The short film “Grasya”, a class requirement at the Far Eastern University (FEU), was selected to compete in the World of Women (WOW) International Film Festival at the Maison De Culture Ibn Zaydoun in Tunisia from March 2 to 8, 2020.
The FEU short film, produced by Talikha Productions for the FEU Cinema Production CNM2 class and directed by recent Far Eastern University Communication graduate Audrey Vicencio, was chosen from among 3,150 films from 119 countries submitted for the competition.
This is not the first international exposure of “Grasya” as the film also previously competed in the following festivals:
- Josiah Media Festival in San Antonio, Texas, USA in October
- Africa International Film Festival in Lagos, Nigeria in November
- The Lift-Off Sessions in Pinewood Studios on December 8
The film synopsis published by noted filmmaker and educator Seymour Sanchez reveals that “Grasya” is about a political family, led by its matriarch (Tanie Lambohon Capiral), trying to use their household help’s pregnancy to help in their election campaign amid the protest of their eldest son (AJ Sison). The pregnant helper, played by FEU Theater Guild’s Hannah Pelobello, claims she is “with God’s child”.
The CNM2 class production include Vicencio, director of photography, editor, storyboard artist and colorist Andrew Kyle Aquino, producer and production manager Shaina Xena Legaspi, writer and assistant director Patricia Rigodon, assistant camerawoman Ramri Rivota, production designers Maurich Macatangay, Donita Borre, Melbrick Renz Morillo, Valerie Ann Manalo and Diospyrus Levi Barros, casting directors Yvonne Baltazar and Barros, and script continuity supervisor Angelica Altera.
“The whole experience was an experiment. The story itself was far from ordinary. It challenged me in terms of how I will show the story in a way that ‘this’ can happen or ‘what if’ it is happening,” shared Vicencio who was the Chief Photographer of the school’s official student publication, FEU Advocate.
“To add a concept that the household is a metaphor of the government here in the Philippines pushed me to dig deeper in their characterization and to show it as realistic as possible,” said the filmmaker in Sanchez’s report.
Elmahdi Souissi, WOW International Film Festival’s director, says the Tunisia festival gives an opportunity for filmmakers and producers to meet different nationalities. The 2019 event aims to project films around the theme of women and to promote art and cultural tourism to build a way for future film collaborations with Tunisian productions.
Far Eastern University recently won the Golden Kubeta Awards in November. The schools’ official choir, the FEU Chorale, will compete among the finalists of the Asia Choral Grand Prix (ACGP) 2021.
SEND congratulations to the team of Grasya and the FEU community!
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