The 18th Cinemalaya Film Festival held its awards ceremonies Sunday night at the Main Theater of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), capping the successful return of the country’s premiere independent film festival to live on-site screenings at the CCP after two years of streaming its entries online due to the COVID-19 lockdowns.
Hailed as Best Film in the full-length category was Carlo Obispo’s The Baseball Player, which won three other awards: Best Editing (by Zig Dulay, the night’s biggest winner with four trophies), Best Screenplay (by Obispo) and Best Actor courtesy of the film’s young star, Tommy Alejandrino.
The Best Film in the short film category went to Dulay’s Black Rainbow, also the recipient of the NETPAC Award and the Best Screenplay (by Dulay).
Max Eigenmann, who played a single woman navigating the challenges of an unplanned pregnancy in Anna Isabelle’s Matutina’s 12 Weeks, was adjudged Best Actress.
The Best Supporting Actor and Actress honors went to veteran performers Soliman Cruz of Blue Room and Ruby Ruiz of Ginhawa, respectively.
Below is the full list of winners:
- Audience choice, short film: Mga Handum Nga Nasulat Sa Baras, by Arlie Sweet Sumagaysay and Richard Jeroui Salvadico
- Audience choice, full-length feature film: Kargo, by TM Malones
- Best Sound Design: PEPE MANIKAN, Bula sa Langit
- Best Original Musical Score: ISHA ABUBAKAR, Retirada
- Best Production Design: MARXIE MAOLEN FADUL, Blue Room
- Best Editing: ZIG DULAY, The Baseball Player
- Best Cinematography: NEIL DAZA, Blue Room
- Best Screenplay, short film: ZIG DULAY, Black Rainbow
- Best Screenplay, full-length feature film: CARLO OBISPO, The Baseball Player
- Best Supporting Actor: SOLIMAN CRUZ, Blue Room
- Best Supporting Actress: RUBY RUIZ, Ginhawa
- NETPAC Award, short film: Black Rainbow, by Zig Dulay
- NETPAC Award, full-length feature film: 12 Weeks, by Anna Isabelle Matutina
- Best Actor: TOMMY ALEJANDRINO, The Baseball Player
- Best Actress: MAX EIGENMANN, 12 Weeks
- Special Jury Award, short film: Dikit, by Gabriella Serrano
- Special Jury Award, full-length feature film: Blue Room, by Ma-an Asuncion-Dagñalan
- Best Director, short film: GABRIELLA SERRANO, Dikit
- Best Director, full-length feature film: MA-AN ASUNCION DAGÑALAN, Blue Room
- Best Film, short film: Black Rainbow, by Zig Dulay
- Best Film, full-length feature film: The Baseball Player, by Carlo Obispo
This year’s Cinemalaya, held from 5-14 August in various screening venues at the CCP and in select Ayala Malls cinemas and SM theaters, featured 11 full-length films and 12 short films. Looking none the worse for wear, the festival once again saw sold-out houses and enthusiastic crowds (around 25,000 this year, according to festival director Chris Millado), with film fans who had been deprived of the live cinema experience for the last two years packing screenings of the filmfest’s main competition entries that competed for the Balanghay trophy, and related activities such as film retrospectives, documentary premieres, book launchings and talkbacks with filmmakers. Festivalgoers spent an average of 20 viewing hours at the festival, said Millado.
Since 2005, the Cinemalaya film festival and competition has continued “to discover, encourage, and support the cinematic works of Filipino filmmakers that boldly articulate and freely interpret the Filipino experience with fresh insight and artistic integrity,” as the festival said in a media release.
This year’s theme, “Breaking Through the Noise,” “announces that Cinemalaya is alive and kicking, is making a homecoming to a live theater, and looking forward to a brighter future.”
The Cinemalaya 2022 films will go to Dapitan next — the first city in northern Mindanao to host the festival — before they are streamed later this year, on 17-31 October.