Student filmmaker Keith Nemenzo joins the 17th Cinema Rehiyon

Keith Nemenzo, director of Tinigom — winner of the Intercollegiate Category in the 2024 Sine Negrense: Negros Island Film Festival — takes part in the 17th Cinema Rehiyon screening in Butuan City, Agusan del Norte. Joining him as a delegate from the Negros Oriental filmmaking belt is Charlene Mae Tupas, whose film Aninaw was also recognized at the same festival.

This invitation comes after Tinigom’s dominant win in the 2024 Sine Negrense: Negros Island Film Festival. Nemenzo and his team bagged 5 awards in the Intercollegiate Category including Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, and Best Editing, together with nominations for Best Sound Design, Best Production Design, and Best Supporting Actress. Tinigom touched hearts as a solemn portrayal of sacrifice and struggles of a small family to persevere amidst economic hardships of contemporary life.

After the screening at the SM Butuan Event Center, Keith and Charlene participated in the Talk-Back session. Keith later admitted in a Facebook post “Who would have thought I’d one day stand on this stage? For an aspiring filmmaker like me, this is a milestone I will remember.”

The 17th Cinema Rehiyon is a flagship project of the National Commission for Culture and Arts (NCCA) intending to promote and exhibit regional projects in cinema and storytelling. For this year, the theme runs “Balangay: Paglawig Ngadto mga Rehiyon Hong Salidang Pilipino” (Balangay: Sailing Across the Regions of Philippine Cinema).

The festival’s launching was announced on the National Committee on Cinema’s National Arts Month kick-off program, about two months earlier. The actual festival ran from May 19 to 24, coinciding with the annual Balangay Festival on May 19. According to NCCinema’s head Butch Ibanez, this is the fourth time that Mindanao played host to the Cinema Rehiyon. Previously, it was hosted by Cagayan de Oro, Nabunturan and Davao.