Fil-Canadian Paolo Lat’s ‘Igsuon’ wins Sinulog filmfest

IT’S third time’s the charm for Fil-Canadian filmmaker Christian Paolo Lat.

On his third year at the Sinulog Film Festival, his short film on brotherhood, family, and undying devotion finally bagged the top prize.

“Igsuon,” Lat’s film, follows two brothers played by Matt Lubid and Shun Bacalla, their family, and how they were raised in the hardships of life.

Winning director Lat shared how his film was greatly inspired by Lat’s grandmother, Rosario Matibag, who had recently passed away, making it a much more meaningful win for him.

“My grandmother was very devoted and it inspired me to create a story out of it, and how my brother and I, who were mostly left to our own devices, were affected by the guidance of our grandparents growing up,” Lat told reporters after the film festival’s awards night on Saturday.

The film also bagged top awards for the short film category in cinematography (Dominic Lat), editing, sound engineering and musical scoring (Nikolo Salazar and Shilton Calamba).

Shun Bacalla, who played the role of the younger brother in the film, won Best Child Performer.

“Igsuon” also won special citations for having the best playbill and poster.

Lat said the film, although not focused on Señor Sto. Niño and the Sinulog festival, was centered on a unifying kind of devotion, which he felt was important especially with the 51st International Eucharistic Congress (IEC) that was just held in Cebu.

“It’s more on a kind of faith that embraces all, and is for all, and is very rooted in remembering how our family helps us grow into that faith,” said Lat.

Landing on second place was Cebuano filmmaker Remton Siega Zuasola’s “Lunch Box,” which was a cry against bullying, and Lindsey Banaynal’s “Ang Bitoon ug ang Barongoy,” where a children’s story served as the backdrop for the challenges of life.

In the video documentary category, Ademar Ochotorena’s “Salamat Niño” bested all the other entries for its clear depiction of Sto. Niño’s role in the lives of many people.

It topped the multi-awarded “Ann Savage” by Januar Yap and Hannah Gabiana, “Belo ng Manopello” by Fr. Richard P. Lagos, and “Trayntay Kwatro” by Alfred Bartolome.

Ochotorena’s documentary also won Best in Cinematography (Ryan Carpio and Ferdinand Chocoy Gonzales).

The grand prize winners of both the short film and documentary category went home with P100,000 each, the second placers winning P50,000 each, and the third placers winning P30,000 each.

Razsil Zuasola’s “Ang Mabulukon Tang Isla” won in the new category of the Sinulog Film Festival, which is the Music Video Category. Zuasola won P30,000.

Jay-Arr Librando, the man behind the IEC 2016 hymn “Christ in Us, Our Hope of Glory,” was second in the Music Video Category for his entry “Hinungdan sa Pagtuo.”

“This year’s roster of films depicted how truly, Sinulog is a keeper of the magnificent faith that Cebuanos have, and is a wonderful way to conclude the Sinulog festivities,” said Sinulog Foundation executive director Ricky Ballesteros.

The board of judges was composed of Nestor Jardin and Cris Milado of the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), Erlito Lilit Reyes and Vic Acedillo Jr., both multi-awarded creatives on the local and international scene, and Loy Arcenas, a New York-based multi-awarded production designer.

Ballesteros said the judges praised the films for being “world-class” and for delivering inspiring messages about the Cebuano way of praise in their own unique story-telling ways.

Ballesteros said this was what set the Sinulog Film Festival apart from other film fests in the country, and even all over the world.