A UST Creative Writing junior won the best editing award in an international contest for his short film about a unique way to practice recycling in a school setting.
Lorenzo de Castro’s five-minute project titled “Ballers” was recognized by the 2024 Don Bosco Global Youth Film Festival last Oct. 18 in New York. The competition carried the theme “I Have a Dream: Youth and Climate Change.”
De Castro’s entry follows a young janitor who installs rings on top of trash cans at the school where he works to motivate students about proper waste disposal. He worked with fellow UST Creative Writing juniors on producing the film, namely, John Kobe Balod, Brandon Lance Capiña, Sean Carlos, Llordman Yuki Elbambo, Marie Alexa Natividad, Earl Jordan Quintana, Rafael Paolo Salaya, Lauren Ainella Tagle and Rosemarie Uy.
De Castro said the film’s concept was inspired by the same hoop mechanism he saw during his time at the Don Bosco Technical Institute of Makati. According to him, the rings were placed so students could tackle climate change in a fun way.
“[The ring] was created to tell or encourage us to recycle and also as proper waste management for the school. So, that was my main inspiration for creating ‘Ballers,’ it’s me reliving my old school days when I was studying in Don Bosco,” de Castro told The Flame.
The young filmmaker said the topic initially faced a budgeting issue, but the members of his team decided to pursue it to recognize the recycling culture at their alma mater.
“It was a challenge at first, because when you say climate change, you really need heavy production, right? So, we thought, me and my team, what idea can we use to compete in that regard? So, why not go back to where we started?” he said.
While de Castro was the director, writer and executive producer of “Ballers,” around 30 people composed of students from UST and Don Bosco, were behind the film’s production. He also produced, wrote and edited “One Note, One Hope,” which was among the regional winners for the East Asia and Oceania Region this year.
Since 2022, the Artlets student has been a part of Tiger TV, the University’s official broadcasting arm, where he oversees the network’s creative production department. He also developed some of the shows of the Thomasian media entity.
According to de Castro, his expertise in creative production was enhanced because of the opportunities given to him by UST.
“I’ve learned things that I haven’t learned outside [of] UST. The production itself helped me, my mind was challenged… to see things in a different manner, think differently,” he added.
In 2016, de Castro founded a production house made up of students and aspiring filmmakers called “Dream Film Productions.”
The Thomasian student also received accolades in previous Don Bosco film festivals. His first entry titled “Joel 2:25” won best lights and sound design in 2017.
His other entries are “Tagpuan” (2019) and “Ang Hearing Aid ni Hesus” (2022), both of which received the people’s choice award. “Ang Hearing Aid ni Hesus” also won best director, actor and poster.
De Castro’s last entry before Ballers “Kung Sakaling Maalala” also emerged as one of the top films in the East Asia and Oceania region.
The 2024 Don Bosco Global Youth Film Festival had two qualifiers: general youth and Salesian youth, or those affiliated with any Don Bosco institution within the Salesian system. De Castro joined the second qualifier as a representative of the Don Bosco Technical College of Mandaluyong.
According to the organization’s website, the films are judged by film professionals, industry advocates, cultural leaders and known youth personalities from different countries.
The Don Bosco Global Youth Film Festival is an annual event organized by the Christian congregation Salesians of Don Bosco, which aims to discover and encourage talented young filmmakers worldwide. F
