By Bryan R. Realgo, Campus Correspondent

Bagging another feat in film-making, two students of the Mariano Marcos State University (MMSU) emerged victorious in the 5th Ortigas Vertical Cinema Contest, organized by the Ortigas Malls and the Film Development Council of the Philippines. 

The film titled ‘Trak’ by incoming senior BA Communication students Meryl Wayne Mendoza and Zanel John Dumayag of the College of Arts and Sciences were chosen as one of the Top 7 winners in the contest. They received the award on August 12. 

The one-minute vertical short film is about an adopted orphan who expresses gratitude to other children and to the orphanage he came from by sending them his ‘used’ toy trucks. This film blends playfulness and gratitude viewed through the eyes of a child. It is a subtle reminder of looking back to one’s roots. 

“We were surprised since this was our first time to join such a competition,” said, Mendoza.  “With a lot of excellent entries, we went through the proverbial eye of a needle,” Dumayag added. 

With a maximum length of two minutes, all the short film entries were developed in a portrait orientation, exploring the theme, “Kumusta Ka?” (How are you?).

The vertical cinema contest is part of the annual Ortigas Arts Festival which aims to promote different art forms and make these accessible to everyone. The festival, which ran from July 7 to August 7, showcased Filipino painting, sculpture, film, photography, dance and fashion.

MMSU President Shirley C. Agrupis expressed joy over the achievement. “This is another testament that MMSU has become a powerhouse not only in the hard sciences, but in the creative fields as well. We are glad that our students are at the forefront in the advancement of novel art forms,” she said. (HLY/JVBT/DPTJ, StratCom)