“Arena” film poster from Gawad Alternatibo and film crew photo courtesy of Seymour Sanchezera, kids would often wander outside and play movement-based games. Luksong baka? Chinese garter? Patintero? Players would compete like it’s the Olympics. One of the more interestingly peculiar though, I think, would be thumb wars.
Nothing beats the tension between two players who try their best to maintain focus and force, as they outdo their opponent’s hand strength and outsmart their strategy. This game may just be a blip in our childhood, but in a particular Filipino film, this is where the world-building starts.It’s called “Arena,” a thesis film by Nicole Yvonne Lee, a digital filmmaking graduate from De La Salle-College of St. Benilde.
“As a filmmaker, I just really want to make people laugh and be happy using the films I made. Since I was a student, my school projects have been in the comedy genre. Arena was made from my playful imagination,” said Lee who wrote, edited, scored, directed, and co-produced the film, according to Seymour Sanchez, her thesis mentor.
If you can’t wait to see this for yourself, this short film is included in the 35th Gawad CCP Para sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Video in the short feature category. This year’s Gawad Alternatibo competition roster promises “interesting, mind blowing, and eye opening messages that will surely knock some sense off of you,” according to its. You can catch it for free at the Tanghalang Ignacio Gimenez from Aug. 5 to 7, 2023.
But prior to its CCP debut, did you know that this project already gained recognition in the US? “Arena” competed at the recent Student World Impact Film Festival 2023, where it was awarded first place in the comedy category., culturally-accepting, and equitable society” and puts a premium on “voices of young storytellers from historically marginalized races, backgrounds, and cultures to give them the opportunity to share their stories with the world.