Regional cinema continues to cross geographical boundaries, with filmmakers from Negros Occidental gaining recognition at the 6th Oroquieta Film Festival, happening from October 12 to 15 in Oroquieta City, Misamis Occidental.
The festival will showcase 28 independent films from across the Visayas and Mindanao, including three Negrense entries competing in the Lumayagan Shorts Competition: Manami Guid Man Mag **** sa Mansion, Sa Duta sang Kabuhi (In the Soil of Life), and Those Little Things.
Co-directed by Seb Valdez and Trini Garcia, Manami Guid Man Mag **** sa Mansion previously competed in the Sagaynon Shorts Competition at the 7th Margaha Film Festival in Sagay City, where it won Best Production Design and Best Original Song.
Meanwhile, Steve Villasor’s Sa Duta sang Kabuhi tackles the social and environmental challenges facing Negros, widely known as the “sugar bowl of the Philippines.” Produced by a team of 23 Technological University of the Philippines Visayas students under the guidance of adviser Shallel Billones, the documentary examines how centuries of monocropping and unsustainable agricultural practices have affected the island’s soil.
The film combines interviews with farmers, local communities, and agricultural scientists to explore the tension between traditional farming practices and emerging ecological solutions.
“Qualifying for this competition truly made us happy because our film will be seen in Oroquieta. It will reach new people, and hopefully, it will touch their hearts and open their eyes to the challenges the farming industry faces today,” Villasor said.
“As much as I grew to love farming while we were making this film, I want that same love to reach our audience and inspire them to care and hopefully do something about it,” he added, expressing hope that the documentary will continue its festival journey and reach wider audiences.
An electrical engineering graduate, Villasor began his filmmaking career as a production assistant in 2019. His first film, Kakanin (Tam-is Ukon Parat?), won Best Short Film at CineTUPV 2025.
Sa Duta sang Kabuhi also earned a spot among the finalists of the 9th DOST-SEI Indie-Siyensya Film Competition, selected from 120 submissions, where it received the Best Cinematography award.
Taking a different creative direction, Those Little Things brings speculative fiction and cyberpunk aesthetics into the regional film landscape. Set in Bacolod City in the year 2222, the film follows a teenager spending an ordinary day with her father, unaware of a life-changing surprise awaiting her.
Co-director and visual effects artist Poli Gonzales said the filmmakers wanted to experiment with world-building and science fiction while keeping the story grounded in human emotion.
“We wanted to experiment with world-building and sci-fi elements, but at its heart, the story is about connection and the small, intimate moments that bind families together – no matter how much the world around them changes,” Gonzales said.
Co-director and writer Massah Gonzales-Gamboa highlighted how the futuristic setting allowed the filmmakers to explore local identity and culture.
“Setting the narrative in a cyberpunk Bacolod allowed us to explore how our local identity and food culture evolve over time,” she said. “Bringing this vision to Oroquieta means so much to us because it shows that regional cinema can push visual boundaries while keeping its emotional core intact.”
Beyond the competition, the Oroquieta Film Festival will also hold talkback sessions after each screening, giving audiences an opportunity to engage directly with filmmakers, writers, and members of the production teams.
From environmental issues and family connections to speculative visions of the future, the three Negrense entries reflect the diversity and creative energy of independent cinema outside Metro Manila. Their participation in Oroquieta underscores how stories rooted in local landscapes, communities, and cultures can find audiences and meaning far beyond their places of origin.
