With a lineup of finalists that effectively portrayed the contest theme, “Communities Beyond the Naked Eye,” determining the best films of the 4th Indie-Siyensya Filmmaking Competition was surely a tough task for the Board of Judges. In the end, though, the title of Best Film for the Open and Youth Categories was conferred to entries that went beyond the criteria of scientific content, idea execution, and film technique.
The judges referred to the fourth criterion as “impact.”
For this reason, the films “Into the Minuscule World of Ants” by Heinrich Domingo of Quezon, Isabela and “Sansala” by Cyah Angela Somblingo of the youth organization Focus Cavite were hailed as the Best Films in the Open and Youth Categories, respectively.
These two creative filmmakers won against a total of 23 entries in the Open Category and 55 entries in the Youth Group Category.
Because of the pandemic, the victors were given their recognition on 30 September 2020 in an online awarding ceremony that premiered live at the Department of Science and Technology – Science Education Institute’s (DOST-SEI) social media page.
Open Category
The film titled “Into the Minuscule World of Ants” documents the growing ant-keeping community in the Philippines led by Youtube personality, Mikey Bustos, who has 3.3 million subscribers. Filmmaker, Domingo, said that making the film made him realize there are many scientific groups and communities that are not popularly shown in the media.
“My exposure to the ant-keeping community showed me that there are hundreds of Filipinos venturing into scientific fields like biology that remain unseen. Also, shooting this documentary film made me see the alternative avenues where science is learned” he said.
He said he feels honored to have competed against great filmmakers with equally interesting tales and narratives, and that the win will inspire him to make more films.
“Our communities are filled with stories that need to be told. We do not need to chase stories. Instead, our local tales and narratives are more than enough to make captivating films.” said Domingo who earned a cash prize of PhP 100,000 and a trophy.
The second place in the Open Category was the film titled “Pauwikan,” a documentary about the nature and diversity of the turtle sanctuary in San Juan, La Union done by Gerylle Vanmarie Palabay of the Film & Media Arts International Academy. The entry won PhP 50,000.
Incidentally, Palabay’s “Pauwikan” also secured the Viewers’ Choice Award for receiving the highest number of votes during the film screenings. The film got the PhP 20,000 cash prize for this special award.
The third best film went to Edward Laurence Opena of Opena Cinematics / Cebu Normal University for his film, “The Man Who Talks to Fishes,” that narrates how a man enabled the Gilutongan Marine Sanctuary to become one of the country’s top marine sanctuaries. The third winner was awarded PhP 30,000.
Youth Category
In the Youth Category, winning film “Sansala” tackles microplastic pollution in the locale of Dalahican, Cavite City. The documentary film explores how microplastics gravely affect the environment and the people relying on the sea for their livelihood.
The young filmmaker, Cyah Angela Somblingo, who is a second-timer in the competition, referred to the win as their team’s “comeback victory” after placing second last year for their film, “Lambat.” This time, they bagged the PhP 100,000 cash prize and the top trophy.
“This year was our comeback victory where we were able to finally get a hold of the title. Making a film alone and entering it in a competition is already a milestone for amateurs like us, and this victory was more than enough to stir our passion in filming,” Somblingo said.
The team considered this opportunity to echo to the residents of Dalahican the results of their microplastic experiment done during the making of the film as their most memorable experience.
“Educating people is something that we really enjoy. And being able to reach the hearts of thousands of people through a single film was like living a dream,” she added.
Completing the Top 3 in the Youth Category were the films “Sisto” by Ma. Diana Balansag from Bukidnon National School of Home Industries at second place and “Beyond: Escherichia coli” by Juliana Milanbilen from Tagaytay City Science National High School was adjudged third place.
“Sisto” depicts the problems encountered by the people of Barangay San Miguel in Maramag, Bukidnon with the Schistosomiasis disease, while “Beyond: Escherichia coli” tackles the unseen community of the E.Coli bacteria and its nature. The films won PhP 50,000 and PhP 30,000 cash prizes, respectively.
DOST-SEI Director, Dr. Josette Biyo, congratulated the winners and finalists for taking the competition to a higher level with the much-improved quality and messaging.
“We’re very happy with the films we received this year and we’re especially impressed by how they tell their stories effectively and in a manner that does not stay away from science,” Biyo said. “We envision our scientists to be able to communicate their works effectively and film is definitely a great platform. For this, we’re very proud of our contestants.”
This year’s Board of Judges include Dr. Garry Jay Montemayor of the College of Development Communication, University of the Philippines Los Baños (UPLB); Director Seymour Sanchez from the De La Salle-College of Saint and Far Eastern University; Prof. Patrick Campos, Director of the UP Film Institute; renowned entomologist, Dr. Aimee Lynn Dupo of the UPLB Museum of Natural History, and Dr. Ruby Cristobal of DOST-SEI.
Indie-Siyensya, now on its fourth-year run, remains one of DOST-SEI’s main platforms to promote a culture of science in the country. The competition is also the agency’s response to the growing field of science communicators that use film as a medium of information dissemination and a creative way to effect behavior change.
