The first ASEANnale was a powerful mix of scholarship and artistry, bringing together the 2nd International Symposium on ASEAN Studies (ISAS) and the 1st Film and Multimedia Competition and Exhibition from February 28 to March 2 at the Asian Center, UP Diliman. ASEANnale is a combination of “ASEAN” and “bienniale.”
With the overall theme of “Capturing the spirit of ASEAN in the Digital Times” focusing on diaspora, disasters, and democracy, the event was described by Organizing Committee Chair Grace Javier Alfonso as “a multimodal and multi-textual platform” where regional commonalities are brought together and diversity is reflected and respected.
During the opening program, messages were also delivered by UP President Danilo Concepcion, Officer-in-Charge J. Prospero de Vera III of the Commission on Higher Education, and ASEAN Foundation Chair Elaine Tan. Concepcion said that the key to forming the ASEAN identity was interaction among peoples “on all fronts.” De Vera, meanwhile, lauded the organizers for choosing to discuss issues that bound together the citizens of ASEAN countries. And Tan emphasized the importance of connectivity: physical, institutional, and people-to-people linkages.
In her keynote address, Ambassador Elizabeth Buensuceso, permanent representative of the Philippines to ASEAN, revealed that the Philippines ranked among the lowest in awareness of the ASEAN in a 2016 survey. She said it should serve as “a clarion call for us to double or triple our efforts to make ASEAN known.”
Apart from the opening ceremony, the first day also featured, a Directors’ Forum with Baby Ruth Villarama Gutierrez and Nick Deocampo, plenary and parallel sessions on diaspora, and film and multimedia screenings, and the opening of an exhibit. The second day saw discussions on democracy and disasters in plenary and parallel sessions, in addition to continued film and multimedia screenings.
In all, the first ASEANnale had more than ten main speakers, over 40 paper presentations, and around 40 screened films and multimedia works.
The event closed with: the presentation of the ASEANnale Distinguished Award for Higher Education to Dr. M. Atwi Suparman of Universitas Terbuka Indonesia Open University; the recognition of the best paper in the 2nd ISAS; and, the announcement of winners in the Film and Multimedia Competition.
Wendell Glenn Cagape of Centro Escolar University won Best Paper for “Finding Foucault in the Rohingya Discourses”. Three were given honorable mention: Jim Duran of Far Eastern University for “Examining the Philippines’ State in the 21st Century Maritime Silk Road: A Competition of Old and New Financial Players”; Mark Lester Chico and Benjamina Paula Flor of UP Los Baños for “Community Media for Climate Change Resilience in Southeast Asia: Experiences of Thailand, Laos, and the Philippines”; and Danilo Santos Cortez Jr. of UP Diliman for “Understanding the Socio-cultural Lynchpin of ASEAN Regional Cooperation on Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief in Philippine Perspective”.
Below are the winners in the Film and Multimedia Competition.
ASEANnale Best Film:
Recto by John Paul Soriano, UP Diliman
ASEANnale Special Jury Award:
Pipo by Richard Legazpi, University of the East Caloocan
Best Narrative Film: Tie
Amy by John Craig de Guzman, De La Salle College of St. Benilde
Mission Accomplished by Eidref Kristin Faith Magpayo, Centro Escolar University Bulacan
Best Documentary:
Recto by John Paul Soriano, UP Diliman
Documentary honorable mentions:
Who’s Behind the Trump’s Effigy at the ASEAN Summit in Manila? by Che de los Reyes,
Ateneo de Manila University
Puti (White) by Jerald Yucot, University of Makati
Experimental Film honorable mention:
Diwa by Ma. Daniella Louise Borrero, UP Diliman
En Route by Anna Ma. Elizabeth Cañas-Llamas, UP Los Baños
Best Animation:
Kinalimutan Natin ang mga Bata by Gilbert Baldoza, UP Diliman
Animation honorable mention:
Beautiful Soul by Edmund del Rosario, University of Makati
Kapit by Donnie Ray Ipan, University of Makati
Best Interactive Multimedia:
Hide and Seek by Nur Anis Zulaikha binti Ahmad and Che Mat Ruzinoor, Universiti Utara
Malaysia
Public Service Announcement honorable mention:
PWD Sensitivity Video by Nancy Galang and Lynda Garcia, Upholding Life and Nature
(Arlyn VCD Palisoc Romualdo, UP MPRO)
