Tawi-Tawi entry is Moro Filmfest’s best short film

By Teng Lauban Datu
Cotabato City Bureau Chief .

Cotabato City — After a long critiquing of the top 10 finalists, the short film ‘Manis Ma Pikilan’  was recognized as the Best Short Film during the awards night of the 2018 Moro Film Festival: Short Film Competition on Dec. 6, held at Shariff Kabunsuan Cultural Complex here.

‘Manis Ma Pikilan’ captures the personal struggles of Pahad, a boy from a small coastal community in Tawi-Tawi. As competition grand winner, it received P300,000 in cash prize.

“This film would like to tell the people, especially those people outside the Armm, that Mindanao is not just about war… that people have their own personal struggles in life,” said Bhas Abdulsamad, director of the film.

‘White Flag’, a short film that depicts the story of Omaimah, a young lady who faced great challenges at an evacuation center in Marawi during the siege, bagged the Grand Jury Prize.

‘White Flag’ director Najib Alyhar Zacaria was emotional during the awards night. “Hindi ko ma-explain ang nararamdaman ko, ngunit ako ay napakasaya ngayon. This is for my Princess,” he said.

Princess was Zacaria’s daughter who expired due to a disease while staying inside an evacuation center during the Marawi Siege. The Grand Jury Prize winner received a total of P150,000 in cash prize.

Aside from ‘Manis Ma Pikilan’ and ‘White Flag’, the other features which comprise the competition’s top 10 finalists are: ‘Identity’, ‘Kyuga’, ‘Battle of Tampakan’, ‘Inged’, ‘The Last Kill’, ‘Juramentado’, ‘Khalil at Manuelito’, and ‘Sarimanok’.

The competition is part of the celebration of Pakaradjaan 2018. Public screenings of the top 10 films are scheduled on Dec. 7, 8, and 9 at the Al Nor Cinema 2. (with reports from bpi armm)