There is approximately 1108 kilometers between Kidapawan and Manila. And Julius Cervancia, a Media Arts teacher from Kidapawan National High School, would cover the long distance, riding the bus and taking the RoRo for more than a day, just to be part of Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival and watch the featured films.

The long journey for Cervancia is nothing compared to his love for Cinemalaya and his dedication to teach his students about filmmaking and arts education to push him to cross the distance every year.

Julius Cervancia (leftmost) with his students in Cinemalaya

"It has become my vow to attend Cinemalaya," began Cervancia. "Since 2016, I have traveled to Manila every year just to be a part of this."

The high school teacher's commitment to Cinemalaya started when his students won at the short film competition of the National Festival of Talents, then held every year by the Department of Education. The short film competition, entitled "Sineliksik," involved two students per region, given four hours to shoot and four hours to edit a two-minute film. The Cultural Center of the Philippines' (CCP) Arts Education Department upgraded the mechanics of this competition in order to nurture the next generation of film artists.

CCP's Arts Ed would recommend the NFOT winning entries for screening in the Gawad CCP Para sa Alternatibong Pelikula at Video, the longest-running independent film competition of its kind in Asia. It is often considered as a breeding ground for student filmmakers, with its finalists mostly consisting of young students from various local and regional schools.

"We were back-to-back champions twice, so I went to Cinemalaya twice with my students," he added. "On the third year, sadly, we lost, but I still went to Cinemalaya. That's why it became my vow after that year when we didn't win."

Cervancia with his students and Lino Matalang (third from left) of CCP Arts Education Department during Cinemalaya 13.

For Cervancia, his commitment not only serves his own love for film, but his love for his students. As someone hailing from the far regions, he acknowledged the infrequency of artists, directors, and film production teams who would visit them, thus the lack of exposure for his students.

The Cinemalaya Campus, a component of the Cinemalaya Festival, was a vital part of Cervancio's first two Cinemalaya experiences with his students. This component provides a venue for interaction and dialogue between filmmakers and audience members.

"What really drives me to continue this year after year is the experience I can share with my students. When I return to Kidapawan, I eagerly recount the films I watched and what's happening in the industry. I have students who were truly inspired to pursue film in college because they saw my passion for attending Cinemalaya every year."

When asked about the film that struck him the most for his first Cinemalaya, Cervancia mentioned "Bagahe" by director Zig Dulay. The social drama film won Best Screenplay at the 13th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival.

"We met twice before at Cinemalaya. I'm really a fan of Direk Zig," he enthused. "What struck me was when he said that even without much money in filmmaking, it's the experience and the joy of making films that truly enriches a person."

As a new Cinemalaya season looms, Cervancia looks forward to yet another rewarding experience of being a part of the country's biggest independent film festival – an experience he will bring home to Kidapawan, to his students. For its 20th year, Cinemalaya will run until August 11 at the Ayala Malls Manila Bay and other selected Ayala Malls Cinemas.

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