The Philippines faces challenges today more than ever, prompting creators to explore how multimedia arts can address the impact of global conflicts, which are triggering instability around the world. Our country feels the ripple effects of these international crises twice as hard as more progressive regions. At the same time, the Philippines grapples with deep-seated internal conflicts within its own boundaries. This combination of external pressure and internal friction creates immense strain. For many citizens, the burden can quickly feel overwhelming. Yet, history shows that severe adversity brings out the best in us. The resilience, brilliance, and creativity of the Filipino spirit shine brightest when the weight of the world feels heaviest.
The Rise of Multimedia Arts as an Advocacy Tool
In these pivotal moments, modern media emerges as a powerful tool. Traditional systems often bend under strain. Standard avenues for civic grievances frequently choke on heavy bureaucracy. During these crises, the digital and cinematic lens becomes a vital, alternative tool. It creates a space where creators can meet raw realities with profound empathy, constructive dialogue, and unwavering hope.
This is exactly where the SineMulat Tres Film Festival stepped into the light. The event coincided with the 80th Anniversary of the University of Batangas. The College of Information Technology, Entertainment and Communication (CITEC) joined hands with the Multimedia Arts Circle (UB MAC). Together, they chose to meet national anxieties head-on through artistic expression.
By anchoring this year’s festival on the heavyweight theme of Katarungan (Justice), UBLC challenged its student filmmakers. The university dared them to treat cinema as a critical socio-political lifeline rather than a simple aesthetic pursuit. These young directors proved that multimedia arts function as a modern platform for the unheard. It serves as a vital tool for dissecting local realities and sparking meaningful conversations when the world feels too chaotic to listen.
By dedicating this platform to advocacy-driven storytelling, the event showed that the next generation of creatives isn’t shrinking under pressure. Instead, they are stepping up to the responsibilities of modern media. They are successfully transforming cinema into a narrative of courage and true unity. They prove that even when systemic pressure feels insurmountable, art remains the ultimate catalyst for national reflection, healing, and positive social transformation.
The Creatives Leading the Multimedia Arts Movement
To turn a profound concept like justice into a living, breathing movement, you need more than just theories. You need visionaries who are willing to steer the ship. At the University of Batangas Lipa City, this charge was led by Jhon Albert Hertez. The third-year Bachelor of Multimedia Arts student serves double duty as both the Festival Director of SineMulat Tres and the President of the Multimedia Arts Circle (UB MAC).
As the driving force behind the accredited student organization, Hertez and his team proved that student leadership is the true backbone of UB’s 80-year legacy of excellence. In an exclusive interview, he shared how they transformed a campus event into a regional beacon of hope and truth-telling.
The Motive Behind the “Katarungan” Theme
Choosing a theme like Katarungan (Justice) during a time of national and global unrest wasn’t a coincidence. It was a deliberate act of bravery. For UB MAC, the theme served as the ultimate canvas to prove that student filmmaking can tackle the heaviest realities when traditional avenues fall short.
“When we were brainstorming the theme for SineMulat Tres, we realized that as young filmmakers, we have a responsibility that goes beyond just making things look visually appealing, We chose ‘Katarungan’ because we wanted to challenge our peers to look at the realities happening around them and to lean into social realism and tell stories that actually matter.”
– Jhon Albert “ Direk Albyy” Hertez, Festival Director of SineMulat Tres and the President of the Multimedia Arts Circle
Redefining Multimedia Arts
The organization provided a true masterclass in courage by secure-screening Lost Sabungeros: The Complete Story as the festival’s centerpiece. This deliberate choice redefined multimedia arts entirely. It pushed the craft far beyond a simple visual discipline. Instead, the screening transformed the medium into a powerful tool for marginalized, unheard voices.
Ultimately, this controversial, globally recognized investigative piece taught students a firsthand lesson. Fearless truth-telling is not just an optional creative path. It stands as the absolute core and ultimate foundation of meaningful filmmaking.
Sustaining the UB MAC Momentum and Legacy
What makes this achievement even more remarkable is the timeline. In just four short years, UB MAC has evolved from a student organization into an absolute creative powerhouse within the region. They keep this momentum going with a dynamic, year-round ecosystem of innovation that keeps members engaged.
