26/04/2026
๐๐๐๐ | Tito Genova Valiente, film laureate and Acting Chairperson of the Executive Committee on Cinema at the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA), led an intensive film workshop titled Sipat Kultura: Paano Magbasa ng Pelikula on April 23 at Sili Deli, Office of Student Affairs and Services, Bicol University, Legazpi City.
Bringing together students, literature majors, and aspiring cultural workers, the whole-day event opened with a series of preliminary sessions that set the tone for critical engagementโfrom registration and invocation to messages from university officials and student leaders. The morning segment transitioned into an exploratory talk that framed cinema not merely as entertainment but as a cultural text shaped by history, ideology, and lived realities. Participants were invited to interrogate how meaning is constructed in filmโ through image, sound, narrative structure, and the socio-political contexts that surround them.
In the afternoon, Valiente deepened this engagement through his workshop, โHuli Pero Hindi Kulong: Shooting Realities,โ where he bridged theory and practice. He emphasized the discipline behind filmmaking, from conceptualization to ex*****on, while challenging participants to become active spectatorsโviewers who question, analyze, and situate what they see. The session also highlighted the responsibility of storytellers in representing truths, especially in a time when narratives can easily be shaped or distorted.
The program further expanded this learning through the screening of winning short films from various festivals, allowing attendees to witness firsthand the diversity of voices and techniques in contemporary cinema. This was followed by an open forum, where students engaged in thoughtful discussion, raising questions on authorship, representation, and the ethics of storytelling.
Central to Valienteโs message was the call to amplify regional heritage and narratives. He underscored the urgency of telling stories rooted in local experience, asserting that the camera can serve as both witness and archive, capturing voices that might otherwise remain unheard. For many participants, this became a moment of realization: that cinema, much like literature, holds the power to preserve, challenge, and reimagine culture.
As the event concluded with closing remarks and a photo opportunity, what lingered was not just the technical knowledge shared, but a renewed sense of purpose among the attendees. Sipat Kultura ultimately became a space for rethinking how films are seen, understood, and created. In learning how to read cinema, participants were also reminded of their role in shaping the stories that will define their communities.
๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด, ๐ฝ๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ ๐ฏ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ๐ป. ๐๐ป๐ด๐ฎ๐ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ธ๐ฎ๐ป!
