Pinoy animation inspired by Leyte healer tops 'Animahenasyon' festival

December 15, 2012 7:54pm


An eight-minute animated film inspired by a Leyte healer topped the recently concluded "Animahenasyon 2012: 6th Philippine Animation Festival" in Manila.

Niko Salazar’s "Marianing"  bagged the grand prize in the festival organized by the Animation Council of the Philippines, Inc. (ACPI).

“The animation was all drawn on paper, the background was painted traditionally using Chinese ink and everything was processed in my computer up to the final piece,” Salazar said.

“Sometimes, I would only sleep for two hours. Some nights, when it was necessary, I wouldn't sleep at all. I am quite a methodist and that's what drives me to put soul in my work. But it was all worth it,” he added.

"Marianing," which tells the story of a mysterious man named Marianing who avenges the death of his wife killed by aswangs, drew inspiration from the life of Salazar’s grandfather as a supernatural healer and a local legend in a small village in Leyte.

The film, produced by the School of Design and Arts of De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, had Salazar as director, writer, lead animator, production and sound designer, and picture and sound editor.

On the other hand, the festival also saw 127 entries competing, with the entries including animated shorts and series, television commercials, demo reels, and animated music videos.



Special foreign programs

Animahenasyon also screened special programs from France, Spain, Japan, Germany, UK, USA, and Australia.

It also featured veteran artists who narrated their insights about working in the animation industry.

Choice destination

The Philippines has long been a choice destination for animation outsourcing for projects of world-class studios such as Walt Disney, Hanna-Barbera, Warner Brothers, Cartoon Network, HBO, Marvel Comics and Japanese anime studios.

Animation as powerful medium


With its evolving technology, animation is becoming a more powerful and effective medium for Filipinos to express their creativity in design and storytelling.

“There are so many platforms where you can showcase your material. Before, we only had TV and Film. But because of the advent of mobile devices, there are a lot of venues that need content today,” said Benjie Marasigan, festival director and faculty member at the School of Design and Arts, De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde.

Grace Dimaranan, president of ACPI, a partner association of the Business Processing Association of the Philippines (BPAP), added animation is a powerful and playful storytelling medium and has been a "big influence to a lot of people all over the world.”

“The festival has been instrumental in inspiring young artists and launching the careers of renowned animators, and honoring the pillars of art in this industry,” she added.

Dimaranan added career opportunities abound in the animation industry, with the most important thing for an animator to have is skill.

There are presently three forms of animation: 2D animation, 3D Computer Generated Imagery (CGI), and 3D Motion Capture.

"There’s always room for everybody. There are business and production management areas for non-artists," said Michael Kho Lim, executive director of ACPI.