This momentum relies heavily on fresh digital initiatives. For example, the recently launched MAC on Air! podcast effectively expands the organization’s reach into modern digital broadcasting. Meanwhile, active General Assemblies keep the entire student community aligned, inspired, and creatively connected. Furthermore, a continuous lineup of elite masterclasses offers specialized training. These sessions successfully sharpen both the technical mastery and conceptual skills of every single creative member.
To ensure this flame doesn’t burn out after the 80th-anniversary banners come down, leadership development has been woven into the very fabric of the organization. Core planning committees for major productions now actively integrate junior members. Early exposure to organizational leadership and high-stakes creative strategy sets you up for a bright future. UB MAC ensures the next generation of Gold and Maroon leaders is ready to build on the legacy being built today.
The Vision for SineMulat Kwatro
The massive success of SineMulat Dos and Tres has triggered a beautiful ripple effect across the Batangas filmmaking community. New sponsors and local film enthusiasts continue to offer an outpouring of love and financial backing. Because of this support, the team is already drawing up the blueprint for the festival’s next evolution.
The dream for SineMulat Kwatro is to scale up even further. Now established as CITEC’s flagship event, the team aims to push the absolute boundaries of student-led production value. Future attendees can look forward to expanded award categories and highly immersive, hands-on masterclasses with industry practitioners. This growth will build an even stronger bridge connecting raw student talent straight into the professional filmmaking industry.
How SineMulat Tres Redefined Modern Multimedia Arts
The true testament to the success of SineMulat Tres lies in the caliber of stories that graced the screen. The festival showcased two major competition categories: the Brahmmy Series and the Prime Series. Both brackets recognize excellence across multiple aspects of film production.
In the Brahmmy Series, one particular film completely captivated the jury and the audience alike. Yours, Always emerged as the festival’s dominant entry. The project swept a massive haul of awards, including Best Film, Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Musical Score, Best Editing, Best Poster, Best Production Design, and the Gender Sensitive Film Award.
Produced by Simlaya Studios and directed by the visionary Dave Duque, the film’s compelling narrative has already gained traction among cinephiles. Its official synopsis is currently available on Letterboxd:
“Left between a voice and a letter. A bright college student begins receiving anonymous handwritten letters, drawing her into a quiet yet unsettling mystery. As an unseen presence lingers, strange events unfold, and the true meaning behind the messages slowly comes to light.”
– Yours, Truly (2026, Simlaya Studios)
The story features a stellar ensemble cast. It stars Sharmaine Noche as Valerie, whose compelling performance earned her the Best Actress award, alongside Dave Duque as Liam, Norvine Quinag as Prof. Villalobos, and Kiefer De Chavez and JM Ferrer as the school bullies. Veteran actor Ping Medina also joined the student production to add a layer of seasoned industry excellence. He starred as Prof. Vasquez and took home the title of Best Supporting Actor.
The Anatomy of Silence and Flawed Justice
At its core, Yours, Always revolves around the complex bond between Valerie and Liam. While they share a deep bond as friends, Liam harbors a secret admiration for Valerie. However, a tragic turn of events and unexpected mishaps soon unfold. These hardships stem directly from a personal condition that leaves Liam unable to convey critical truths. This failure to speak out will forever alter the course of their lives.
It is within this heartbreaking inability to speak that the film brilliantly mirrors the broader socio-political theme of Katarungan. Liam’s struggle is not just a personal affliction. It functions as a profound metaphor for the suffocating silence that so often grips victims of societal injustice.
This theme connects seamlessly to the national anxieties explored in SineMulat Tres. In a society plagued by systemic flaws, institutions routinely deny justice because individuals intentionally suppress the truth. Corrupt figures hide facts behind walls of fear, institutional corruption, or physical incapacity.
When a system renders individuals voiceless – much like Liam standing on the precipice of a life-changing revelation – the resulting silence becomes a breeding ground for tragedy. By exploring how a single unuttered truth can dismantle lives, Yours, Always reminds us that staying silent in the face of conflict or oppression is a profound injustice in itself. Through this cinematic masterpiece, the students of UB MAC and CITEC proved a vital point. Breaking the silence, pushing through personal limitations, and choosing to tell the truth is the ultimate act of courage in a world that desperately needs to hear it.
