Direct this

Do you still need help getting your point across?” It’s a question anyone working in the media might ask himself every so often. In a time when all you need to get a readership is a Wordpress account and all you need to report the news is a Twitter handle, does anyone still need traditional media to get his point across?

This is a question SM Cinema is indirectly tackling in Bigshot: SM Cinema’s Search for Student Filmmakers. After receiving 50 scripts from various schools nationwide, SM Cinema, together with The Film Development Council of the Philippines, and three of the most respected film practitioners in the country (Raymond Lee, Mark Meily and Nick Deocampo) whittled down the list and came up with its three winners. With the theme “Modern Day Heroism,” the young filmmakers were tasked to come up with narratives that presented a contemporary twist on Filipino heroism — everyday heroes. The panel then picked their top three, who then received a P600,000 grant each for the production of the full-length piece.

The question hounds: When a film student can upload his film online and find a modest viewership, is a project like Bigshot still needed? Well, from where I’m standing, yes, it’s invaluable to a young filmmaker. While it’s true that you don’t need this medium to put your art out there anymore, in our times, the medium is not the message. The medium is the platform. Indie films typically get a sliver of the movie-watching population in the country. What Bigshot does is give these young filmmakers an avenue to showcase their talents in and, more importantly, to tell a story. Basically, why settle for a whisper when you can get a megaphone?

Archie Dimaculangan, actor Alex Medina and Jose Antonio De Rivera

This month, we’ll see all their efforts come to fruition, when SM officially launches the First Bigshot Film Festival. From Jan. 25 to 31, the three films will be screened at SM Megamall, SM Mall of Asia, SM North Edsa, SM Manila, and SM Cebu. But for now, Young Star asks these three teams the age-old question: Are you ready for your close-up?

Suntok Sa Buwan

Directors Bianca Catbagan and Jose Antonio De Rivera, both 23, tackle the implications of our Pacquiao-worshipping times in this harrowing boxing movie.

Cinema is beautiful. It brings together photography, music, acting, and is an orchestra of numerous art forms.

The movie follows the lives of two boxers preparing to face each other in the ring: one old and fighting retirement, the other young and full of potential.

We focus on the everyday realities that weigh Filipinos down and the willpower required to rise above them… (It’s) a vivid reflection of society today.

Modern day heroism means never giving up the good fight.

Tahanan

Director Krizzie Syfu, also 23, tells the story of a college student (played by Lauren Young) who finds inner peace in the company of orphaned children.

I’d like to believe that people who give their full effort for a specific cause or goal are heroes. Being a hero need not be grand acts of nationalism.

Films can change people’s perspectives; especially because the viewer is placed in a world that the filmmaker creates. This then makes the audience see a world from the filmmaker’s viewpoint and that makes a viewer understand certain issues, events or beliefs.

Kryzzie Syfu with actress Lauren Young.

I believe in hard work, and how Chris Gardner (Will Smith’s character in The Pursuit of Happyness) fought his way through living in the streets, seizing every opportunity he could get just so he could provide for his son is something I respect.

Heroism speaks of how we live our lives for the people we love — and if we go through great lengths for them, then we are in our own rights, heroes.

Balang Araw

Directors Archie Dimaculangan, 22, Franne Cheska Ramos, 24, and Jose Antonio De Rivera (yep, he has two entries) go deep into the world of the city’s nocturnal working class and find beauty in the struggle.

Modern day heroism is everyday selfless choices made by people who otherwise go unnoticed.

A healthy film industry indicates a healthy nation. Film has a multiplier effect as it generates jobs and gives business to people from all walks of life; from the head of a big studio down to a street vendor who sells cigarettes or candies to the crew members.

Our film features different characters who all move through the city at night and are drawn together by an event that ultimately puts their views on self-preservation to the test.

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SM Cinema is offering students a special discounted rate of only P50 per Bigshot movie ticket. And from Jan. 9 to 23, moviegoers who purchase a Bigshot movie ticket have a chance to win exciting prizes, from Flip videos to mobile phones. To know more about the First Bigshot Film Festival, visit www.smcinema.com.