A celebration of the Mindanao youth’s cinematic caliber in the form of the MUGNA Film Festival culminated the Ateneo de Davao University’s Arts Month celebration, Pag-inunongay 2017, at the Finster Auditorium last March 3.

Mindanawon Ug Nasudnong Adbukasiya (MUGNA) Film Festival aims to promote film appreciation, strengthen artistic excellence in short films, appreciate the cultures of Mindanao through filmmaking and showcase the talents of youth.

The intercollegiate film festival replaces last year’s Sinetenista, with Ateneo Film Circle (AFC) still spearheading the event. Participating schools include Ateneo de Davao University, University of Mindanao (UM), Philippine Women’s College of Davao (PWC), and Jose Maria College (JMC).

Ateneo Film Circle president Kasmiah Adiong weighed in on the success of the event.

“The event achieved its main objective [of showcasing] the talents of students in filmmaking and to have different entries from different schools,” she said.

This year’s MUGNA features 5 short film entries and 1 documentary entry. The short films include “DVD,” “Humaling,” “Working Student,” “Bagong Barong,” and “Sikad.” The sole documentary is “Ahente sa Kalimpyo.”

Adiong also shared her hopes for the future of the film fest.

“This is the first MUGNA Film Festival. I hope for the incoming officers of the different clubs to continue the film festival to provide avenue for students to explore and maximize their true potential.”

During the event, awards were also given out to celebrate the outstanding entries. “Sikad” led the pack with 6 wins, including Best Short Film, Best Cinematography, Best Musical Score, Best Editor, Best Production Design, and Best Supporting Actress.

The full list of winners is as follows:

Best Short Film

Sikad

Best Documentary

Ahente sa Kalimpyo

Best Cinematography  

Sikad

Best Musical Score  

Sikad

Best Editor

Sikad

Best Screenplay    

Working Student

Best Production Design    

Sikad

Best Director  

Working Student