By Nanette Guadalquiver
BACOLOD CITY – Sagay City in Negros Occidental marks the seventh year of the Margaha Film Festival inspired by the legendary “Siete,” the train that once carried logs and lumber across Sagay during the Insular Lumber Company era.
The theme “LokoMo7ib” is an imaginative reworking of the word “locomotive” that signifies seven years of the “cinema by the sea” set along the kilometer-long shoreline of the Margaha (black sand) beach of the northern Negros city.
“As we enter our seventh year, our filmmakers continue that journey, transforming history, culture, and everyday life into stories that travel far beyond the sea. LokoMo7ib is about movement – of stories, of people, of imagination,” festival director Helen Arguelles-Cutillar said in a statement on Wednesday.
This year’s edition, set from Feb. 19 to 28, features 24 short films — 12 each for the Sagaynon Shorts Competition and the Philippine Shorts Competition.
The Sagaynon Shorts Competition showcases films written and directed by Sagaynon filmmakers, who participated in the festival’s workshops, story laboratories and mentorship programs.
These are “Ang Pihak nga Punta” (Edward Wilfred Lobaton); “Ang Sugilanon ni Lola” (Crispel Jhun Ducay); “Ayam” (Levi James Arellano); “Bangga Budong” (John Lyndel Alolon); “Guloginhawa” (Mery Grace Rama-Mission); “Hampang sa Balod” (Presilio Bajao); “Indi Ini Istorya Lang” (Jesa Mae Guanzon); “Manami Mag**** sa Mansion” (Seb Valdez and Trini Garcia); “Manimalay” (Janno Castillo); “Mga Taghunas” (Nheferti Ligalig); “Sikad” (Feona Eddlyn de la Peña); and “Tubo sang Gugma” (Renz Pantaleon).
The Philippine Shorts Competition, titled “Ang Istorya sang Amon Isla,” gathers films from across the country that explore island life, mountains, seas, and the lived experiences of local communities.
The entries include “Angela and Her Dying Lola” – Mark Terence Molave (San Mateo, Rizal); “Asa ang mga Salida sa Leyte” – Linus Masandag (Baybay City, Leyte); “Cemento” – Justine Borlagdan (Obando, Bulacan); “Coding si Papa” – Michael Pogoy (San Mateo, Rizal); “Eskoba” – Sherwin De Leon (Quezon City); “Hasang” – Daniel de la Cruz (Guimbal, Iloilo); “Muli na” – Merlie Shane David (Quezon City); “Pastil: Parehas Ra Ta’g Kan-on’g Ginakaon” – Franky Arrocena (Davao City); “Sa Humba Nimo” – Janell Ruth Samaniego (Cagayan De Oro City); “Sa Pwesto ni Pistong” – Vincent Joseph Entuna (Bacolod City); “Sari-Sari” – Jam Moreno (Davao City); and What We Never Said – Jermaine Tulbo (Davao City).
“The annual Margaha Film Festival continues to position Sagay City as a vital cultural hub for regional and grassroots cinema, bringing together filmmakers from Negros Occidental and other parts of the country for screenings, dialogues and community engagements,” the organizers said in a statement. (PNA)
