The UP Film Institute congratulates members of its faculty Prof. Sari Dalena, Choy Pangilinan, Nap Jamir, and alumni Juan Carlo B. Tarobal and Mao Portus for garnering awards at the recently concluded TOFARM Film Festival 2018.

Tanabata’s Wife, a film adaptation of Sinai Hamada’s short story of the same title, co-directed by Pangilinan with Charlson Ong and Lito Casaje, co-written by Pangilinan, Tarobal, and Portus with the directors, and shot by Jamir, bagged 9 awards in total including Best Picture, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay, Best Actress (for newcomer Mai Fanglayan), Best Actor (Miyuki Kamimura), Best Editing (May-I Padilla), Best Production Design (Martin Asadao), and Best Musical Score (Kurt Ayeo-eo Lumbag Alalag, May-I Guia Padilla, Marc Tan). Another UPFI alumnus, Benjamin Mirasol, color-graded the film.

It features a romance story of a Japanese immigrant farmer and a young Bontok farmhand in La Trinidad Valley set in the early 20th century.

On the other hand, top-grossing Pinoy sci-fi Alimuom, produced and designed by Dalena, won 3rd Best Picture. The film is set in a future where the environment has become so toxic, farming has been deemed illegal and all agriculture is done off-world.

TOFARM Film Festival is the only advocacy-driven film festival in the country today, with entries showcasing the lives, journeys, trials, and triumphs of the Filipino farmer.

Jury members for the full length competition of this year’s edition were consisted of Manet A. Dayrit (chairperson), Jerrold Tarog, Sigrid Andrea P. Bernardo, Moira Lang, and Mel Chionglo.

Once again, congratulations everybody!