The Department of Tourism – Region VI, CineKasimanwa: The Western Visayas Film Festival and the Western Visayas Filmmakers Network officially announce the winning filmmaker-grantees of the Western Visayas Film Grants Program which is created to help talented & visionary filmmakers from Region VI with the production of their short films rooted in their regional culture and shooting at the best locations in region.
The four selected filmmakers are as follows: Aimee Apostol-Escasa (Ang Katapusan Nga Handum) for Iloilo; Noel Galon (Sa Dapadapa Sang Balaan Bukid) for Guimaras; Romart Malapad Martesano (Sa Pagtunod It Adlaw) for Aklan; and Ethel Mae Reyes (Ang Panglakaton) for Antique. A filmmaker representing Capiz is yet to be selected.
The winners were announced by DOT-Region VI Regional Director Atty. Helen J. Catalbas and CineKasimanwa Festival Director and Ilonggo Filmmaker Elvert Bañares (who also heads the preliminary jury) during a press conference held at Emilion Restaurant, 3rd Floor, Grand Dame Restaurant, La Paz, Iloilo City.
All the winning filmmakers and their appointed production team and actors will receive a grant to shoot a film amounting to one hundred thousand pesos each (P100,000.00) to represent one province from Western Visayas. The production grants shall be released in three tranches with specific requirements and liquidation procedures. Each winning film will feature five official tourist spots from each of their selected province. These were chosen by the filmmakers themselves from a list of nine from each province provided by DOT-Region VI.
THE WINNING FILMMAKERS
Aimee Apostol-Escasa
Aimee Apostol-Escasa’s “Ang Katapusan Nga Handum”, representing Iloilo, will be shot in Igbaras Waterfalls, Mountain Biking area in Igbaras, Miag-ao Church, San Joaquin Church and the Coral Gardens of San Joaquin. Escasa studied filmmaking at the Vancouver Film School and has produced several short videos for “Batibot” (TV5). In 2012, she was awarded a grant by the Film Development Council of the Philippines to write and direct her first full-length film “Asin”, shot in Iloilo. In 2013, she was nominated as “Best Editor” by the Young Critics Circle for “Jingle Lang ang Pahina”.
Noel Galon
Noel Galon’s “Sa Dapadapa Sang Balaan Bukid” will represent Guimaras and the film will be shot at the Old Trapist Monastery, Alubihod Beach areas, Roca Encantada, Suba Malawig Eco-Tour and will feature Ang Pagtaltal sa Balaan Bukid. Galon is also a writer in English, Filipino and Hiligaynon and is currently a lecturer at the University of San Agustin, Department of Languages and Humanities. His short film “Kapawa: Misteryo Sang Kasanag” has been screened at CineKasimanwa: The Western Visayas Film Festival, Cinema Rehiyon 6 and the New Filipino Cinema in San Francisco, California.
Romart Malapad Martesano
Romart Malapad Martesano’s “Sa Pagtunod It Adlaw”, representing Aklan, will be shot at the Aklan Sampaguita Garden, Basura Garden, Jawili Falls, Ariel’s Point and in Boracay Island. Martesano is a graduate of a Bachelor of Arts in Digital Filmmaking graduate of De La Salle – College of St. Benilde and has attended the three-week Hi-Def filmmaking workshop (2014) at Toie Studios in Kyoto, Japan. His short film “A Letter To The World From Bart to Jane” was given an Award of Merit at the World Film Awards in Jakarta, Indonesia in 2014.
Ethel Mae Reyes
Ethel Mae Reyes’ “Ang Panglakaton” which will represent Antique, will be shot in Maualison Island in Culasi; Nogas Island in Anini-y; Tibiao Eco-Adventure Park; Bugang River & Malumpati Cold Spring; and Igpasungaw Falls. Reyes has won 2nd Place at the Sineng Pambansa, Iloilo International Film Festival sponsored by FDCP. She is also a web designer, sound engineer, graphic artist and photographer. Her latest short documentary “Sin-o Si Mel Carreon?” was screened at CineKasimanwa and represented Region VI in the recently held Cinema Rehiyon 7 in Cebu City sponsored by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts.
The filmmakers were selected based on their submitted sequence treatments and sequence breakdowns; proposed cast and production crew; financial breakdown; sample films; synopses; and list of five tourist locations in each region as approved by DOT-Region VI.
