Catanduanes Student’s Short Film Makes it to MMFF

A short film of a graduating student of Catanduanes State University (CSU) has been shortlisted in the 2018 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) Student Short Film Competition.

The stop-motion-animation short film entry of Demetrio E. Celestino III was among the Top 8 Finalists in the competition.

The entry centers on issue of family separation told through the lens of a young green sea turtle and runs for five minutes.

Celestino, an industrial technology – drafting student from Gigmoto town, is a graphic artist and cartoonist at CSU’s student publication Statesman.

He started venturing on film making just this year using stop motion animation as his medium.

He bagged the first prize of the short film competition during the Linggo ng Kalikasan sponsored by the provincial government of Catanduanes where he received 15,000 as cash prize.

The MMFF Student Short Film Competition, which started in 2016, is aimed at encouraging students to harness their creativity and talents in storytelling through film-making.

The other films that were shortlisted from 123 entries are: Balita (Centro Escolar University); Binibini 14. Beverly Lagdameo (De La Salle – College of St. Benilde); Dalawampung Pisong Pag-asa (St. Dominic College of Asia); Kasilyas (Bulacan State University); Padyak (Northern Mindanao Colleges, Inc.); Paraiso (UP Diliman); and, Sasagot Ka Pa? (De La Salle – College of St. Benilde).

The Top 8 entries will be shown in cinemas together with the full-length official entries during the festival period from December 25, 2018 to January 7, 2019. (PIA5/Catanduanes)