‘Senti’ love story leads

The moving, eight-minute-plus short tells the story of a man waxing sentimental as he recalls the most memorable moments with the recently departed love of his life

BATCH photo of this year’s Get Reel winners.

A timeless love story bested six other formidable shorts to win the coveted grand prize of the Get Reel Mobile Shorts Film Festival 2019 presented by McJim Classic Leather.

Dylan Ray Talon’s Walang Hanggang Ligaya Sa Una Mong Ngiti was adjudged Best Mobile Short Film for the annual short film festival at ceremonies held at Fisher Mall Cinema 1 last 30 August. For winning the top award, the film also won the McJim cash prize of P50,000.

The moving, eight-minute-plus short tells the story of a man waxing sentimental as he recalls the most memorable moments with the recently departed love of his life. For a film shot entirely with a smartphone, Walang Hanggang Ligaya Sa Una Mong Ngiti displayed remarkable production values from the acting, lighting, musical score, production design. Not surprisingly, it also won Best Director worth P25,000 for Talon, a stage, film and television actor as well as Best Cinematography worth P10,000 for Rocket Ruiz.

Following his win, a visibly elated Talon said that his short is about a couple who yearns for the days when they were still very much in love.

Actress Ruby Ruiz with “Starstruck” finalist Crystal Paras and Kim Ordonio and Bryan del Rosario of JBK.

ACTING citation recipients with Ruiz (leftmost).

Director James Edward Golla receives the Best Screenplay award from actress Pau Benetiz.

Festival juries Emmanuel de la Cruz and Karl Menina with Best Director Dylan Ray Talon (right).

Comedians Tads Obach (first from left) and VJ Mendoza (third from left) awards the Best Comedy trophy to the team of “May Love Life Na Si Pepito Jr.”

Meanwhile, James Edward Golla’s May Love Life Na Si Pepito Jr. also won big at the festival as it bagged the Best Screenplay and Best Comedy awards, with prizes worth P20,000 and P25,000, respectively.

The comedy is about a teenage boy who surprises his parents by revealing in a surprise twist that he is not what they think he is. Unlike Walang Hanggang Ligaya Sa Una Mong Ngiti which was shot in portrait mode, May Love Life Na Si Pepito Jr. was “filmed” in landscape, widescreen mode and felt more like a movie when viewed at the big screen cinema.

Mark Jason Sucgang’s Pitaka won P25,000 for the Get Reel Viral Shorts Award; John Carlo Balasbas Tarobal’s Champion won P10,000 for Best Inspirational Story; and Roy Robert Rusiana’s Kabilin bagged P25,000 for Best Drama.

The judges, composed of actor Karl Medina and filmmakers Emmanuel de la Cruz and Veronica Velasco, also gave acting citations to Russel Ian Paguia for May Lovelife Na Si Pepito Jr.; Jorrybell Agoto for Walang Hanggang Ligaya Sa Una Mong Ngiti;Jonathan Oraño for Pitaka; Marialyn Tamarra for Cotard Syndrome; Philip Carlo Ty and King Richard Visto for Kabilin; and James Lohoman, Shawn Villete and Carlo Tarobal for Champion.

Rounding out the seven finalists for this year’s festival was Dave Tolentino’s Lupi. All entries are required to feature McJim leather products like bags, belts and wallets as organic parts of their respective narratives.

Gracing the short film festival as guest presenters were acclaimed actress Elora Españo (Signal Rock), newly-minted Cinemalaya 2019 Best Actress winner Ruby Ruiz (Iska). Starstruck finalist Crystal Paras and JBK’s Kim Ordonio and Bryan del Rosario.

Festival director Chris Cahilig, who directed the award-winning shorts, Pitaka, Bag and Sinturon, produced in collaboration with McJim Classic Leather said that due to its success this year, the Get Reel Mobile Shorts Film Festival will now become an annual affair.

“McJim’s Get Reel gives aspiring filmmakers a chance to share their content with a massive audience in the digital age where short films have become a way to spread meaningful and timely messages, and mobile devices have become a tool for creating relevant content,” Cahilig noted.

The winning entries can now be viewed in the official McJim Classic Leather Facebook page.