CineMapúa 2021 winners to be revealed on Dec. 3

Wazzup Pilipinas!?


Fifteen short films in the collegiate category and ten films from the high school division will vie for the Cardinal Best Film Awards of CineMapúa, the country’s longest-running student short film festival.

The winners of its 19th edition will be known during the awarding ceremonies to be streamed via Facebook Live (https://www.facebook.com/CineMapuaOfficialPage/) on December 3 at 7 p.m.

The Cardinal Best Film Awardees (Gold, Silver and Bronze) in both categories will receive cash prizes and certificates. Special Cardinal Individual Film Awards will also be given in both divisions, including the new Cultural Heritage Award for the film that best depicts and preserves Philippine arts and cultural heritage.

Mapúa University’s School of Media Studies Dean Benigno Agapito Jr., who also acts as the chairman of CineMapúa, was elated by the overwhelming response that they got from student filmmakers, getting more than 100 entries for both categories – the highest since its inception in 2002.

Agapito shared that the festival serves as a testament to the power of visual storytelling through film technology and it empowers students to continue creating quality stories in uplifting the spirits and articulating the concerns, dreams, and hopes of the viewing public despite the pandemic.

“Stories have no boundaries, and this health crisis needs more visual narratives to deliver information and knowledge to the people. Their visual storytelling could be a powerful medium for human and social development, particularly during this time of the pandemic,” he added.

“Ang Laswa ni Lola Mame” (Vincent Joseph Entuna, UP Diliman), “Ang Pagdadalaga ni Lola Mayumi” (Shiri Francesca de Leon, MINT College), “Blood Stew” (Aaron Neil Domingo, FEU), “Bycatch” (Jerico Felicilda, PUP), “Lysistrata” (John Patrick Manio, UP Diliman), “Manyaok” (Kate Villanueva, UP Visayas), “Maupay Nga Aga, Puniti Kita” (Chicken Ligaya, University of San Carlos), “Miss Informed” (Earvic Noay, UP Open University), “Silang Mga Naligaw Sa Limot” and “Sina Alexa, Xander at ang Universe” (Vahn Leinard Pascual, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde), “The Congressus” (Jan Darryl Villafuerte, Mapúa), “The Girl from Nowhere” (Flory Ann Tacuban, UP Visayas), “The Transfiguration of Saint Mike” (Jermaine Tulbo, MINT College), “Tugaw sa Uma” (Raphael Jay Cordova, Mindanao State University), and “Unsaved Changes” (Andrei Francis Arrocena, Ateneo de Davao University) comprise the collegiate film finalists.

Meanwhile, the ten high school division finalists are “Ahmad & Abdul” (Muhaliden Cawi, MSU-Malabang Community High School), “Babo Kikasoy” (Nabelah Dimaocom, MSU-MCHS), “Dapithapon” (Ethan John Dela Cruz and Marie James Palisoc, Siena College of Taytay), “Ilaw” (Aldwin Jerico Atutubo, FEU High School), “Lente” (Tereon Jay Tulaña, University of Perpetual Help System Biñan, Laguna), “My Dearly Love” (Joseph Marc Salas, St. Mary’s School of Cagayan de Oro), “Orpheus” (Vince Ivan Vesiete, General Santos City National Secondary School of Arts and Trades), “Sa Labas” (Jadrien Marc Morales, MINT College), “The Elusive Star” (Norbert Francis Baylon, Kabankalan Catholic College), and “The Girl from Paradeyes” (Amelia Elizabeth Perez, Catholic Filipino Academy).

This year, it also selected four international student films, “Grandma's Tale of the Magical Outenga” (Rishab Thakur, India), “My Black Heart” (Garush Ghazaryan, Armenia), “Split” (Kang Zheng Shueen, Malaysia), and “Tears of Gold” (Richie Chooi, Taiwan), for its inaugural World Short Film Section.

The festival ran from November 22 to 28 via Yuchengco Museum’s new digital platform YFilms (yfilms.ph), a hub created to offer and promote independent Filipino filmmakers and cultural films.

DOST-SEI, Knowledge Channel ink content partnership

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The Department of Science and Technology – Science Education Institute (DOST-SEI) entered into a partnership agreement with the Knowledge Channel Foundation Inc. (KCFI) towards making the Institute’s educational content more accessible to students and teachers throughout the Philippines via the Knowledge Channel’s on-air and online platforms.

On the heels of the COVID-19 pandemic, the DOST-SEI set out to adapt its educational programs into distance learning initiatives in line with the Institute’s mandate to promote science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). These initiatives included novel video programs such as RadyoEskwela sa Siyensya and TuklaSiyensya, as well as beloved mainstays such as the Indie-Siyensya Filmmaking Competition, the imake.wemake Youth Innovation Prize Award, the #Push4Science Campaign, and the Climate Science Youth Camp—all of which have been revamped for online learning.

KCFI is a non-profit organization that develops, acquires, and distributes Department of Education K-12 curriculum-based multimedia learning resources on-air, online, and offline to supplement the effective and relevant delivery of basic education, improve the engagement and learning of public school children, and contribute to national development and progress. The company works towards educating and empowering poor and marginalized children through media, and is well-known for its educational shows such as Sineskwela and Math-Tinik.

