A SHORT film about a man with healing abilities which affected his personal life, recently took home a slew of prizes at the first Sine Negrense: Negros Island Film Festival Awards Ceremony held at SM City Bacolod.

Belle Kay Loyola’s Dalit (Poison) won Best Film, while Noel Armocillo, Jr. was awarded as Best Director and Best Production Design, and John Arceo was lauded for Best Actor, and Louie Dormido for Best Supporting Actor.

The thesis film for Loyola’s Digital Filmmaking Program at De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB), Dalit was inspired “by cultural and historical stories, as well as Filipino beliefs.” She wished to highlight a place where people depend on faith and folk healers.

“I feel so happy that I was given the chance to showcase my film to the residents of my hometown while I studied filmmaking,” she said.

“It’s funny how this film was once just a concept, and for the past months, I have proven that it’s not about who you are as a person, it’s about the perseverance and positivity that you would apply, and the rest will just flow.” Loyola added.

Adobo by Val Vestil, Alibungan by Matthew Piodena, Five Sorrowful Mysteries by Shannan Gonzales, Happy Birthday by Gkie Erebaren, Hawud by Paul Venzi Florendo, Kaasab by Vince Divinagracia, and Handuraw by Gilbert Basilio, among others, likewise competed for top prize.

Alibungan took home the Jury’s Choice, Best Screenplay, and Best Editing awards. Denli Chavez received the Best Actress trophy as Jane, a girl with a traumatic experience, in Happy Birthday, while Kaasab bagged Best Musical Score and Best Supporting Actress for Kim Agnes.

Five Sorrowful Mysteries was hailed as having the Best Cinematography, while Hawud won Best Sound Design.

Festival Director Tanya Lopez described Sine Negrense as “a venue, a platform for local filmmakers to hone their craft, and it’s a good way to promote local talent.” It hopes to develop a new generation of filmmakers and enthusiasts, as well as cultivate an informed public on the importance of storytelling in cinema, to include identity, heritage, and culture.

Lopez had the assistance of Festival co-director Rodolfo Banjo Hinolan and program director Adrian Torres in organizing the event, with the help of the Film Development Council of the Philippines, National Commission for Culture and the Arts, Negros Museum, and Design Brewer.

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