Leather accessories brand McJim Classic Leather has announced its selection of seven contenders participating in its Get Reel Mobile Shorts Film Festival, a cutting-edge event that aims to showcase aspiring filmmakers’ talent and their vision of the modern Filipino gentleman.
Culled from over 50 entries, these films stand out as the finest examples of inspiring, relatable, and distinctly Filipino stories, thus making the cut as finalists in McJim Classic Leather’s short film festival.
“In the digital age, short films have become the definitive avenues for sharing relevant stories and messages,” Chris Cahilig, Get Reel Mobile Shorts Film festival director, said. “We have given aspiring filmmakers the ultimate chance to show their content to a massive audience. But we have also assumed the considerable responsibility of choosing only the best films to screen online.”
The festival finalists are as follows: Kabilin by Roy Robert Rusiana; Cotard Syndrome by MC Viluan Capadiso; Champion by Juan Carlo Balasbas Tarobal; Lupi by Dave Tolentino; Pitaka by Mark Jason Sucgang; May Love Life na si Pepito Jr. by James Edward Golla; and Walang Hanggang Ligaya sa Una Mong Ngiti by Dylan Ray Talon.
These chosen entries now have the chance to win The McJim Prize for Best Short Film, the highest honor for the competition, plus a total of P190,000 worth of cash prizes.
Contenders are taking a shot at eight awards: The McJim Prize for Best Short Film (P50,000); Get Reel Viral Film Award (P25,000); Best Comedy Short Film (P25,000); Best Action, Thriller, or Horror Short Film (P25,000); Best Drama Short Film (P25,000); Best Inspirational Story (P10,000); Best in Cinematography (P10,000); Best Actor (P10,000); and Best Actress (P10,000).
In recent years, McJim Classic Leather has been commended for its heart-wrenching, unforgettable, and viral short films that were created and produced in collaboration with Cahilig, also an award-winning filmmaker.
McJim short films such as Pitaka, Bag, and Sinturon have competed in over 70 prestigious film festivals, and has bagged four awards in the United Kingdom and India, as well as the Best Digital Ad (Branded) in the 2018 Catholic Mass Media Awards (CMMA).
McJim Classic Leather’s Get Reel Mobile Shorts Film Festival festival invited Filipino filmmakers to submit films recorded with the use of mobile devices, with film durations following the standard lengthof viral short films: two (2) to ten (10) minutes, including opening and closing credits.
McJim Classic Leather did not impose specific film genres, as long as McJim Classic Leather products (bags, belts and wallets) were used as organic parts of the narratives.
A panel of judges will choose winners from the finalists through a deliberation. Results will be announced on Aug. 30, and are final and irrevocable.
Winning entries will be uploaded in the official McJim Classic Leather Facebook page.