Through the newly-signed Memorandum of Agreement, DOST-SEI and KCFI look to collaborate on bringing the Institute’s programs to a wider audience, leveraging the Knowledge Channel’s on-air and online platforms. The agreement was signed on behalf of the DOST-SEI by its Director, Josette T. Biyo, and its Chief Science Research Specialist, Ruby R. Cristobal. The KCFI was represented by its President and Executive Director, Elvira Lopez Bautista, and its Director of Operations, Edric C. Calma.

Bautista welcomed the agreement, pointing out that it is just the latest of many private-public partnerships between the TKCFI and the DOST. In particular, she noted that the DOST-SEI’s mathematics and science courseware have reached hundreds of schools nationwide thanks to the Knowledge Channel’s portable media libraries.

“We are thrilled to enter into yet another exciting collaboration. We’ve been on this adventure of introducing our young Filipino children to the world of STEM for many years,” she said.

“Through this partnership, we will be able to reach new horizons and bring STEM closer to our youth as the DOST-SEI and The Knowledge Channel collaborate to uphold the value of science, technology, and innovation in building up the next generation of Filipino youth,” Biyo concluded.

The Dalmore Launches First NFT with BlockBar, World’s First Direct-to-Consumer NFT Platform for Luxury Wine & Spirits

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One set of The Dalmore Decades No.4 Collection, an exceptional selection of four rare Single Malt Scotch whiskies, is available as a unique collector opportunity through a corresponding non-fungible token and a distillery experience

 

The Dalmore Highland Single Malt has partnered with BlockBar.com, the premier non-fungible token (NFT) marketplace for luxury wine and spirits, to offer a limited-edition liquor NFT with a set of The Dalmore Decades No.4 Collection. This will be the only set within the exceptional Dalmore Decades selection that will correspond to a digital NFT, making it a once-in-a-lifetime collector opportunity.

This Dalmore Decades No. 4 Collection available via NFT on BlockBar, is a unique moment for a collector to acquire a remarkable piece of history. Bridging the physical and digital worlds for the first time in its 180 year old history, The Dalmore will be digitizing and selling an exclusive set through an NFT directly to a buyer. This asset-backed NFT from the BlockBar platform benefits the buyer by guaranteeing authenticity and ownership verification, as well as offering a storage solution and handling insurance.

The announcement follows the ground-breaking sale of The Dalmore Decades No.6 Collection in October 2021, which achieved a record HK$8.75 Million / US$1.1 Million at Sotheby’s Hong Kong. The sale price represents the highest value for a whisky lot sold at Sotheby’s so far this year and the most valuable whisky lot ever sold by Sotheby’s in Asia.

Milestone sales of The Dalmore, like the Decades No.6 Collection, achieved over the past ten years highlight a growing appetite to acquire from a refined selection of extraordinary whiskies. The Dalmore is also the only Prestige brand to have grown share both domestically and in Travel Retail in 2020, which makes it no surprise that The Dalmore is the fastest growing of all spirits brands* over the last 2 years. Technology and cryptocurrencies are playing a vital role in investment diversification and The Dalmore’s first NFT with BlockBar enables authenticity and verification for buyers.

Private Client Director, The Dalmore, Gerry Tosh shares, “The Dalmore offers some of Scotland’s most rare and precious whisky stocks, remarkable in their desirability to collectors, investors, and drinkers alike. The Dalmore Decades selection is a truly outstanding example of this, and with the landmark auction of The Dalmore Decades No.6 Collection last month setting new records, the No.4 Collection offered as an exclusive NFT signifies a fantastic opportunity for the crypto-curious to explore single malt whisky as an investment.”

One of 25 covetable sets, this No.4 Collection, set No.21, contains four Decades whiskies (1979, 1980, 1995, 2000), hand-selected by Master Distiller Richard Paterson, from a single malt that celebrates The Dalmore’s longstanding relationship with the titan of sherry making, González Byass, to the first Scotch created in the new Millennium. Each decanter in the collection is engraved with an exclusive set number and striking black collar and stopper, presenting an exclusive chance to own four remarkable moments in Scotch history. Each set is displayed within one bespoke display pedestal, with individual compartments to house each decanter, and with each whisky’s unique story engraved upon the door.

In addition to the Collection the NFT owner will receive an exclusive opportunity to visit The Dalmore distillery, nestled in the beautiful Highlands of Scotland, and taste some of the rarest Dalmore whiskies in the warehouse, hand drawn from the cask followed by a sumptuous dinner.

“We’re delighted to be a part of this momentous occasion for Dalmore, as their first NFT launch partner”, says Dov Falic, CEO of BlockBar “Through transparency, authenticity, and quality assurance, BlockBar is able to bring a solution to the current hurdles in the luxury spirits market, and we’re excited to partner with The Dalmore to make that happen.”

The Dalmore Decades No.4 Collection will be offered via NFT on 7th December 2021 at 10:00am EST using a lottery mechanic. A lobby will become available on BlockBar.com 30 minutes ahead of the drop, whereby to enter, prospective buyers must have one ETH in their metamask wallet. The lobby will close at the drop time with one buyer randomly selected with the ability to purchase. The set will be available for $137,700 USD and can be purchased from Blockbar with Ethereum (ETH) or by credit card.