Photojournalists’ entry bags video docu awards

Photo journalists, Aldo Nelbert Banaynal and Reynan Villena of The Freeman, swept the five major awards in the Sinulog 2012 video documentary category.

Their entry entitled, “f-Stops”, which depicts the life of photojournalists working at field, earned them trophies and cash.

The Best Picture cash prize is P50,000.

Banaynal said he was inspired to make the documentary after he witnessed a fire in barangay Carreta in Cebu last year where he saw a lot of Sto. Nino images as among the first things that the fire victims brought with them when they escaped from the fire.

Their entry won the Best Story, Best Narrator (for Villena), Best Director (for Banaynal), and Best Picture.

Pag-asa by Noel Samson placed 2nd and On the trail of Faith Dancers by Arneil Dawal took the third place in the best picture award.

In the short-film category, former Cebu Daily News scribe, Fatrick Tabada’s entry “Dagang Guwang” bagged the “Best Actress” and Best Screenplay” awards.

Tabada, a film-maker aspirant, said he used the concept after seeing an old maid in a hospital in Cebu City.

However, it was Fritz Arrogante’s entry “Mananahi” that bagged the top prize (Best Picture/Best film) in the short-film category.

Arrogante got a trophy and the P50,000 cash.

The film also won the “Best in Cinematography” and Best in Production Design.

Arrogante told CDN that it was the family who inspired him to do the film.

The short-film evolves around a seamstress of Sto. Niño’s cape which she passed on to her daughter.

“Lingkawas” of Fedwilyn Villarba placed 2nd for Best Picture in the short film category while “Pagtuo, Paglaum, Gugma” by Dominic Carpio placed 3rd.

In the Sinulog Photo contest, Louis Enario topped 1,920 photographers in the contest.

He got a trophy and P100,000 cash.

Enario told CDN that he didn’t expect to win in the contest.

He said he had been joining the contest for six years and somehow, it had become his devotion to the Sto. Niño to do it every year.

“Win or not, I’m gonna be shooting,” he said.

This year, he was not supposed to join the contest. It was on Monday during the Sinulog week that he decided to join the contest.

Nestor Jardin, the chair for the board of judges in the three categories (photo, video documentary, short-film) said he has been amazed on the freshness and uniqueness of the subject of the photographs this year.

He also lauded film makers in Cebu for improving their craft each year.

“There’s so much talent in film-making in Cebu,” he said in his message during the awarding ceremony held at SM Cinema 2 last Saturday night. /Correspondent Carmel Loise Matus