The film “Read-Only Memory” directed by Far Eastern University (FEU) Department of Communication (DepComm) professor Kristine Camille Sulit and David Corpuz received first place in the experimental category of the 34th Gawad CCP para sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Video held at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP) Cinemalaya Tent last August 13. 

In an interview with FEU Advocate, Sulit shared the scoops and challenges they encountered while producing the said film. 

“5 years ‘yung naging buhay ng pelikula na nag-start noong 2017 pero hindi kasi kami na-satisfy sa unang version, kaya talagang it took 5 years para mahinog ‘yung pelikula, (It took 5 years to bring the film to life since it started way back in 2017. But we weren’t satisfied with the first version, so it really took 5 years to finish),” she stated. 

Sulit also highlighted the multiple drawbacks they experienced while making the film, such as budget issues, lack of signal in their shooting location, and the general safety of the production members—who are mostly graduating students. 

“Inisip namin na may mali ba sa ginagawa natin? Bakit hindi natin siya mailabas-labas? Kaya talagang nag-isip kami ng panibagong paraan para i-showcase, i-package ‘tong pelikula, (We thought to ourselves, is there something wrong with what we’re doing? Why can’t we put it out there? That’s why we really thought of new ways to showcase and package the film),” she added. 

The director went on to share how they took inspiration from the way people live now, which is by scrolling through their photo galleries.

Conveying the feelings of grief and loss, Read-Only Memory tells the story of a man who decided to dig out his dead partner from the grave in order to spend just one last day with him. 

“We hope na mag-resonate yung pelikula namin to different audiences, especially right now na pandemic na maraming nawalan ng mahal sa buhay. Sana ay makahanap sila ng comfort and refuge sa film, (We hope that our film resonates to different audiences, especially right now with the pandemic where a lot of people lost their loved ones),” Sulit ended. 

Read-Only Memory can be viewed for free on the official website of Gawad Alternatibo until October 31st.

The CCP Film and Video Award is the longest-running independent film competition in Asia that honors the best works from Filipino filmmakers in four categories: animation, documentary, experimental, and short feature.

- Zaren Yzabelle D. Reamillo

(Photo courtesy of Kristine Camille Sulit)