Manila Broadcasting Company has announced the 15 films that made it into the final round of the first MBC Short Film Festival.
For the animation category, Ana by Mary Angelica Panganiban; Stay by Irenea Catalina Valencia; Last Piece by Andrea Mae Kristine Bonagua, Gaspar dela Cruz III, Jenny Mateo, and Anthony P. Santiago; Home by Bryan Kent Abias; and Distance by Dexter Paul de Jesus got the nod of selection jurors Benedict Carandang, Teddy Co, and Adrian Arcega.
Among the 49 documentaries submitted, those that received the highest scores from the selection panel that included Ditsi Carolino, Seymour Sanchez, and Collis Davis were Mga Batang Anipa by Maria Fyl Gultian and Alundra Villanueva; Ang Meron sa Wala by Arby and Christine Larano; Diva Divine? by Francis Tavas; Titser Gennie by Elijah Prades; and the Tausug rap Maglabay Ra in Sakit by Mijan Jumalon.
Short features dominated this year’s submissions, breaching the hundred mark, and giving jurors Sari Dalena, Auraeus Solito, and Treb Monteras a tough time.
Eventually, those that scored highest were Judy Free by Che Tagyamon; The Slums by Jan Andrei Cobey; Tarang by Arvin Belarmino; Excuse Me Miss Miss Miss by Sonny Calvento; and Ang Gasgas na Plaka ni Lolo Bert by Janina Gacosta. The 15 films, which are automatically guaranteed P15,000 each, go back to square one, with a different but equally elite panel of jurors choosing the three category winners who will receive P75,000 each, and will then compete for the Grand Prix, with a total take-home prize of P165,000.
Trailers of these films are now up on dzrh.com.ph/msff
The full films will be posted from Aug.16 onwards when viewers can also begin casting their votes daily until Aug. 25 for their choice of Fan Favorite. Winners will be announced in a special program on Aug. 28, to be streamed at 7:00 p.m. on all social media platforms of MBC stations nationwide—DZRH, Love Radio, Yes The Best, Easy Rock, Aksyon Radyo, Radyo Natin, and DZRH News Television.
The MBC Short Film Festival was conceptualized as the centerpiece of the anniversary celebrations of the network’s flagship station DZRH, now on its 82nd year, as it continues to watch history unfold, giving unparalleled service to the Filipino public, and showcasing the Pinoy’s triumph over adversity, even amid the pandemic.