Ilonggo short film ‘Solo’ grabs best film plum in QEFF

The Quisumbing-Escandor Film Festival for Health (QEFF) successfully ended its first-ever virtual film festival with its Awards Ceremony last Oct 30, 2021.

In collaboration with the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), this hybrid event combined a live in-person production and virtual online audience and was the first of its kind for CCP.

The event, which was also live streamed on Facebook, was attended by the film finalists and the organizing team of QEFF 4 as well as guests from all over the country.

Ram Esteban Estael’s documentary film entry entitled “Nasaan Sila, Nasaan Ang Virus?” bested the other 20 film entries in the film fest and won the most coveted Gawad Quisumbing-Escandor award.

The film tells about a group of Badjao and the story of their survival, hopes, and worldview as they also experienced the challenges of the pandemic. “I hope this film will bring that message that these indigenous people also need our government’s attention to cater to all their needs” said director Ram Esteban Estael as he emphasized the importance of making the public aware of the needs of marginalized people during this pandemic.

Kevin Piamonte’s “Solo” was declared as the Best Film.

‘Solo’ is a film about a person struggling with mental illness in this time of pandemic as he sets out to find the one person he used to dance with before he disappears forever.

Director Kevin Piamonte encouraged everyone to initiate discussions about people with mental health issues.

“Let’s talk about mental health. Let’s get rid of the stigma. It is very important especially during this time of pandemic” he shared.

The winners of the Gawad-Escandor and Best Film awards received P100,000 and P75,000 cash prizes, respectively, and a specially designed trophy.

Meanwhile “Patient No. 45” by Marzeus Aur’c Alegre and “Feet Apart” by Dexter Paul De Jesus, both animated films, were declared 1st runner-up and 2nd runner-up respectively.

The theme of the festival “Bilang Nilalang” spotlights the unheard stories of Filipinos living through this pandemic. Over 50 entries from different cities and provinces in the country were submitted to the film festival with 21 films and documentaries selected as finalists.

For those who missed the screening, QEFF 4 films are now available to stream for free on the Cinemata platform via www.cinemata.org.

The next phase of QEFF is the Film Caravans which aim to bring the films from the finalists to different schools, communities, organizations, and rural health units across the country with the hopes of educating people and influencing policy-making for a better pandemic preparedness response in the future.

This event is organized by the Mu Sigma Phi Fraternity of the UP College of Medicine, Department of Health, Cultural Center of the Philippines, University of the Philippines Manila, Philippine Association of Communication Educators, Film Development Council of the Philippines, Pharmaceutical and Healthcare Association of the Philippines, and Cinemata.

It is held in partnership with the Mu Sigma Phi Foundation, Inc. and the Filipino Screenwriters Guild with online media partners, DZUP and WhenInManila.

Stay tuned for updates about the upcoming #QEFF4 #BilangNilalang Film Caravans through our Facebook page at www.facebook.com/QEfilmfest.