On a live Facebook broadcast, Film Director Raymond Red announced last night the winners of the Quarancine mobile filmmaking competition. The top three winners will represent our country in the International Film Festival in Manhattan Virtual Events 2020.
It is a “mobile filmmaking competition for short films produced during the quarantine period with an aim to stimulate creative production for meaningful, fun and aspiring content.”
Qurancine is more than a competition that brings out the best in us. It is a motion picture of hope, an open cinema for quarantine stories.
-Qurancine about page.
In an era where almost everyone has resorted to technology to cope up with the pandemic, mobile phones have also become a tool for filmmakers to channel their authentic content to inspire the digital world.
FIRST PLACE: Sa Pag Uwi by Melchor Berja
Lolo and his teen grandson, Nino, are left in the house during pandemic. Lola dies many years ago. Their first-born son, Miguel, his wife and their only son, Nino, are all living with Lolo. While his second child, Tita Teresa, is with her family in another city. One lockdown day, Lolo and Nino, are doing their usual chores, to also make them busy and not be anxious of the crisis – cleaning the house, cooking and eating together. Tita teresa texted Nino that she and her family cannot possibly come home due to lockdown. Nino’s parents normally come home at weekends because they work in one non-government agency helping in the communities. Nino’s mother called to inform him that his Papa Miguel cannot come home anymore because the virus complicates his asthma. Papa Miguel is now dead while his mother needs to quarantine herself. Nino cannot tell all these developments to Lolo because these might affect Lolo’s condition. Nino tries to control his emotions. That night, as Lolo is still waiting for Papa Miguel, Tita Teresa and the rest of the family, Nino tries to be strong to honestly tell everything to Lolo in this very special night — Lolo’s 75th birthday. Tyring to comfort each other, trying to be stronger than ever, the grandson offers his lolo a song for his birthday. “uuwi sila,” Lolo says as he tries to be hopeful in the midst of pandemic and crisis. (From Quarancine website.)
SECOND PLACE: Namnama en Lolang (Grandmother’s Hope) by Jonnie Lyn Dasalla
In a simple yet peaceful home in Baguio City, Benguet, Lolang Keyag Kudyaman lives with her baby grandson Eli Kudyaman during the quarantine. She tries her best to do her daily tasks and at the same time take care of her baby grandson in this trying time. She hopes and waits patiently for the lockdown to be lifted in their place so that they could visit Eli’s parents, her son Landon and her daughter-in-law Grace. (From Quarancine website.)
THIRD PLACE: Blue Room Feelings by Ruka Azuma
A one-man production during the global pandemic, “blue room feelings” shows a side of a student-artist of staying at home as he juggles the resume of online classes with physical and mental stressors brought by the quarantine. Within the four walls of his three square meter blue room, he develops new outlooks and perspectives across 85 days. (From Quarancine website.)
Blue Room Feelings by Ruka Azuma – Qurancine mobile filmmaking competition
Finalists:
ESTADO by Mark Justine Aguillon
SA MADILIM BANDA by Shiri Francesca De Leon
NOLI by Rolando Inocencio
SA BAWAT PAGSABAK SA DAAN by Guilliari Tricia Saavedra
ONE ROOM by Kris Kenneth Abalos
NINLAPU KEN MAGSAWI (FROM MAGSAWI) by Ann Michelle Mailed Espelimbergo
BATIKAS (FORESIGHT) by Lino Balmes
You can watch all the Qurancine short films for free at Quarancine website. Several filmmaking masterclasses are also available on their page.
For more FREE film screenings, you can visit Cinema Centenario’s online streaming platform, MOOV.
