Comm students’ documentary film finalist in SinePiyu, Gawad Alternatibo

JANNA BUTAY

Adocumentary film titled ‘Arapaap’ (Dreams), helmed by second-year communication student Ryand Ugalde is a finalist in two national film festivals.

Ugalde’s film was among the top five finalists in the prestigious national student film competition, Sinepiyu, held at the Far Eastern University-Manila from May 2 to 6. It was also named as one of the official selections under the documentary category of the 35th Gawad Alternatibo of the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The short documentary film will be shown during the Cinemalaya season from August 4-13 at the Philippine International Convention Center (PICC).

The documentary follows the story of a college student making his way through education by working at the carnival every day after school.

Ugalde partnered with Ilocos Norte Youth Development Office to stream and produce the said documentary film. It premiered on Sirib Express’ official Facebook page on Feb. 28 during the celebration of National Arts Month.

“I was always a big fan of documentaries because of their ability to magnify narratives that we often take for granted. I decided to pursue ‘Arapaap’ because I wanted to give people, especially the youth, a glimpse of how important hard work is in achieving their dreams,” Ugalde said when asked about his inspiration behind the documentary.

When asked about the film’s message, Ugalde said that the message is nothing but to inspire. He emphasized that he wants the people who will watch the film to be motivated and to live another day, fighting for their dreams no matter how hard their aspirations may be.

Alongside Ugalde, other communication students are also part of the production team: Edmar Delos Santos, a BA Communication 2023 graduate, served as the assistant director, and John Bryan Dela Cruz, a secondyear student, as the video editor.