{"id":286699,"date":"2018-10-16T06:00:29","date_gmt":"2018-10-15T20:00:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/?p=286699"},"modified":"2018-10-16T06:00:29","modified_gmt":"2018-10-15T20:00:29","slug":"mcs-films-shine-at-guam-intl-film-festival","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/mcs-films-shine-at-guam-intl-film-festival\/","title":{"rendered":"MCS films shine at Guam int\u2019l film festival"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-286699 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/mcs-films-shine-at-guam-intl-film-festival\/giff-2018-4\/'>GIFF 2018-4<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-286712'>\n\t\t\t\tJustin Ocampo, left, co-director of We Drank Our Tears: Rafael Mafnas\u2019s Story, listens to Kel Mu\u00f1a during a post-film discussion at the 2018 Guam International Film Festival. Mu\u00f1a is the program director of the festival, which he founded in 2011 with his brother, Don, after the success of their award-winning film Shiro\u2019s Head. (Contributed Photo)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/mcs-films-shine-at-guam-intl-film-festival\/giff-2018-3\/'>GIFF 2018-3<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-286711'>\n\t\t\t\tCast and crew members of the We Drank Our Tears films participated in a film seminar led by University of Hawaii\u2019s Dr. Tom Brislin at the University of Guam as part of the 2018 Guam International Film Festival. The cast and crew gathered with Dr. Brislin, back row, third from right, for a photo after the seminar. (Contributed Photo)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/mcs-films-shine-at-guam-intl-film-festival\/giff-2018-2\/'>GIFF 2018-2<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-286710'>\n\t\t\t\tSome cast and crew members of the We Drank Our Tears films participated in the 2018 Guam International Film Festival and awaited the kickoff at the Guam Museum. (Contributed Photo)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure><figure class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<div class='gallery-icon '>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/mcs-films-shine-at-guam-intl-film-festival\/giff-2018-1\/'>GIFF 2018-1<\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<figcaption class='wp-caption-text gallery-caption' id='gallery-1-286709'>\n\t\t\t\tDon and Kel Mu\u00f1a, front, left and right, the co-founders and executive director and program director, respectively, of the Guam International Film Festival, gather with the directors of the We Drank Our Tears films, back, left to right, Justin Ocampo, Galvin Deleon Guerrero, and Angelo Manese. The photo was taken after the 10th anniversary special screening of the groundbreaking and internationally acclaimed Shiro\u2019s Head, which was written, produced, edited, scored, and directed by the Mu\u00f1a brothers. (Contributed Photo)\n\t\t\t\t<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\t\t<\/div>\n\n<p>\u201cSheer genius.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>This is what Don Mu\u00f1a, acclaimed filmmaker and co-founder and executive director of the Guam International Film Festival, or GIFF, had to say about Mount Carmel School\u2019s We Drank Our Tears film series. <\/p>\n<p>All films in the series, Francisco Babauta\u2019s Story, Benjamin Abadilla\u2019s Story, and Rafael Mafnas\u2019s Story\u201d were nominated for the festival\u2019s Best Made in Marianas Award for two years in a row. <\/p>\n<p>Coming off the success of the films at GIFF, encore screenings of all three films will be held tomorrow, Oct. 17.<\/p>\n<p>In recognizing the student filmmakers, Mu\u00f1a said: \u201cThe maturity in the visual perspective and the historical knowledge that the students from Mount Carmel School have shared through their work is proof we can preserve, restore and perpetuate our culture by bridging the generational gap through visual communications.\u201d <\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe film series, We Drank our Tears, is sheer genius and what I would define as a digital cultural immersion,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n<p>Mu\u00f1a was echoed by his collaborator in filmmaking, GIFF program director and brother, Kel Mu\u00f1a. In a message to MCS president Galvin Deleon Guerrero, Kel Mu\u00f1a wrote, \u201cI just wanted to sincerely thank you and your students for attending the festival and for being such a big part of its success this year.\u201d Kel Mu\u00f1a added, \u201cTheir energy onstage was priceless.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Mu\u00f1a brothers achieved international acclaim with their groundbreaking debut film, 2008\u2019s Shiro\u2019s Head. Written, produced, edited, and produced by the Mu\u00f1a brothers, with an original soundtrack developed by the bothers as well, Shiro\u2019s Head has been recognized by dozens of film festivals worldwide. <\/p>\n<p>The film was nominated for major awards at the Strasbourg International Film Festival in France, the Los Angeles Asian Pacific film Festival, and Louis Vuitton Hawaii International Film Festival. The film went on to win the Silver Ace Award at the Las Vegas International Film Festival and the Best Feature Film and Best of Festival awards at the Sandhills Film Festival.