Ramri Rivota鈥檚 鈥淒alaw鈥� (The Guest) led FEU awardees by winning Honorable Mention in Art Direction for Melbrick Morillo at the Festival de Cinema Internacional de Merd蓹 de Sueca (C.I.M. Sueca) based in Spain and another Honorable Mention award at the Student World Impact Film Festival 2022 in the US.
Rivota, who graduated with a degree in Communication from FEU, also served as Secretary of the FEU Communication Society.
In 鈥淒alaw,鈥� Grace (Maniecel Jagonob) is forced to stay for a couple of days with her Lola Mary (Wendy Villacorta). During supper, a spoon accidentally falls, which, based on a superstitious belief, leaves them waiting for an unexpected guest.
Aside from Morillo, Rivota, who wrote and directed the film, also got ample support from producer/production manager Shaina Legaspi, assistant director Patricia Rigodon, director of photography/editor Andrew Aquino, assistant director Audrey Vicencio, scriptcon Angelica Altera, casting manager Yvonne Salazar, sound designer Val Manalo, wardrobe/makeup artist Cyrus Barros, and production assistants Donita Borre and Maurich Macatangay.
Organized by the Cultural Association for the Second Law of Thermodynamics in Sueca, Valencia, Spain, C.I.M. Sueca is a global competitive event of 鈥渓ow-budget, independent, or noncommercial cinema.鈥�
鈥淲e hope to stimulate countercultural audiovisual initiatives to spotlight independent productions which focus on creativity, medium love and sheer fun over technical requirements leading to a ban from commercial mainstream. We aim to establish the CIM as a meeting venue for the unassimilated, the rebellious, and the free minds of the audiovisual underworld,鈥� CIM Sueca organizer Eugeni Alca帽iz said.
鈥淒alaw,鈥� which was previously a finalist at the Short+Sweet Film Manila and Sinepiyu film festival at FEU, also made it to SWIFF, which got more than 5,400 entries from 120 countries. 鈥淲e loved the technical creativity and impactful message of your film, Dalaw (The Guest),鈥� SWIFF Director Mark Leschinsky revealed.
Apart from 鈥淒alaw,鈥� other FEU student films such as 鈥淎gam鈥� (Thought) by Rose Anne Abellar, 鈥淒ebut鈥� by Reyna Nicole Paner, 鈥淗utik Sang Mga Kuliglig鈥� by Luke del Castillo, 鈥淜umari鈥� by Angela Aguila and One Carlo Diaz, 鈥淥n the Shepherd鈥檚 Warning鈥� by Lily Gomes, 鈥淧ua Iyam鈥� (Coming Out) by Juan Pablo Pineda III, and 鈥淩etrospektib鈥� by Daryll Jameson Apaga also received Honorable Mention prizes and were nominated for multiple awards, including Best Short Film and Global Impact Grand Prize.
