BESIDES STICKING TO their goal of being five-star physicians, the Silliman University Medical School (SUMS) in cooperation with the Silliman University Medical School Students’ Association (SUMSA) held a digital film festival as a way of utilizing filmmaking as an effective and creative way of dispensing information regarding important health issues at the Claire Isabel McGill Luce Auditorium last Aug. 23.
Essel Suan, SUMSA president said that the digital film festival is a first for the Med School.
Suan said that the Med School has been staging a variety show for the past years as part of their cultivation of the cultural aspect of the 5C’s (community, church, court, classroom, and culture) in SU and they wanted to change things up as they have already exhausted ideas for singing, acting, and dancing.
They thought of the film fest when they found out that some med students are passionate about filmmaking.
“We can use filmmaking as a medium to disseminate information regarding health,”
Suan said. “This is an avenue for us to tell people to care about the environment and care about people with affliction.”
The films presented were about socio-political issues present in the Philippines.
“Utong” from the seniors, tackled teenage pregnancy in unreported rape incidents and young househelp workers.
“Laom” from the juniors, talked about mental illness, its causes, implications, and the taboo of people being afraid of it. They also touched how slow the response of the government is to health problems.
“Hugyaw sa Ilang Kahilom” from the sophomores, relayed the effects of a broken family and a student seeking love and care outside the comforts of home. It also briefly touched abortion.
“Sala” from the freshmen, portrayed about the abuse of illegal drugs. It centered on why a person engages on it and what a person becomes under the influence of drugs.
“Hugyaw sa Ilang Kahilom” and “Laom” topped the festival, but in the end, “Laom” bagged the best actor, best actress, and best picture awards.
The proceeds of the digital film festival will go to the funding of the representatives of SUMS for a regional conference this September.
Suan stressed that they want to give out a message that here in SU, they are not only med students but they are also inclined to other activities especially those with social relevance.
