‘Mga Ulol’: Dark comedy shines at national intercollege film festival
GENERAL SANTOS CITY (MindaNews / 21 Aug) — When the lights dimmed inside Cine Adarna in Quezon City last Saturday, August 16, a student-made film from General Santos City found itself on the national stage.
Mga Ulol, a dark comedy by fourth-year BS Information Technology student Vince Vesiete, who opted to use the Cebuano language in the film, emerged as one of the standout entries at Piling Obrang Vidyo (POV) XXI in Quezon City.
POV is an annual interschool film festival organized by the University of the Philippines (UP) Cinema that showcases the work of college and senior high school student filmmakers from across the country.
For Vesiete, of Mindanao State University – General Santos, the recognition was more than a personal milestone; it was proof that stories from Mindanao could hold their own on a national platform.
“To be recognized in that prestigious film festival is really an honor because I get to showcase not only my identity as a filmmaker but also my roots and my voice as a Mindanawon and as a Bisaya,” he told MindaNews, referring to himself as a speaker of the Cebuano language, often interchanged with Bisaya.
Out of 130 submissions, 12 finalists were chosen: nine competing films and three non-competition entries from the senior high school category. Mga Ulol not only made the cut but also won the Best Performance Award.
The festival’s theme, PULSO!, highlighted the creative process behind student filmmaking.
Allen Prodigalidad, POV XXI’s festival director, told Sinegang.ph, an online publication covering Philippine cinema and student filmmaking, that the theme sought to explore the creative process behind student films and the perspectives shaping emerging filmmakers.
“With Pulso, we wanted to interrogate what the pulse is behind filmmaking—the consciousness being formed among student filmmakers, and the culture emerging from our unique experiences as filmmakers,” Prodigalidad said to Sinegang.ph.
Behind the scenes
Shot in just one day with a cast of fellow students, the 10-minute film started as what Vesiete jokingly called a “sabaw” project: a casual, experimental effort meant more for fun than polish.
But the film quickly evolved into a sharp, satirical commentary on Philippine pop culture, politics, and social media absurdities.
According to Vesiete, the idea for the film sprang from his “nakakaulol” or maddeningly stressful struggle to balance college projects, pageants, and an upcoming university film festival, which he felt he had to join as a recognized filmmaker.
“Nakakaulol yung mundo pero huwag nating hayaan ang ating mga sarili na magpalamon doon (The world may drive us mad, but we cannot let it consume us),” he said, describing the film’s central theme.
When asked why he chose to tell the story in Cebuano, he cited both practical and creative reasons.
“I don’t yet have access to mainstream actors, so I worked with performers from my area who could deliver their lines convincingly in Cebuano. Second, Cebuano is such a beautiful language that deserves to be heard,” he explained.
Vesiete pointed out that a story has a different intensity when told in one’s native language.
English subtitles, he said, were added to ensure the film reached audiences beyond Mindanao.
Before making its way to POV XXI, Mga Ulol had already made waves in other festivals.
At UP Salida 2024, the film won six awards, including Best Director, Best Performance of a Cast, Best Screenplay, Best Poster, Best Actress, and 2nd Best Film.
It later competed at CineMapúa 2025, earning nominations for Best Editing and Best Screenplay and winning the Best Performance of a Female Actor award.
For Vesiete, Mga Ulol is proof that stories told in local voices can resonate on a national stage and inspire more filmmakers to bring their unique perspectives to light. (Guia Rebollido / MindaNews)
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