Ilocos Norte is taking big steps for its creative arts industry as young filmmakers took the center stage at this year’s celebration of Tan-ok ni Ilokano (Greatness of Ilokano) Film Festival.
Ten documentary films showcasing the province’s rich culture and history started to be screened at the Cinema 4 of Robinsons Movieworld. Screenings will run daily until Sunday, April 10, from 9 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Movie tickets are free.
Ilocos Norte Tourism Office (INTO) head Aianree Raquel said in a media interview Friday that the time has come for young and talented Ilocano filmmakers to show their ingenuity to the world.
“We are known as a film destination. A lot of national and international filmmakers come to our province but we are just the backdrop,” said Raquel, as he stressed the need to change this practice by providing new opportunities and avenues for promising Ilocano filmmakers who are creating a buzz in the local and global film industry.
Just last year, at least three documentary films that were produced during the first-ever Tan-ok ni Ilocano Online Film Festival of the Ilocos Norte government made it to various film festivals here and abroad.
This includes the “Panagwawagi” (Brotherhood) by Gabb Gantala that bagged the top prize a the Rad Fest Short Film Competition 2021, a project by Blackbox Studios founded by Carlo Alvarez. It was also nominated for “Film of the Month” at the Viddsee Shortee Award by a Singapore-based video entertainment platform that recognizes and celebrates the most-watched, shared, and talked about Asian short film on Viddsee every month.
Similarly, Kevin Jay Ayson’s “Ang Mga Nawalang Pag-asa at Panlasa” (The Lost Sense of Hope and Taste) was awarded 2nd Best Film and chosen as one of the 13 short feature finalists in the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival in 2021.
Meanwhile, Melver Ritz Gomez’s “Iyallatiw” (To Transfer) was selected as an official entry to the International Film Festival Manhattan (IFFM) and screened at the Diwa Filipino Film Showcase of Seattle in Washington, USA. “Iyallatiw” was also chosen as part of the Viddsee Juree Awards in 2021.
“Panagwawagi” portrays the fundamental concept of brotherhood that could withstand disparate and ageless circumstances and trying times.
“Ang Mga Nawalang Pag-asa at Panlasa” narrates the battles and struggles of Ilocano food entrepreneurs amid the pandemic, while “Iyallatiw” portrays an almost dying oral tradition in the town of Paoay, Ilocos Norte, and how a “manglualo” (prayer leader) will transfer the practice to the younger generation.
The three celebrated documentaries, along with seven more of these special documentary films, will be screened at the Robinsons Cinema from 9 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Movie tickets are free.
According to Raquel, the works of the local filmmakers here are truly outstanding as they have a unique way of presenting the life and the rich culture of the Ilocanos and the place they live in.
By next year, the INTO hopes to add more categories to the filmmaking competition being sponsored by the Ilocos Norte government to maximize the potential of local artists for a larger audience. (PNA)
