By Ma. Emilia Nicole D. Bertulfo, Precious Nikole Tungpalan, and Zaren Yzabelle Reamillo

Far Eastern University (FEU) Film Society (FilmSoc) along with fourth-year BA Communication Special Projects Class of Section 1 successfully pulled off the Sinepiyu XV: Liwayway Awards Night at the FEU Main Auditorium last May 6.

After last year’s edition of hybrid set-up, Sinepiyu XV came back this year with a face-to-face awards night.

Sinepiyu XV Associate Director Luke John Salazar explained that Liwayway represents the continuous fight against our present-day socio-political challenges.

"'Yung cycle ng pakikipaglaban, pakikibaka and parang ni-relate ito sa pag-upo na naman ng panibagong Marcos sa Malacañang. So you know it has something to do with constantly fighting and braving and waiting for that sunrise to come (The cycle of fighting, revolution, and we related it to the uprising of another Marcos in Malacañang)," Salazar said.

Various production houses, special juries, sponsors, and the Department of Communication (DepComm) faculty members were among the guests of the well-anticipated event.

This year’s Sinepiyu shone light upon the ongoing realities of personal adversities and socio-economic challenges in this day and age. Liwayway intends to awaken our slumbering consciousness to brave our shared societal struggles.

With the incoming dawn, eliciting that much anticipated golden sunrise, embarking on that yearned new day.

The Golden Awakening of Liwayway

The picturesque sunrise has set forth, its bright rays are enlightening and ever-shining–representing the light amidst the darkness and sparking a rekindled sense of hope together with the various films from the Inter School and All Tamaraws categories.

A gathering of passion-filled student filmmakers. A celebration dedicated to the art of cinema.

The sun has set yet it only marks the start of the festivity. Loud clamor filled the halls outside the FEU Main Auditorium as finalists from home and other schools mingled and took their photos before the ceremony started.

The night kicked off with the Audience Choice Award given to the narrative film “Bakit, Papa?” directed by Migo Morales while the Best Poster was awarded to “Ang Pangugumpisal” by Minnesota Flores.  

Alongside them are “Dal Segno” by Hassmir Kiel Silos for Best Experimental Film and the one-man production “Lusong” by Nolz Sanders Dela Cruz took home the Best Documentary Film award.

Silos, the writer-director of Dal Segno, shared how he was able to portray Liwayway through dance and music and how he was able to reveal the actualities of society’s perplexing facades.

One of the preparations Silos needed for the film was to choreograph and align the music to the moves whereby his experience as a dancer came in handy.

“Since may performance and dance part ‘yung film, siguro ‘yung pag-choreo tsaka ‘yung pag-assemble ng dance team na mag-swak sa musical score na ginawa (Since there’s a performance and dance part on the film, I guess [the preparations needed was] having to assemble the choreo of the dance team to fit the musical score of the film),” he shared.

As for  "Lusong" Director Dela Cruz who had to brace himself on how he had to interact with Kuya Noel, the main subject of his film.

"Naipag-katiwala niya sakin 'yung kwento niya, tsaka nabuo ko siya in terms of hindi siya pilit at nai-kwento ko 'yung gusto ko mai-kwento sa mga tao (He trusted me with his story and I was able to complete it in terms of the story not being forced and I was able to depict the story in the way I wanted to)," he expressed.

Audiences and production teams excitedly cheered as their fellow student filmmakers got up on stage to receive their respective awards and gave their speeches. 

A special award presented by the FEU Center for the Arts (FCA) Director Martin Lopez was given to “Pasada” by Bryan Seño for its cultural value and the impact that transcended beyond the screen.

“Sayaw sang Buhî” by Rikki Lyn Dela Cruz and “Pagtangis ng mga Aninong Umiindak sa Hangin” by Laurence Llamas bagged the Best Film Award, the most-awaited recognition of the night. 

Llamas shared that with the time and budgeting constraints his production encountered, they did not expect to take home the best film award.

He also explained that the concept of the film is “torture theatre”,with the goal of awakening its viewers.

"'Yung technique nila ng pag-totorture is may mga script, may mga actors para mas lalo ma-degrade 'yung taong tino-torture nila. Hindi siya widely known dahil nga sa piling camp lang siya ginagawa (The technique they used to torture included a script that actors follow to further degrade the people they are torturing. It is not widely known as it was done in selected camps only)," he said.

With the socio-political nature of the film, it resonated with FEU DepComm's mantra of "May alam, may paki-alam" and with Sinepiyu's Liwayway theme.

FEU DepComm Head Herwin Cabasal took the time to express his gratitude to all guests and committee members of the Sinepiyu XV for the success of the big event.

“On behalf of the FEU Department of Communication, thank you very much FEU Film Society. Maraming salamat for 15 years iba't-ibang batch, it became so successful ever since,” he said.

Sinepiyu XV Festival Director and FEU FilmSoc Vice President Melissa Cuaderno gave an uplifting speech encouraging young Filipino filmmakers to continue creating films for the people and for the nation.

“Higit na kailangan natin isipin at ipaalala sa sarili, maging matapang at matatag sa bawat obra na ating gagawin. Patuloy nating gamitin ang sining na ito para mailahad nang malikhain ang ating mga katotohanan na pilit binubura, itinatago, o itinatanggi, ng mga opresibong pwersa gamit din ng pelikula (More than anything, we must remind ourselves to be brave and firm in every work that we do. Let’s continue to use the art of filmmaking to creatively present our truths that are constantly being erased, hidden, or denied by the oppressive forces also using this form),” she proclaimed.

The event ended as how it started, with the loud clamors of passion-filled student filmmakers but now proudly award-winning.

Sinepiyu is true to its core identity of amplifying the voices and stories of the marginalized and underserved—a reflection of society’s reality through the creative lens and storytelling of these young and passionate filmmakers who are ready to take up space and shed light on critical issues of today’s generation.