Sony Philippines equips winning filmmakers of Cinemalaya XIX Awards

Sony Philippines amplifies its continued support of Filipino craftsmanship and creativity as it recently partnered with the Cinemalaya XIX Awards, empowering outstanding Filipino indie filmmakers.

Sony awarded FX3 Cinema Line Full-frame cameras (worth Php 235,000 each) as grand prizes to the Cinemalaya XIX Best Directors namely Mike Cabarles, Best Director for Makoko sa Baybay under the Short Film Category, and Ryan Machado, Best Director for Huling Palabas under the full-length category.

Cinemalaya Awards XIX aims to recognize outstanding achievements and celebrate the talent of Filipino independent filmmakers as displayed in the 19th Cinemalaya Film Festival. This most-awaited annual film competition and festival promotes the development of innovative cinematic creations and Filipino culture and experiences, among Filipino indie filmmakers.

As first-timers in the prestigious independent film festival, winning indie filmmakers Cabarles and Machado shared that Cinemalaya is a turning point in their career, expressing their gratitude to have been recognized and given the opportunity to showcase their films on a bigger platform with a wider audience.

Like any other protagonists, Cabarles and Machado had their own share of challenges while shooting their films. With limited camera gears, Cabarles shared, “Most of our scenes are outdoors, so we had difficulty in adjusting as they’re overexposed due to sunlight. We had to wait a few hours before we could shoot again.”

Makoko Sa Baybay according to Cabarles was entirely shot with Sony’s full-frame mirrorless camera Alpha 7 III. As the film was mainly set at the beach, his cinematographer, Anne Valmeo, relied on the camera settings to achieve their ideal shots.

Machado, on the other hand, faced financial challenges while filming Huling Palabas. He shared that his team depended on seed money and grants from Cinemalaya, Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), and National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) that were utilized for the logistics for the crew and cast.

“It’s always been Sony’s mission to empower the creative industry through various efforts, and we’re happy to witness Filipino talents taking their leap of faith, and showcasing their craft. We congratulate the winners and participants of the Cinemalaya XIX Awards, and we hope this will inspire more aspiring filmmakers to tell their stories in the most powerful way,” said Otake Nobuyoshi, President and Managing Director of Sony Philippines.

Achieving their best takes

When it comes to finding a perfect camera, Cabarles and his team expressed that different scenes have different camera requirements—while camera and gears play a role in filmmaking, it’s more about the person behind the camera, what they capture, and how they portray a story. Machado noted that it’s also about choosing the right camera that’s perfect not only for the story but also for their budget requirements.

“My first short film, Engkwento, was shot using Sony A7S. It captured the right texture and color dynamics which added layers to the story. Personally, I also own a Sony cropped-sensor mirrorless camera Alpha 6300 with a Sony FE 50mm F1.8 (SEL50F18F) lens for filming passion projects and I must say my 6-year-old gear is as reliable as ever,” Machado added.

Both Cabarles and Machado expressed excitement to use Sony FX3 Cinema Line Full-frame camera in their future projects to create award-winning indie films, and elevate their storytelling and filmmaking experience.

“We’ll definitely be using Sony FX3 for our next project, Nakaalaak Ti Sida Di Rabii, translated as I Caught a Fish Last Night with the support of NCCA. We believe this camera’s features will help perfectly translate our vision,” Cabarles said.

“I am most definitely excited to use the new FX3 camera in my cinematic journey because of its exciting features such as its excellent low-light performance and shallow depth-of-field which are both desirable and a need for an independent filmmaker like me,” Machado remarked.

Sony FX3 Cinema Line Full-frame camera boasts a 4K high-frame-rate 120fps recording and cinematic color science with S-Cinetone™ for an elevated cinematic expression. Its cutting-edge technology sets a new standard for cinematic excellence, empowering the creative community to breathe life into their visions.