Pelikultura 2018: #BuhayElbi Film Rundown
Hosted by PELIKULAB, Pelikultura: The Calabarzon Film Festival is a film fest annually held in UP Los Baños whose mission is to grant avenues for both up-and-coming and well-experienced indie filmmakers from Calabarzon in showcasing their film masterpieces. Its heart lives upon the idea of telling unique stories that hit home.
Perhaps to pay homage to the festival’s annual location, #BuhayElbi has become one of competition categories in which a glimpse of ~LB lyf~ and culture via the eyes of UPLB students are exhibited through films. This year, six (and I mean six!!!) entries for #BuhayElbi were submitted by an organization that I’m proudly part of as an honorary member– the UP Film Circle (UPFC). UPFC is a fun, diverse family of film buffs, promising filmmakers and creative folks who passionately pursue their interests through film appreciation and production activities within and outside the org. For you to get acquainted with the work that UPFC does, I will attempt to walk you through the org’s #BuhayElbi offerings this year. I invited Gelo Arboleda, a photographer and fellow movie enthusiast, to chime his thoughts in the said entries.
1. #MyFirstVlog (Ana Salvador)
Basically a film in guise of video blog or vlog, #MyFirstVlog takes you around the UPLB campus through an amateur vlogger’s (played by Rafa Bolaño) brief adventure. Though vlogs aren’t usually shot a la morning travel and lifestyle shows akin to Kris TV, Gelo and I agreed that the lead’s both charm and subtle sarcasm effectively displayed a delightful take on vlogging with a satirical twist.
2. Homesick (Leo Diamante)
Another film that displays various picturesque sites in UPLB is Homesick. It vastly differs from the first one though, as Homesick evokes a strong sense of sentiment and nostalgia through vantage diorama coupled with an ambient synth score—the score being the strongest attribute of the film. For Gelo, a much heavier feeling could have been attained if a tripod was utilized in shooting the diorama to accentuate the small, moving details even more. But overall, Homesick is a pleasant attempt in conjuring distant and adjacent memories that surround the campus life.
3. Jeyl breyk (Gil Angelo Bosita)
Probably our personal favorite, Jeyl breyk’s premise is grim at best. However, this is balanced out by the actors’ refreshing acting which makes for an enjoyable film-viewing experience. The story follows the mundane apartment life of three students who face the dilemma of acquiring a pack of pancit canton at 11pm amidst a recent jail break event and coincidentally, a power outage. Although some production details were overlooked, the film pulled through quite well.
4. Kuwit (Manieleen Cagatulla and Manuel Balmeo)
Kuwit is a reminiscent of TV commercials during my childhood that I only got to see alongside soap operas on hot, lazy afternoons – cryptic and chock-full of emotions. After it was revealed ~who~ the respondents are referring to, I found myself identifying with the first girl (played by Mannie) the most. Fried chicken is life, that’s why.
5. Sunday (Mac Andre Arboleda)
Name the first three things that come to your head when the word Sunday is mentioned. Me, I will always say: warm homemade meals, clear skies and Air Supply or Paul Anka playing on the radio. Not with Mac Arboleda’s Sunday, though. Using edgy scoring and hazy, dark-toned visuals, the film tells the story of a starving dormer girl trapped in the walls of her room on a Sunday. It is initially portrayed that she has no readily available cash to buy herself a decent meal with, hence, reluctantly settled for an opened can of ageing corned beef that she found inside her cupboard instead. This made way to the certainty of a stomach upset and paved for the film’s satisfying conclusion. Gelo admired the plot’s wit and highly relatable quality which we thought its greatest points. After all, we always want catharsis (in this film’s case, both literally and figuratively lol) to be found in dire situations.
Last and definitely not the least is the film that won the #BuhayElbi category, Omads. Vivid, upbeat and trippy, Omads definitely felt like a dream sequence that embodies students’ occasional nonchalance and the blunders it bears. Overall, a quaint piece that certainly has something more than meets the eye. Well-deserved. 10/10 Pikachu onesies.
Reach UP Film Circle through the following platforms:
👁Facebook: http://facebook.com/upfilmcircle
👁Twitter: http://twitter.com/upfilmcircle
