“Sister team” wins film fest honours

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This article was published 15/10/2021 (1773 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Miss Fortune, a short film that a group of current and former Maples residents rushed together in just 48 hours, recently enjoyed a stroke of good fortune. The film won the awards for both best film and best actress at Winnipeg’s 48 Hour Film Festival.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect it at all,” said 25-year-old Jaenne Cali (who uses a shortened surname), the award-winning lead of the film.

“I’m actually in Vancouver right now, so my sister messaged me on the family group chat and she’s like, in all caps, ‘YOU WON, YOU WON,’ and I was like, ‘Oh wow, what did I win?’”

Cali’s sister, 19-year-old Jayzee Calingasan, was the film’s director. The “sister team” wrote the film together.

“It’s a quirky comedy with a twist,” said Calingasan. “It focuses on Jaenne, who plays a recently heartbroken woman who goes through a series of misfortunes. Suddenly, her life turns around when she opens these fortune cookies, and these fortunes become true.”

Calingasan said the time constraint of 48 hours to write, produce and film a movie presented some challenges.

“You get very little sleep, if you’re very dedicated, and that’s what my team did for this film festival short,” Calingasan said.

To combat the stress, Calingasan said she tried to manage the atmosphere, and that meant, in addition to directing the film, Calingasan took on the role of craft services.

“We try to keep it light and the positive energy up, and the key is always food. Always keep your crew fed, that’s the number one tip or rule, especially if they’re all doing it for free,” she said with a chuckle. “Food will make everyone happy.”

The 19-year-old spoke like a seasoned veteran, and made sure to commend her team for their chipper attitudes.

Calingasan said winning best film came as a surprise.

“I was in shock for two days straight, and it took a while for it to set in,” she said.

Director of photography Rein Cabalquinto expanded on that emotion.

“We were in shock because there were so many great films that could’ve won,” he said.

 As a result of the win, the short film will be featured at the Toronto International Film Festival, an event that annually draws attendance from some of the world’s biggest film stars.

“It’s a huge achievement and a milestone for me and my team — I’m smiling right now,” Calingasan said.

Both Cali and Calingasan said they’re pursuing careers in the film industry as their life’s work. Cali continues to act professionally in Vancouver, doing commercials and voiceover work and writing with her sister.

Calingasan said she’s open to many possibilities.

I do want to be a director, but I’m really open to pursuing acting as well… I really like exploring a lot of different aspects, maybe even writing, because my sister and I, we both develop the story along with our other teammates as well,” she said. “I consider myself an emerging filmmaker but I’m really open to many different aspects of filmmaking.”