Filipino visual artist’s animated film preserves grandparents’ love

Mariecar Jara-Puyod, Senior Reporter

A tribute to grandparents was the “Best Animated Film” at the Dubai Culture and Arts Authority’s (DCAA) “Al Marmoom: Film in the Desert - Stories at One with Nature” held for 10 days within the Al Marmoom Desert Conservation Reserve in Dubai until Jan.21.

The four-minute “Flower” is by Nemar Precioso Sencil whom Gulf Today first met at the July 18, 2018 “Art for Health Awards” of the Ministry of Health and Prevention wherein his watercolour of a “chubby kid hugging a broccoli in a room filled with junk food” was the “Best Painting.”

The visual artist from the cities of Bacolod and Silay in the Western Visayas province of Negros Occidental, Philippines was then a newbie — “only a few months” old in the UAE – as a waiter.

That win “turned out to be a rewarding experience for me,” Sencil said on Tuesday evening, recollecting that he would not have been able to earn the top spot in that competition were it not for a friend who informed and “influenced” him to join.

That win was confidence-boosting. It flung open doors for him to actively participate in Dubai’s percolating art scene by way of collaborations “with other artists and organisations.” It fuelled him to enlist and reap other awards from seven 2019 to 2023 contests, that include being the grand winner at the “Waterfront Market Mural Competition,” part of the Deira Enrichment Project, in February 2022.

Fast forward to 2023 and on his ninth laurel from the third edition of Al Marmoom, Sencil related that he discovered the “Al Marmoom Short Film Competition,” eventually swamped with 182 entries for various genres, through the DCAA website. “Gaza Fish” by Mohammed Harb and “Bitter Sweetness” by Zaher Alkusaibaiti earned them the glass trophies in the “Best Documentary” and “Best Live-Action” categories, respectively.

The motion graphic designer in a Dubai-based “dynamic company” added: “I joined to try my luck. I had only two-and-a half months to finish, balancing it with my day job. By God’s grace, the sleepless nights paid off. I was able to submit my animation.”

Born and raised in Negros Occidental, home to numerous performing and visual artists as well as men-of-the-pen, such as poet/composer Augurio Maranon Abeto from the town of Binalbagan, Sencil described himself as the “solo artist in my family.”

He knew he would be dabbling in the visual arts, at age five, “initially sparked by my exposure to television, films and the people” his grandparents introduced him and his younger brother, Sunday Mark to: “Many creative people reside in my province which is so vibrant with festivals. I encountered a multitude of great artists there. One who continues to inspire me as well is Hieronymous Bosch (The Netherlands, 1450-1516), a surreal painter known for his detailed and imaginative works. His unique approach to surrealism has left a lasting impression on my artistic expression.”

Sencil had no formal training in painting which he has not given up on, as he is planning to get back to the easel in preparation for a desired exhibition. His transition into animation was fired up by his “love for watching” the products of Hollywood’s Pixar and Japan’s Studio Ghibli. Thanks to self-study and the You Tube tutorials.

Now, on the theme of “Flower,” this reporter found out that the plot’s protagonists are Sencil himself and his maternal grandparents, Lolo Magno Patrimonio and Lola Gloria Patrimonio: “Ako po iyon at yung mga lolo at lola namin (It is myself and my grandparents). Yes, it is my love story with them. They took care of us since Mommy had to work for eight years in Saudi Arabia when our father abandoned us.

“What I would not forget is that Lolo Magno was the second husband of my Lola and even if we were not blood-related, he took us in as his own. It is a testimony of a godly adoptive elder to the younger generation. Their love and concern are immeasurable,” Sencil also said, adding with a jest of laughter that they are their “favourite grandchildren because they raised us up.”

“Flower” deals on “the moving themes of longing, sacrifice and the emotional struggles of an overseas worker. The story unfolds through symbolic elements, such as a man holding a picture of his late grandparents, a dream-like yellow room, and a transformative experience with an abstract flower.”

It is Sencil’s “desire for happiness and family reunification”  especially that the love for God and family as well as humility were his unforgettable lessons from his maternal grandparents.