FOR her short film on farmers, a professor from the University of the Philippines Visayas bagged eight awards in the Open Category of the SineNegrense: Negros Island Film Festival.

The “Tiempo Suerte” directed by Associate Prof. Jonathan Jurilla of the College of Arts and Sciences bested nine entries to claim the awards.

The film is about a young girl who wishes to follow in the footsteps of her older brother – to quit school and work in a sugarcane plantation.

It is an adaptation from a storybook for children entitled “Si Manong kag ang Iya Higante nga Tarak-tarak” written by Orland Solis.

The movie received Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Editing, and People’s Choice award.

“The Best Director, Best Screenplay, and Best Editing awards all went to Jonathan Jurilla, who wrote, directed, and edited the film,” UPV said in a statement.

“Jezailah Adriel Koch was awarded Best Actress, Alisandra Delicano was Best Supporting Actress, while Andriane Cedric Egnal got the Best Supporting Actor award. All three have never acted in a film before,” it added.

The film was also nominated for Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Musical Score, and Best Sound Design.

SineNegrense is an annual film festival held in Negros Occidental to recognize the new generation of filmmakers.

It also aims to cultivate an informed public on the importance of cinema and storytelling in the context of national identity, culture, and heritage.