SDCA Comm student wins 3SF best director 

A first year Communication student from St. Dominic College of Asia bagged the Best Director prize during the 3 Shots Film Fest awards night held at the Cinematheque Center Manila.

Franc Louie Sancha, who also served as writer and casting director of the short film “Gitara,” bested 19 other finalists who competed for the award.

In “Gitara,” a musician-vlogger (John Kenneth Talania) stumbles upon a haunted guitar he took from his grandfather’s province. He soon experiences supernatural events happening around him, and a mysterious creature starts to haunt and chase him. Erica Ubay-Ubay and Bong Ryan Reyes provide acting support to Talania.

Apart from Talania, Ubay-Ubay, and Reyes, Sancha also got help behind the camera from director of photography Mariel Perez and production and costume designers Alekzandra Noviebein Carias and Azi Amagna.

This is the second straight year that SDCA has barged into the finals of the event. In 2021, SDCA seniors CK Dela Cruz, Lourdes Mae De Gala, Kristzen Joy Mendoza, and Jhody Sacramento made it to the competition through their film “Laruan.” 

All finalists from SDCA are members of the Association of Dominican Communicators, a student organization composed of Communication majors.

Joining Sancha in the 3SF winners’ circle are Best Film “/em/bedde%u0259d” by Adrian Bolante; John Patrick Domingo of “Sack of Confessions,” Best Performance; Christine Anne Crisostomo of “Gula,” Best in Cinematography; “Awang” by Ruth Nicole Modina, Jury Honorable Mention; and “Sack of Confessions” by Francis Lacambra, People’s Choice Award.

The 3SF Festival is organized by Media Underground or MUD Studios with the Film Development Council of the Philippines and co-presented by RSVP Film Studios, Clayshop Inc., Coffee Gallery PH, UFO Workshops Manila with partners Giya Studios, Fire and Ice Media, The Playground Studios, WheninManila.com, and Mapua University Makati Film Arts and Media Enthusiasts (FAME) organization.

The 3SF finalists were shown at the Cinematheque Centers in Manila, Iloilo, Negros Occidental, Davao, and Nabunturan and streamed at JuanFlix: The FDCP Channel and mud-studios.net.