ADVERTISEMENT
Manila Bulletin devider Drive devider Wanted: A new generation of Pinoy movie fans

Wanted: A new generation of Pinoy movie fans

LCCM alumna rules filmmaking workshop showcase

Published Aug 29, 2023 02:24 pm

At A Glance

  • <i>Da Master Plan</i> tells the story of Macoy, an imaginative young boy who seeks help from his toy companions to confront the sinister monster tormenting him without his disbelieving mother's support.

A recent graduate of La Consolacion College Manila bagged the Best Picture award in the fifth SineOmni Film Festival held on Aug. 25 at the Cinematheque Center Manila. 


Maria Del Carmen “Mikee” Villapol, who previously won Best Picture in the Mini Short category of IKLI: Super Short Film Festival for her work Bitin, topped SineOmni with her new short film Da Master Plan. She is an alumna of LCCM and its resident film and theater organization SineDulaang Agustino.

Da Master Plan.jpg
Da Master Plan tells the story of Macoy, an imaginative young boy who seeks help from his toy companions to confront the sinister monster tormenting him. Without his disbelieving mother’s support, he must defeat the monster once and for all. It also won Best Sound Design for Jalen Buenaseda.

The Prodigal Daughter.jpg
Mick Quito’s The Prodigal Daughter and Angelica Manipol’s Magdalena placed second and third, respectively. In The Prodigal Daughter, Penelope, a 20-year-old Filipino-American, visits Manila to meet her estranged father for the first time, hoping to understand his departure from her life. Meanwhile, in Magdalena, a determined 22-year-old woman named Aira Magdalena navigates the dark and dangerous world of prostitution in a relentless pursuit to escape poverty and complete her education.

Magdalena.jpg
The Prodigal Daughter also received awards for Best Director for Quito, Best Actress for Ivanka Marie Guillermo, and Best Supporting Actor for Soliman Cruz. On the other hand, Magdalena got Best Screenplay for Manipol and Best Production Design for Cire Alessandra Yaptengco and Khryza Maaba.


The other winners are Edrey Paul Biteng, Jury Prize, and Heidi Bayani, Best Cinematography, for Magic Memory, Miguel Luis Nera, Best Actor, and Elizabeth Santos-Nera, Best Supporting Actress for Genesis, Adrian Bolante, Best Editing for Rad, and Justine Cusipag, Best Musical Score for Pahimuyong.
Biteng’s Magic Memory is about an emerging local DJ who crosses paths with a girl who offers him a cryptic cigarette, sparking a shared night of indulgence and vulnerability they will eventually forget.

Genesis.jpg
In Genesis, also directed by Nera, the titular character reconnects with God as he tries to seek repentance while battling his worsening condition, with the hope of finding his way to heaven. Rad, also directed by Bolante, zeroes in on a man and his dog trying to find a way out of an isolated town exposed to radiation. 

Pahimuyong.jpg
In Pahimuyong by Randy Pimentel Olesco, Chona, a single mother of two children named Miko and Dante, is involved in illegal drugs and she needs to get their lives out of danger before it is too late. Balasa by Rhonn Mercene, Byaheng Sikmura by Kathrino V. Resurreccion, Chess by Szackobe Kabro Z. Sanchez, Crossroads by Beatrice Talagtag, Golden Hour by Nehemiarey Dallego and Ruzzel John Palomillo, Mamay by Marione Morales, and Saida by Catherine Sevilla complete the entries.

Byaheng Sikmura.jpg
SineOmni is a showcase of the films produced by workshop participants of the Screen/Stage Performing Arts Course for Enthusiasts (SPACE) facilitated by award-winning director Arvin “Kadiboy” Belarmino and Jonathan Montes with mentors Elora Españo, Veronica Reyes, Bel Paquiz, and Tim Rone Villanueva.


Aside from featuring eight new filmmakers and six returning directors, the culmination of this year’s filmmaking workshop also paid tribute to the late filmmaker and mentor Sigfreid Barros-Sanchez.
 

