The University of the Philippines Open University (UPOU), in partnership with the Faculty of Information and Communication Studies (FICS) and UPOU University Student Council, celebrated the 117th founding anniversary of the University of the Philippines with a hybrid community art and cinema experience entitled: “Panahon, Panoorin, Paggunita” on 18 June 2025 at the Centennial Center for Digital Learning (CCDL) Auditorium.
Headed by FICS Asst. Prof. Shari Eunice T. San Pablo, Program Development Associate for Culture and the Arts, the participatory drawing event aims to engage students, faculty, and staff to watch a Philippine film selection and create illustrations in response.
A participant sketches a scene from the film screening.
The event screened the film “Kwits” by FICS Asst. Prof. Raz dela Torre, which commemorated the period of the COVID-19 pandemic in the Philippines. The short film tells the story of a man’s struggle to receive his ayuda amid cumbersome government bureaucracy.
The initiative aimed to create more spaces that foster engagement, creativity, and cultural appreciation, shared and shaped collectively by the community. Aligned with the University Week’s theme, “Ani at Alay: Paglilingkod at Pasidungog sa Bayan,” the community art and cinema event offered a creative platform to reflect on and preserve, through art, the experiences of learning, service, and nation-building that happened during the COVID-19 pandemic.
After welcoming its participants, the program began with a film screening, followed by a discussion moderated by Asst. Prof. Alice Sarmiento. In this session, Asst. Prof. Dela Torre shared insights into the nuances of the filmmaking process and addressed questions from both the floor and Zoom participants.
The drawing game kicked off with a replay of the film, allowing participants to pause the screening by raising their hand or calling out “stop” to highlight scenes they deemed worthy of illustration. Moderators rolled a die to determine how many minutes would be spent on each drawing session before proceeding to the next selected scene. Guests were later asked to share their best drawings, including those attending via Zoom. The program concluded with a closing remark from Dr. Primo G. Garcia, Office of the Public Affairs Director.
A participant watches Asst. Prof. Alice Sarmiento (middle left) and Asst. Prof. Raz Dela Torre (far right) talk about the motivation behind the film “Kwits”.
This event was inspired by a community practice from Kuala Lumpur, which was shared by Asst. Prof. Sarmiento where film-watching becomes a catalyst for collaborative, spontaneous art-making. The result is an intersection of cinema, conversation, and visual creativity where participants at any level of skill are welcome to participate.
Written by Maria Andrea Bodaño | Edited by Joy Abigail Rebulanan
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