THE PRELIMINARY JURY
The all-Ilonggo Preliminary Jury was headed by Festival Director Elvert Bañares, filmmaker Ray Gibraltar and filmmaker-scriptwriter Ned Trespeces.
Elvert Bañares
Bañares who is also an award-winning filmmaker who has represented the Philippines in Seattle, Melbourne, Tokyo, Seoul, Beijing, Taipei, Bangkok, Paros, Vancouver, Shanghai, Berlin, Prague and Victoria, British Columbia. A three-time Gawad CCP winner for independent film, he has worked for special segments and NCCA productions for GMA7, ABC 5, NET 25 and IBC 13. He has been production designer of “Maalaala Mo Kaya” (ABS-CBN 2) and has programmed for Cinemanila, Outfest Vancouver Gay & Lesbian Film Festival and Antimatter Festival of Film, Video & New Media. He has served as festival directors for the 1st and 2nd ASEAN Filmfest, Chinese Filmfest at MOA, eKsperim[E]nto Filmfest, PLM-CMC Filmfest, Bakunawa Filmfest and CineKasimanwa. He has been Board Member of FDCP; NCCA representative to Cinemalaya Board; and has headed the Cinema Program of the NCCA.
Ray Gibraltar
Gibraltar is the director of “Wanted: Border” (2009) starring Rosanna Roces produced by Cinema One Originals; “Brod” (2010); “When Timawa Meets Delgado” (2007); “Syokoy” (2009) and a few short films like 2011’s “Ang Bayu ni Manilyn at ang Pekeng Duck”. He won Best Screenplay for “Wanted: Border” in Cinema One Originals Digital Film Festival 2009. He has directed shows for TV5 particularly the Jon Santos Show and has done production work for Viva Films and ABS-CBN. He hails from Guimbal, Iloilo, and is the founder and the first festival director of the very first all-Kinaray-a Bantayan Film Festival of Guimbal which is now on its 10th year. His films have been screened in international film festivals.
Ned Trespeces
Trespeces is an award-winning filmmaker and screenwriter who directed the full-length films “Trabaho”, “My Fake American Accent” and “Local Girls”, a selection by the Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (NETPAC) during Cinemalaya 2011. He is one of the writers who conceptualized “Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros” (2005); wrote the story of “Til There Was You” (2003) starring Judy Ann Santos; and was producer of “Endo” (2007). He is the scriptwriter of Viva Films’ “ABNKKBSNPLAko?!” (2014), “May Pag-Ibig Pa Kaya?” (2002) and Star Cinema’s “Jologs” (2002) for which he was nominated for a Gawad Urian for Best Screenplay. He has worked for Star Cinema Studios and is now with Viva Entertainment.
DOT-REGION VI’S COMMITMENT TO GENERATE MORE TOURISTS
Acknowledging the power of films and multimedia to attract young local and foreign tourists, DOT-Region VI’s Regional Director, Atty. Helen J. Catalbas co-conceptualized the Western Visayas Film Grants Program. Atty. Catalbas wanted to promote the other spots not known to many. “Region 6 has always been known for its beautiful culture and spots like Boracay, Miag-ao Church, Guimaras Islands, etc,” Catalbas said during the press conference, “but there is more to see and we hope to see the other spots and locations through the films which would also tell the stories of the people of Western Visayas”. She said that the films will also serve as DOT-Region VI’s campaign to promote the region which has generated more tourists in 2014 and 2015 than ever.
All the winning short films will have its World Premiere during the CineKasimanwa: The Western Visayas Film Festival on December 1 to 6, 2015 at SM Cinema 1, FDCP Iloilo Cinematheque and the UPV Cinematheque. Three winners will be selected by a newly appointed Board of Jury composed of national and international film directors, actors and film critics. The Western Visayas Film Grants Program, a pioneering project, strengthens Iloilo’s current status as the country’s haven of local films with CineKasimanwa’s record-breaking editions in 2013 & 2014 and DOT-Region VI’s campaign to promote Region 6 as one of the country’s top tourist destination.
Contact
PAMELA DENISE CABABASAY for DOT-Region VI
Tel. No.: (033) 337 5411(033) 337 5411 / Telefax No.: (033) 335 0245
RUTH BORJA PEQUIERDA for CineKasimanwa
cinekasimanwa@gmail.com