iACADEMY’s Film and Visual Effects Chairperson Keith Sicat’s Cinemartyrs Earns Eight Gawad Urian Nominations

Film continues to prove its power to preserve memory, challenge perspectives, and tell stories that deserve to be heard. This year, Cinemartyrs, co-written, produced, and edited by Keith Sicat, Chairperson of iACADEMY’s Film and Visual Effects program, earned eight nominations at the 49th Gawad Urian Awards.

Directed by Sari Dalena, Cinemartyrs explores forgotten stories in Philippine history through the story of a young filmmaker who attempts to recreate these atrocities, blurring the lines between historical memory, documentary, and fiction.

The film received nominations for Best Film, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actress, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Editing, and Best Sound. Sicat is personally nominated for Best Film (under his production banner with Dalena, KINO ARTS) Best Screenplay also alongside Dalena and Best Editing.

For Sicat, the recognition carries special meaning. In reflecting on the film’s success, he shared that Cinemartyrs was a dream project that took more than 20 years to make, making its reception an especially meaningful milestone. He hopes the film will inspire filmmakers to remain true to their creative vision despite the pressures of the industry.

“Be fearless.  Don’t be afraid to push the medium.  Be brave and create your own film grammar.  We learn techniques deeply to equip us with tools, but we have agency to experiment with them as well.  Go shatter conventions.  Go challenge people to open their minds as to what is possible within this medium we love called cinema,” Sicat declares.

“Cinema is the youngest of the arts, just over a century old.  There’s so much more to explore, and the reception to Cinemartyrs reflects that audiences are open to visions that are unique, that defy convention, that break the mold.”

At iACADEMY, Sicat brings this same commitment to storytelling into the classroom, helping aspiring filmmakers move Beyond Better and create work that leaves an impact.