The Centerpiece as the Breaking Point: Refocusing the Lens of Truth
Student entries in the Brahmmy Series exposed the quiet tragedies of human silence. Meanwhile, the festival’s ultimate centerpiece served as the explosive breaking point where that silence was forcibly shattered. The special screening of the highly anticipated documentary Lost Sabungeros: The Complete Story brought the heavy theme of Katarungan into sharp, undeniable focus.
Directed by Bryan Kristoffer Brazil and produced by GMA Pictures and GMA Public Affairs, this investigative masterpiece handles one of the most controversial, gripping, and unresolved mysteries in contemporary Philippine history. The film follows the sudden disappearance of more than 30 sabungeros (cockfighters) who have vanished without a trace since 2021. By presenting new revelations and previously unseen footage, the film did not just document a timeline of events. It forced the audience to look directly into the eyes of systemic trauma and the agonizing weight of delayed justice.
The Turbulent Journey of Lost Sabungeros
Bringing this specific film to the University of Batangas Lipa City campus was a fearless editorial statement by CITEC and UB MAC. The documentary itself has faced a turbulent journey to the screen, embodying the very essence of a nation’s internal unrest and the persistent threat of censorship. Following the release of its trailer, the film encountered significant complications during its review process with the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB).
Security concerns even led to the abrupt cancellation of its intended premiere at the Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival. This block sparked a highly publicized defense from GMA Public Affairs Senior Vice President Nessa Valdellon. She firmly stood by the production team’s documented struggles against regulatory roadblocks. Yet, true to the theme of creative storytelling acting as the final tool for truth, Lost Sabungeros refused to be silenced. The film eventually claimed its rightful space at the QCinema International Film Festival, the University of the Philippines Film Institute, the Gawad Urian Awards, and the New York Festivals TV & Film Awards.
When Truth Chases Shadows: Flight as a Sign of Guilt
At the very heart of this cinematic battleground is a profound truth about the nature of power and accountability, encapsulated perfectly by the director’s striking words: “Flight is a sign of guilt.” This sentiment became the moral anchor of the screening. In the case of the missing cockfighters, as well as the broader systemic injustices plaguing the nation, the perpetrators of these crimes consistently vanish in the face of truth-seeking and justice. When the bright light of investigative journalism and public scrutiny shines upon corruption, those in power do not stand and defend their actions. Instead, they retreat into the shadows. They actively weaponize bureaucracy, intimidation, and sudden disappearances to escape accountability.
By highlighting this reality, SineMulat Tres refocused its lens on a vital lesson for the next generation of creatives. The evasion of justice by the guilty only proves the undeniable power of the truth. When perpetrators run, hide, or attempt to suppress a narrative, it is because they recognize that a single, well-told story can dismantle their armor.
For the hundreds of students gathered in the theater, the festival transformed from a simple showcase of technical skills into a radical awakening. It proved that when traditional systems allow the guilty to flee, advocacy-driven cinema must become the force that pursues them. Filmmakers must ensure that the voices of the marginalized are never left behind in the dark.
The Lens of Truth Will Never Waver in Batangas
In a society where systemic corruption, political fiascos, bias, inequality, censorship, and deep-seated social injustices persist, true justice can often feel distant, silenced, and entirely out of reach. When the voices of the marginalized struggle to find acknowledgment within traditional systems, creative expression becomes our most powerful, unyielding platform for truth-telling. Through the lens of cinema, ordinary stories gain the extraordinary strength to question grim realities, challenge comfortable perspectives, and inspire a collective reflection that no authority can suppress.
As the University of Batangas celebrates its historic 80th Anniversary, the resounding success of SineMulat Tres serves as a fierce declaration to the world. Regardless of the chaos unfolding beyond its walls, this institution will always stand firm. UBLC will forever remain rooted in the very ground of truth, justice, and integrity. The university will nurture a generation of creative, fearless voices who refuse to stay silent, showing that even in the darkest times, art can light the path toward national transformation.
