Light as a concept is versatile, evidenced by its twin nature as both a particle and wave. It can illuminate, obscure, and deceive, but more importantly, it can shed light on unseen narratives and symbolize hope amidst shadows.
With the theme “Sinag ng Kwento: Paglago at Pagkakaisa,” the entries of this year’s Mugna: Creative Series – Short Film showcased various interpretations of light and how it, or the lack thereof, can look like in everyday Mindanaoan life.
One entry stands above the rest, “Handuraw,” by the Natural Sciences and Mathematics (NSM) Falcons, winning multiple awards such as best cinematography, editing, directing, film score, and hailing as the overall champion.
Director Rico Angelo Derecho describes the film as telling a story about remembering and reconciling with uncomfortable truths about one’s past, using an unorthodox, mixed-media style featuring hand-drawn elements and a complete lack of dialogue.
“We always wanted to do something different with [our film] and think outside the box so we went with that direction,” Derecho said, citing inspirations from Negative Space by Ameya Ejay and Hito by Stephen Lopez.
Derecho highlighted the film’s conception in the early stages as a synthesis of the team’s various ideas.
“Mugna has always been a collaborative project for us sa NSM so we wanted to incorporate all of the ideas we wanted to do for this year… I wanted to explore the idea of dreams, they wanted to do mixed media, do more of a thriller, etc.”
The winning film’s director describes it as relatively more ambitious than their previous entries.
“We had a lot [of] ideas and art mediums we wanted to explore but it boiled down to what we can do realistically with our schedule and what would make sense for the plot,” Derecho added, claiming that the coming together of the film was “more gradual” rather than a “singular session.”
Recalling that “every time we had a brainstorming session, there were always major changes in the plot,” Derecho also described the pre-production process as “heavy”.
Furthermore, he noted that the filming process took longer than expected.
“We’ve filmed overtime, needed multiple day reshoots, a lot of trial and error, just to have them look good in the film.”
One particular location was Bucana Bridge, where most of the filming was done. Derecho remarked that it was difficult to access, especially with the equipment and props.
“It’s a great honor to be recognized by these established filmmakers,” Derecho commented after a back-to-back win following last year’s victory with “Make a Wish,” which he also directed.
Finishing as first runner-up was the Social Sciences (SS) Dragons’ “Gapirok-pirok na suga,” followed by the Computer Studies (CS) Chameleons’ “Timpla.”
This year’s Mugna film viewing was held on October 15 at the Bapa Benny Tudtud Auditorium.