Far Eastern University (FEU) alumni and student filmmakers won awards in the Student World Impact Film Festival (SWIFF) 2022 and Festival de Cinema Internacional de Merde de Sueca (C.I.M. Sueca), held in the United States and Spain respectively. 

Communication alumna and director Ramri Rivota’s film “Dalaw”, received two Honorable Mention awards from SWIFF and C.I.M Sueca for Melbrick Morillo's Art Direction, respectively.

When the award was handed out, SWIFF Director Mark Leschinsky revealed that out of the 5,400 entries from 120 countries, the film was chosen by SWIFF as an Honorable Mention for its ingenuity and strong theme.

The film features Grace, played by Maniecel Jagonob, who is forced to stay with her Lola Mary, played by actress Wendy Villacorta. Due to a superstitious belief, they are left waiting for an unexpected guest after dinner when a spoon unintentionally drops.

Before competing internationally, the short film was previously a finalist in the FEU’s annual Sinepiyu film festival and Short+Sweet Film Manila. 

Other FEU short films including “Agam” (Thought) by Rose Anne Abellar, “Debut” by Reyna Nicole Paner, “Hutik Sang Mga Kuliglig” by Luke del Castillo, “Kumari” by Angela Aguila and One Carlo Diaz, “On the Shepherd’s Warning” by Lily Gomes, "Pua Iyam" (Coming Out) by Juan Pablo Pineda III, and "Retrospektib" by Daryll Jameson Apaga also earned Honorable Mentions and were nominated for numerous accolades, such as Best Short Film and the Global Impact Grand Prize.

In addition, C.I.M Sueca organizer Eugeni Alcañiz said that the Spain film festival aims to break the norm of mainstream industry films by being a platform to independent or non-profit filmmakers. 

“We hope to stimulate countercultural audiovisual initiatives to spotlight independent productions which focus on creativity, medium love and sheer fun over technical requirements leading to a ban from commercial mainstream. We aim to establish the C.I.M. as a meeting venue for the unassimilated, the rebellious, and the free minds of the audiovisual underworld,” he explained.

C.I.M. Sueca is a worldwide competition of "low-budget, independent, or noncommercial cinema," organized by the Cultural Association for the Second Law of Thermodynamics in Sueca, Valencia, Spain.

-Randy Espares Jr.