga Batang Anipa follows the long journey that several students of Casili Elementary School go through just to reach their school.
These students from Sitio Anipa in Rizal often share floats to follow the current of the river and reach their school in Rodriguez. This sometimes leaves the students drenched in water as they carry their school bags. They also get hurt when the float capsizes and they hit the rocks.
The film was directed by UMak broadcast production students Maria Fyl Gultian and Alundra Villanueva.
Aside from the top three spots, a film titled Ang Munting Karera ni Vash by UMak broadcast production students Eloisa Jane Palermo and John Rafael Delegencia also made it to the top 10.
Other schools also landed as finalists in the annual mini- documentary competition.
The finalists were Binhi and Iskolar ng Merkado from Palawan State University, City Painted in Red from Saint Louis University, Hiling sa Dapithapon from the Lyceum of the Philippines University-Laguna, Aruga from Udaneta City University, and Hachiko ng Lapu-Lapu from Cebu Normal University.
The top 3 winners will be given cash prizes of P30,000, P20,000 and P10,000, along with a certificate and trophy.
Finalists, meanwhile, will receive a certificate and a cash prize of P5,000.
Knowledge Channel had cancelled the awards ceremony for the competition due to the coronavirus pandemic. The winners' cash prizes will be given via money transfer.
The documentary competition aims to give students a chance to hone their professional filmmaking skills and have their documentaries showcased to a wider audience.
The 10 winning documentaries will be featured in the Class Project Winners' Festival on Knowledge Channel in May, and will be available on iWant. – Rappler.com
John Philip Bravo is a Rappler mover from Manila. He is the National Chairperson of Young Filipino Advocates of Critical Thinking (yFACTph), an organization of youth leaders advocating for responsible social media use.