The Film 10 class of the Faculty of Education (FEd) of the University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU) hosted the very first Sineng Sining Sine Festival on 13 – 17 September 2021.
Carrying the theme “Collaborative Filmmaking in the Time of Pandemic: Challenges and Lessons Learned,” the virtual event was a culminating activity of the Film 10 class under Asst. Prof. Gian Carlo de Jesus as the Faculty-in-Charge (FIC). Leading the planning and implementation of the initiative were undergraduate students: Jaime P Guimbao as the Festival Director, Daizy Estrada as the First Deputy Director, and Arlene Mendiola-Acol as the Second Deputy Director.
The festival was made possible through the hard work, dedication, and collaboration of the different committees such as the Public Relations Committee, Opening Program Committee, Plenary Committee, Website Committee, Technical Committee, Awards Committee, and Jurors Committee. The complete list of the committees and their respective members are posted on the festival website.
The weeklong gathering kicked off with an Opening Program and Plenary on 13 September 2021 from 2:30 PM to 5:00 PM via Zoom. The show was hosted by BAMS student Mickey Angel Cortez and AA Student Enrico Feria. The guests and resource persons included Direk Joey Reyes, Producer, Educator, Writer, and Film and TV Director; Prof. Sari Dalena, Filipino Independent Filmmaker and Film Educator; Ms. Arleen Cuevas, Producer and Teacher at Breda University of Applied Sciences in the Netherlands; Direk Aleah Aliporo-Eugenio, Director, Writer, Producer, and Chief Operations Officer of RedAnts Media Inc.; Direk Arvin Belarmino, Independent Director/Filmmaker; and Mr. Arturo Cruz, Executive Producer of ADCC Film Production.
The virtual event showcased 10 five-minute short films of different genres produced by the students themselves. The films were judged by distinguished jurors composed of Assistant Professor Michael Ian T. Lomongo, Department of Humanities, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Los Baños; Film Producer Chantel Garcia; Dr. Ana Katrina P. De Jesus, Assistant Professor, Communication Division, Department of Humanities, College of Arts and Sciences, University of the Philippines Los Baños; TVC Producer Krischelo Delgado; TVC Live Events Producer Arvin Zapanta; Director, Writer and Producer Arvin Belarmino; and Writer and Producer Li Candelaria.
The winners were announced during the Awards Ceremony held on 17 September 2021 from 2:30 PM to 4:30 PM and streamed live via Zoom. The ceremony was hosted by AA students Mickey Angel Cortez and Ryan Cajilig. Dr. Ricardo T. Bagarinao, Dean of the UPOU Faculty of Education, delivered the WelcomeRemarks to the attendees consisting mostly of UPOU students, faculty, and staff.
Being the very first Sineng Sining Sine Festival, the project is a pioneering undertaking of the UPOU students enrolled in the Film 10 course on the 3rd trimester of academic year 2020-2021. It is hoped that the succeeding Film 10 classes will continue to host the festival and turn it into an annual event.
The films and other information regarding the festival are accessible through the festival website and various social media accounts in Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Twitter.
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