Filmmakers win Best Direction, Best Editing at ‘Pride Festival’

A documentary feature on transwoman Stella Salle took home two major awards from the UP Pride Film Festival: Cine LagabLove last Oct. 20 at the UP Film Institute Cine Adarna.

“NOMO KWEEN: The Last Woman Standing” bagged the Best Director prize for Far Eastern University (FEU) student LA Oraza and Best Editing for Gcay Reyes.

The docu shows a complex and unfiltered look into the life of Salle, known for her “late-night doomscrolling sessions—half-drunk, full of attitude, and always unapologetically herself,” revealing a story of grief, survival, and loud, unfiltered living amid all the viral chaos.

“To be seen is one thing, but to be heard and recognized is another. This goes to all the people in the community who always have stories to be told that most people tend to overlook as if they are living in the shadows of this heteronormative society,” said Oraza.

Written by Oraza’s fellow FEU communication students Yel Pimentel and Renz Dotillos, the docu steps away from the typical redemption narrative, as it is not a project meant to “sanitize or rebrand [Salle]’s public image.”

“As the director of this film and a transwoman myself, it has always been my anchor in making this documentary. And for Stella, she [is the embodiment of what and who a woman is] in this society—[someone who is trying to fit in and making herself visible in places which make her] feel safe and comfortable,” said Oraza.

The festival, which is organized by UP Pride, UP Cinema, and UPFI, is inspired by the imagery of fire, symbolizing the passion and resilience of the queer community in their fight for equality.

The festival also featured eight other films exploring queer love, identity, and resistance: “Isang Jeep Pa” (Best Picture, Best Screenplay, and Best Performance for Junard Estrada), “I Love You, But I'm Ugly” (Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, and Best Performance for Alejandro Batiancila, Jr.), “Halikana” (Cine Lagablove Special Award and Best Sound Design), “Complete Control” (co-winner of Best Sound Design), “Behind the Golden Curtain,” “Lost and Found,” “Sa Mayo Ikaw ay Babalik,” and “Tahan.”

Produced by Chroma Films, Dekada '90 Films, Cai Creatives, and Hundred Digits, “NOMO KWEEN” was originally submitted as a final requirement for the Documentary Production class under professorial lecturer Seymour Sanchez.

The film previously won second runner-up and Best Editing at the 3rd TamDokyu Fest, a festival of documentary storytelling by students of Documentary Production classes at FEU.

It was selected as a finalist in the 37th Gawad Alternatibo, the country’s longest-running independent film competition, organized by the Cultural Center of the Philippines.

“Winning [the best director award] is more than just a recognition, it is a testament that this kind of story is worth sharing to everyone. I carry it [for] my whole production crew, [the] people who support it, and, of course, the rainbow community,” said Oraza.

The UP Pride Film Festival celebrates stories of identity and resistance through the lens of queer experience.