A film about a T’boli dancer, who experiences a sudden turn of events in her pursuit of a good life for her family, bagged first prize in the Short Feature category and Best Regional Entry at the 30th Gawad CCP Para sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Video awards night held last Aug. 6 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Tanghalang Manuel Conde.
“Rufyla,” Coleen Tanco‘s capstone project under the digital filmmaking program of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) School of Design and Arts (SDA), bested more than a hundred entries in the said category. The young filmmaker hails from Koronadal City, South Cotabato.
“Rufyla started when our house helper left us in her pursuit to get married to a foreigner. She is a 23-year-old girl who desired for a good life even if it took her to a red-light district in Manila. She believes that only a wealthy man can save her from poverty. As luck would have it, she nailed it,” the Benilde alumna explained when asked what inspired her to make her thesis film.
“I hope the film will create and build a language that helps delineate what it means to be living in a remote area in the southern part of the Philippines. I also hope that the film will root for the indigenous people and make everyone aware not to treat the Filipino culture like a worthless material,” Tanco added after learning about her twin victories.
“Rufyla” is the first in BenildeFilm’s 10-year history to win the grand prize in the Gawad Alternatibo.
It is among short films that will compete at FACINE 25: The 25th Annual Filipino International Cine Festival from Oct. 18- 21 in San Francisco, California.
Established in 1987, Gawad Alternatibo is considered the longest-running independent film festival and competition of its kind in the ASEAN region. A few years ago, it became one of the major components of the annual Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival.
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