For the first time after two years of virtual set-up, the Silip@Lente, together with the Cultural Affairs Office, held their annual Realifilm Festival at Adamson University Theatre on January 27.
The event mustered short films following the theme of “Haze of Truth: Underlying Gap of Life,” aiming to tackle the political and social issues the nation is experiencing and how they affect regular people throughout their lives.
Filmmakers and students from different colleges, such as from Far Eastern University (FEU) and Polytechnic University of the Philippines (PUP), attended to support their film entries and watch the showing.
In the opening remarks, the head of the Cultural Affairs Office, Ms. Catherine Cequena, cited the essence of the event, especially to young filmmakers.
"This is a true investment in our future, and I have no doubt this year's experience will especially resonate with you, young filmmakers," she said.
After premiering eight out of 26 entries deemed to be “SILAU's Choice,” the bronze award was given to the film "Hindi Kita Malilimutan" by PELIKVLA, the silver award to "Sa mga Mata ng Bata" by Anonymous Jeepney Productions, and the gold award to "All the Things Left Unsaid’ by Recto Films.
Meanwhile, students who came shared their thoughts about their experience of the film showing.
Marvin Igang, a second-year communication student, praised the participants by commending their overall production.
"The recent film showing was really nice— the films were great in terms of scriptwriting, production, and cinematography. Even the trailers were good, and it goes to show that the participants really put a lot of effort into their respective crafts," he said.
Rhyzen Lagarde, a second-year engineering student, also shared the same sentiment regarding the film showing, especially in each film's context.
"Magaganda yung entries, pero merong ibang mga films na nangingibabaw (The entries were good, but some films stood out)— and what I like about it is they tackle social issues na para sa isang normal na tao, hindi siya madalas na napapansin or hindi kaya common na, pero hindi alam yung horrors na dala yung issues na ‘yon (which for a normal person, may not be noticed often, or if not, it’s common already, but isn’t aware of the horrors that are brought upon by those issues)," she said.
Vannece Llera, a second-year broadcasting student from PUP, also left a positive remark on the event and is hoping for upcoming film activities, such as Realifilm's continuous development.
"This makes me proud because, as a student filmmaker myself, I can see that many of us have a genuine and pure love for films, which improves our prospects in the industry— I’m looking forward to more film events like this where students are involved in making films," he said.