The first ever UFC Reel
Life: Nagsasama-samang Sarap Short Film Competition, an event meant to
celebrate UFC’s 50th anniversary as well as highlight the talents of
local filmmakers, has officially selected its top three winners.
UFC Reel Life Best Film “Cancelled” about how ordinary Filipinos rise up and find hope despite the odds
The competition focused
on sharing stories about how ordinary Filipinos rise up and find hope despite
the odds. Together, UFC celebrates these special moments of triumph,
inspirations of courage, and resiliency for the coming year.
The daunting task of
selecting the prize-winning films from the 57 entries that came in fell upon an
esteemed panel of judges. This panel included Kip Oebanda, writer and director
of Liway, Bar Boys, and Nay; Noel Teehankee, a prolific
cinematographer from blockbuster films including The Hows of Us, A Second
Chance, and Crazy Beautiful You; Victor Kaiba Villanueva, the
director behind films Patay na Si Hesus, My Paranormal Romance, and Ang
Nanay ni Justin Barber; and representatives of UFC marketing.
 |
Crismel Gida won Best Film, Best Director, and Best Cinematography for his short film “Cancelled”
|
Directed by Crismel
Gida, “Cancelled,” a hopeful story of two resilient Filipinos working their
hardest to make ends meet after their livelihoods were affected by recent
events, took home the P100,000 grand prize for Best Short Film. Gida also took
home the P15,000 Best Director Prize as well as the P5,000 Best Cinematography
award.
In second place, and winning
P50,000, was Ken Leviste’s “How’s my Driving,” which tells the engaging
narrative of a jeepney driver turned deliveryman. Meanwhile, the third place
prize of P20,000 went to Marco Paulo Castro’s “Budjoy,” a light hearted story
about a forgetful boy who misses his OFW mother as his family tries to make
ends meet.
 |
| “How's My Driving” is UFC Reel Life's second best film |
Director Ken Leviste's
“How's My Driving” bagged the contest's second best film
Aside from the top
winners of the competition, excellent performances both on and off screen were
given special credit. Acting citations were given to outstanding performers
from the competition’s entries. The Best Actor prize of P5,000 goes to none
other than young talent Sean Angelo Tutanez for “Budjoy”. Meanwhile the Best
Actress prize of P5,000 goes to Andrea del Mundo for “Prank” (directed by James
Edward Golla), a short film that tells the story of an innocent prank between
husband and wife that takes a dramatic turn.
 |
| “Kambal” by Yves Publico is among the competition's honorable mentions |
The competition
likewise gave recognition for technical skills to highlight the immense talent
that filmmakers showed behind the scenes. The Best Screenplay prize of P5,000 went
to Jojo Livelo and Miko Livelo for “Anana”, a comedic tale of cheesy dad jokes
made real.
 |
| “Ma,” by Dexter de Jesus won Best Mobile Short Film, Best Editing, and honorable mention |
The Best Editing prize
of P5,000 went to Dexter de Jesus for “Ma,”, a beautifully animated film about
a young man missing the comfort of his mother’s home cooking.
Special awards were
also given in response to the overwhelming amount of talent on display during
the competition. Best Mobile Short Film was given to the filmmaker who made the
best use of simple equipment such as their very own cell phone cameras. The
People’s Choice Award rewards the most popular film in the competitions as
determined by the number of YouTube views. Seven honorable mentions were also
selected from the shortlist of 30 as their skill and quality could not go
unrecognized.
The winner of Best
Mobile Short Film was Dexter de Jesus for “Ma,”. The awardee will receive a
mobile filmmaking kit that includes a Kase Four Lens Kit V2, a Zhiyun Crane M2,
a Kase Phone case, a Phone Cage 2990, and a Synco Shotgun Mic M1. Lexter
Taganas’s “Uli” snagged the People’s Choice Award and the P15,000 prize for
getting over 22,000 views.
UFC also awarded a P10,000
consolation prize to each of the seven honorable mentions: “Ma,” by Dexter de
Jesus; “Kambal” by Yves Publico; “Rico” by Ronald John Mendenilla-Teodosio;
“Tatalon” by Don Ralph Diaz; “Bato-Bato Pik” by Alejandro “Bong” Ramos; “Uli”
by Lexter Taganas; and “Anana” by Quentin Tolentino.
Prize winner or not,
however, each and every entry in this contest placed the prodigious talents of
local filmmakers on full display. The organizers of UFC Reel Life:
Nagsasama-samang Sarap Short Film Competition takes great pride in having been
able to shine a spotlight on these excellent works. Congratulations go out to
all the winners and to the rest of the filmmakers who showcased their abilities
for the competition.
All thirty short films
that were shortlisted as finalists can be watched right now on YouTube.