Related Tags

Philippine Panorama Screen/Stage Performing Arts Course for Enthusiasts (SPACE) SineOmni La Consolacion College Manila Cinematheque Center Manila
ADVERTISEMENT
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1561_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1562_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.most-popular .layout-ratio{ padding-bottom: 79.13%; } @media (min-width: 768px) and (max-width: 1024px) { .widget-title { font-size: 15px !important; } }

{{ articles_filter_1563_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}

{{ articles_filter_1564_widget.title }}

{{ item.title }}
.mb-article-details { position: relative; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview, .mb-article-details .article-body-summary{ font-size: 17px; line-height: 30px; font-family: "Libre Caslon Text", serif; color: #000; } .mb-article-details .article-body-preview iframe , .mb-article-details .article-body-summary iframe{ width: 100%; margin: auto; } .read-more-background { background: linear-gradient(180deg, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0) 13.75%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000 / 0.8) 30.79%, color(display-p3 1.000 1.000 1.000) 72.5%); position: absolute; height: 200px; width: 100%; bottom: 0; display: flex; justify-content: center; align-items: center; padding: 0; } .read-more-background a{ color: #000; } .read-more-btn { padding: 17px 45px; font-family: Inter; font-weight: 700; font-size: 18px; line-height: 16px; text-align: center; vertical-align: middle; border: 1px solid black; background-color: white; } .hidden { display: none; }
function initializeAllSwipers() { // Get all hidden inputs with cms_article_id document.querySelectorAll('[id^="cms_article_id_"]').forEach(function (input) { const cmsArticleId = input.value; const articleSelector = '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .body_images'; const swiperElement = document.querySelector(articleSelector); if (swiperElement && !swiperElement.classList.contains('swiper-initialized')) { new Swiper(articleSelector, { loop: true, pagination: false, navigation: { nextEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-next', prevEl: '#article-' + cmsArticleId + ' .swiper-button-prev', }, }); } }); } setTimeout(initializeAllSwipers, 3000); const intersectionObserver = new IntersectionObserver( (entries) => { entries.forEach((entry) => { if (entry.isIntersecting) { const newUrl = entry.target.getAttribute("data-url"); if (newUrl) { history.pushState(null, null, newUrl); let article = entry.target; // Extract metadata const author = article.querySelector('.author-section').textContent.replace('By', '').trim(); const section = article.querySelector('.section-info ').textContent.replace(' ', ' '); const title = article.querySelector('.article-title h1').textContent; // Parse URL for Chartbeat path format const parsedUrl = new URL(newUrl, window.location.origin); const cleanUrl = parsedUrl.host + parsedUrl.pathname; // Update Chartbeat configuration if (typeof window._sf_async_config !== 'undefined') { window._sf_async_config.path = cleanUrl; window._sf_async_config.sections = section; window._sf_async_config.authors = author; } // Track virtual page view with Chartbeat if (typeof pSUPERFLY !== 'undefined' && typeof pSUPERFLY.virtualPage === 'function') { try { pSUPERFLY.virtualPage({ path: cleanUrl, title: title, sections: section, authors: author }); } catch (error) { console.error('ping error', error); } } // Optional: Update document title if (title && title !== document.title) { document.title = title; } } } }); }, { threshold: 0.1 } ); function showArticleBody(button) { const article = button.closest("article"); const summary = article.querySelector(".article-body-summary"); const body = article.querySelector(".article-body-preview"); const readMoreSection = article.querySelector(".read-more-background"); // Hide summary and read-more section summary.style.display = "none"; readMoreSection.style.display = "none"; // Show the full article body body.classList.remove("hidden"); } document.addEventListener("DOMContentLoaded", () => { let loadCount = 0; // Track how many times articles are loaded const offset = [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10]; // Offset values const currentUrl = window.location.pathname.substring(1); let isLoading = false; // Prevent multiple calls if (!currentUrl) { console.log("Current URL is invalid."); return; } const sentinel = document.getElementById("load-more-sentinel"); if (!sentinel) { console.log("Sentinel element not found."); return; } function isSentinelVisible() { const rect = sentinel.getBoundingClientRect(); return ( rect.top < window.innerHeight && rect.bottom >= 0 ); } function onScroll() { if (isLoading) return; if (isSentinelVisible()) { if (loadCount >= offset.length) { console.log("Maximum load attempts reached."); window.removeEventListener("scroll", onScroll); return; } isLoading = true; const currentOffset = offset[loadCount]; window.loadMoreItems().then(() => { let article = document.querySelector('#widget_1690 > div:nth-last-of-type(2) article'); intersectionObserver.observe(article) loadCount++; }).catch(error => { console.error("Error loading more items:", error); }).finally(() => { isLoading = false; }); } } window.addEventListener("scroll", onScroll); });
Join Our Newsletters

Sign up by email to receive news.

© 2025 Manila Bulletin The Nation's Leading Newspaper. All Rights Reserved.