DESPITE the absence of a film education program, UST has produced a number of filmmakers who have contributed to the vibrancy of the Philippine independent cinema, such as Gil M. Portes, who predated indie filmmaking by some 30 years (his first movie, Tiket Mama, Tiket Ale, Sa Linggo ang Bola, starring Gina Pareno and Eddie Garcia, was independently produced in 1976; so was his internationally acclaimed Munting Tinig in 2002), Michiko Yamamoto (writer of the award-winning Magnifico, Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros, and Endo), and of course, Brillante Mendoza, who was named best director in this year’s Cannes international film festival and was honored by the Cinemalaya this year with the special screening of his Serbis, which became last year the first Filipino movie in a quarter of a century to break into the Cannes competition.
The Thomasian contribution to indie cinema has been reinforced in this year’s Cinemalaya Cinco. The production design of Nerseri, a competition entry about a boy forced to take care of his mentally deranged siblings, is by Aped Santos, who graduated from the UST High School in 1977. Santos is best known for last December’s Metro Manila Film Festival best picture winner Baler, which won for him the best production design award. Earlier, in the 2006 Cinemalaya, Santos won best production design for Batad sa Paang Palay, which is set in the Cordillera rice terraces. Playing a part in Nerseri is actor Alwyn Uytingco, currently a student at the Conservatory of Music.
Another award-winning Thomasian production designer is Neil Daza, a product of UST Fine Arts who made the design of Engkwentro, about the street gangs and death squads of Davao. The film features a cameo appearance by indie filmmaker and Faculty of Arts and Letters Sociology alumnus Jim Libiran, director of the celebrated Tribu, which won the grand prize in the 2007 Cinemalaya.
Last Supper No. 3 also showcased Thomasian talent Malou Crisologo, a Communication Arts graduate, who showed her acting chops in the said comedy.
Actor Joem Bascon, who studied Electrical Engineering in UST but later on pursued a career in show business, did not only star Sanglaan, a competition entry, but topbilled other festival features out of competition, such as Adolfo Alix Jr.’s family drama Karera, and the last part in Ellen Ramos and Paolo Villaluna’s love trilogy, Walang Hanggang Paalam.
UST Communication Arts graduates collaborated in the short film, Tatang: director Nico Hernandez, writer Alexis Jeffrey Asuncion, producer Janice Jose, first assistant director Lucille Sodipe, script supervisor Reynadel Valera, storyboard artist Karl Orit, and production assistants Vera Lorraine Celestino, Kenneth Tan, and Shayne Guevarra. Hernandez’ short film was also honored with this year’s Audience Choice trophy.
Another Communication Arts graduate, Rommel “Milo” Tolentino, has outdone himself by serving as director, writer, cinematographer, editor, production designer, soundman, and producer of his short film, Blogog, which focuses on the story of a boy who finds a ball afloat on a creek followed by a series of strange occurrences, awarding him with a Special Jury award. Last year, his short film, Andong, about a poor boy’s quest to get a colored TV, won the Cinemalaya grand prize; this year it was again screened as part the festival’s new Kids Treats Shorts program.
Finally, actor Robert Seña, who took up Industrial Design in UST, adapted his short story, Wat Floor Ma’am, into a short film and directed it together with Mike Sandejas. The movie revolves around a former first lady (Pinky Marquez), obviously Imelda Marcos, who gets stuck in an elevator with a “bad boy” movie actor (Lex Marcos) and proceeds to tell him the location of the fabled Yamashita treasure, allegedly the source of the Marcoses’ incredible wealth.
