Red Horse MUZIKLABAN the Indie Film Challenge 2009 Winners!

Last Friday, Nov. 27, 2009, I got the opportunity to attend the awards night of the first Red Horse Beer MUZIKLABAN Indie Film Challenge at Nomnomnom Bar in Tomas Morato.

Without a doubt, Red Horse Beer MUZIKLABAN has successfully opened the stage for amateur rock band players from all over the Philippines to show their mettle, grit, and rock power. Now on its 11th year, Red Horse Beer MUZIKLABAN has pushed the envelope further by accomodating kindred "strong spirited" interests such as tattoo art, extreme sports, and yes, independent filmmaking.

This year, for the very first Red Horse Beer MUZIKLABAN Indie Film Challenge, the SMB group challenged Filipino indie filmmakers to come up with a 5-minute film around the theme: "The Legend of the Happy Horse". (I had my own encounter with the said "Happy Horse" myself in 2008. See my previous blog entry on it: http://intothebutterfly.blogspot.com/2008/11/red-horse-beer-and-its-smiling-horse.html)

R.A. Rivera, one of the most sought-after video directors in the country and an indie film maker, joins Pepe Smith, Ricky Sta Ana, Armand Mariano in crafting this year's MUZIKLABAN component.

"“Red Horse Beer including the indie film category in this competition is already, in itself, a solid contribution to this field as it affords the opportunity for aspiring filmmakers to be exposed to new viewers and for their talent and skills to be recognized. This prospect of providing a platform to other fellow filmmakers was the deciding factor for me in joining this project. As most filmmakers would attest, it’s not just about being able to improve your art, but it’s more importantly about being able to tell a story and having people enjoy or relate or retell that story - and that is the biggest reward of making a film," explains R.A. Rivera.

The Winners are :

"Kwentong Gidiyap" by Miko Livelo
Winner of the OPEN CATEGORY
Age : 24 years old
School Graduated : Fine Arts & Design at University of Santo Tomas ‘08
Current Work : Motion Graphics Designer at Mad Banana
http://www.facebook.com/reqs.php#/mikopunch?v=app_2392950137&ref=ts



"Ang Inumin ng Tunay na Lalake" by Jet Leyco
Winner of the NOVICE CATEGORY
Age : 22 yrs. Old
School : Far Eastern University 09
Employer : Wassacre Films
Watch the short film here: http://www.youtube.com/user/praxkerberus#p/a/u/0/c1bx5G7xW0A



"Pagtitimpi" by Jan Parma
Viewers Choice Award
School : Ateneo De Manila University , Communications, Film Production student
http://www.facebook.com/reqs.php#/jparma?v=app_2392950137&viewas=766620248

FACEBOOK PAGE OF MUZIKLABAN INDIE FILM CHALLENGE :
http://www.facebook.com/kathleen.cervantes?v=feed&story_fbid=182927709411#/pages/Makati-City/Muziklaban-Indie-Film-Challenge/82110873943