“Akalinguan nang Rosa” took home the lion’s share of awards at the recent 7th CineKabalen Film Festival, the annual competition of Kapampangan short films held at Holy Angel University.
It won Best Film, Best Director for Max Canlas and Best Screenplay also for Canlas.
Currently enrolled as a film student at UP Diliman, Canlas had sent his mother to represent him at the awards night. In her acceptance speech on behalf of her son, Mrs. Canlas (Photo 2) recounted how she had initially misunderstood her son’s obsession with filmmaking, but now “I totally understand and fully support him,” she said.
Aljon Medina’s “Bilug” won Second Best Film while Yian Gabriel of “Manuru” and Seanne Kyla Pecjo of “Bilug” were adjudged Best Actor and Best Actress, respectively.
“Manuru,” directed by Choby Pelayo, won the Kulturang Kapampangan Award.
Multi-awarded actor Allen Dizon (Photo 3) received the festival’s Lifetime Achievement Award “for his unparalled accomplishments in filmmaking and contributions to Philippine cinema.” Dizon has won over 30 best actor trophies in the last four years alone–more than any other Filipino actor has accomplished.
Allen’s “Ing Magkakabaung,” directed by top director Jason Paul Laxamana and produced by ATD Entertainment, was the festival’s closing film.
All winners received trophies designed by Kapampangan visual artist Don Reich de Dios, with the best film receiving a P15,000 cash prize.
The festival, a brainchild of Laxamana, is jointly sponsored by The Kapampangan Cinema Movement (KACIMOV) and the HAU Center for Kapampangan Studies.
The awards program was emceed by film actress Cecile Yumul.