<\/p>\n<p>After the success of Shiro\u2019s Head, the Mu\u00f1a brothers turned their attention to cultivating filmmakers in the Marianas and establishing a filmmaking presence in the region by launching GIFF in 2011. <\/p>\n<p>GIFF aims to unify, celebrate and showcase to the region and the world the collective experience through the universal medium of film. Over the years, the Mu\u00f1a brothers have expanded the scope of GIFF to promote community, education, and entertainment. This has included collaborations with local and international filmmakers, providing industry lectures, panels and workshops at public and private schools as well as at the university level.<\/p>\n<p>This emphasis on educational outreach is one main reason the Mu\u00f1a brothers were so moved by Mount Carmel School\u2019s We Drank Our Tears film series. As Don Mu\u00f1a put it, \u201cWhat a dream come true it is to see youth filmmakers emerging from our Mariana Islands community.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Kel Mu\u00f1a said, \u201cYou all have helped me see that the festival\u2019s community and education pillars are becoming strengthened.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Mu\u00f1a brothers were not alone in their praise of We Drank Our Tears. GIFF head juror and associate dean of the College of Arts and Humanities at University of Hawaii, Dr. Tom Brislin, recognized the films for telling important stories. \u201cThe people of the islands need to tell their stories from their perspectives in their voice. That is what these students from Mount Carmel School have done.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Some cast and crew members from the films travelled to Guam to attend the 2018 GIFF. Underwritten by the CNMI Public School System Federal Programs, 10 members of the cast and crew attended the screenings of their films and other films at the GIFF. Cast and crew members also participated in filmmaker panels at the festival and a film seminar at the University of Guam led by Dr. Brislin.<\/p>\n<p>Produced by the school\u2019s Theatre Club and TRIBE Marianas, the We Drank Our Tears films are adapted from We Drank Our Tears, a 2004 oral history of the civilian experience of World War II battles on Saipan and Tinian, published by Pacific STAR Young Writers Foundation. In 1944, some of the final battles of World War II were waged on the Pacific islands of Saipan and Tinian. A total of 933 indigenous Chamorro and Refaluwasch civilians did not survive the battles, and the films chronicle some of their stories.<\/p>\n<p>Francisco Babauta\u2019s Story, which was written and directed by Galvin Deleon Guerrero, tells the story of Babauta\u2019s efforts during the war to find food, shelter, and safety for his family. Benjamin Abadilla\u2019s Story, which was also written and directed by Deleon Guerrero, follows Abadilla as he is separated from his family during the battles and hides out in the jungle and then tries to find them. Rafael Mafnas\u2019 Story, which was written and directed by students Angelo Manese and Justin Ocampo, tells of Mafnas\u2019 efforts to escape crossfire between American and Japanese soldiers by hiding in a cave with his friend.<\/p>\n<p>The special one-night encore screening of We Drank Our Tears will be held on Wednesday, Oct. 17, at the Regal Saipan Megaplex. Doors will open at 6:30pm and the screening will start at 7pm. Tickets are $10 and are available at Mount Carmel School. For more information, email\u00a0galvin.deleonguerrero@gmail.com. <strong>(PR)<\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>\u201cSheer genius.\u201d This is what Don Mu\u00f1a, acclaimed filmmaker and co-founder and executive director of&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":28,"featured_media":286709,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1737,22825,22987,1111],"class_list":["post-286699","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-local-news","tag-galvin-deleon-guerrero","tag-giff","tag-kel-mu","tag-mount-carmel-school"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/286699","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/28"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=286699"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/286699\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/286709"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=286699"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=286699"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.saipantribune.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=286699"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}