Xavier Ateneo Film Society

11/07/2025

To our XAFS Graduates,

From screenwriting to screenings, you’ve captured truth, justice, and heart in every scene. The development of the the film society has grown significantly because of you. Now, a new story begins; one that’s bigger, bolder, and waiting to be told by you.

Whatever path you take, trust in your storyboard, your advocacy, and your ephemeral character. You’ve done it before, and you’ll do it again. With or without hues, you will always roll with flying colors. And we’ll always be cheering you on from behind the scenes.

As always, one frame at a time!

Concept | Cleaners (2019) by Glenn Barit
Pubmat | Frances Andrea Joson and Paolo Pondoc of the Creatives Department
Words | Meckhan Tagarda

12/06/2025

Maghiusa kita sa pagsaulog sa ika-127 ka anibersaryo sa Kagawasan sa Pilipinas!

Padayon ta sa atong adbokasiya sa sinema, samtang atong palambuon ang lokal nga pelikulang literatura nga nagasubay sa mga sugilanon sa mga Kagay-anon.

Malipayong Adlaw sa Kagawasan, gikan sa Xavier Ateneo Film Society!

Pubmat: Nika Marian M. Parrel

06/05/2025

One frame at a time 🎬

Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan is a Filipino, Catholic, and Jesuit University forming leaders of character for the needs of Mindanao, the Philippines, and Asia-Pacific.

18/04/2025

𝐀𝐧𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐠𝐛𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐠 𝐩𝐚𝐫𝐚 𝐬𝐚 𝐤𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐧 𝐰𝐚𝐥𝐚𝐲 𝐮𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠. 𝐏𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐚 𝐩𝐚𝐠𝐩𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐭𝐚𝐧𝐚, 𝐩𝐚𝐝𝐚𝐲𝐨𝐧 𝐧𝐠𝐚 𝐥𝐢𝐠-𝐨𝐧 𝐬𝐚 𝐤𝐚𝐮𝐠𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠𝐨𝐧!

Many struggle with independent thinking when they've spent their lives following instructions without question. But true empowerment begins when individuals challenge ideas, seek knowledge, and develop their own perspectives. Escherian Stairwell reminds us that critical thinking is not just a skill—it’s a mindset that takes practice, confidence, and curiosity.

‟If all our lives we’re told what to think and what to believe, it can be terrifying to take on the responsibility of thinking for ourselves. Where do we even begin? The temptation would be to keep passing on the hard work of deciding what’s true and what’s not onto somebody else: to our parents, to our teachers, to our leaders, to professional ‘fact checkers,’ to ‘trusted gatekeepers’ of information. We want them to clean the world up for us so we can navigate it safely.

‟But when we take on the task of grappling with what to believe as a personal responsibility—as part of being human, as part of being an adult—we find it gets less and less scary and less and less difficult over time. It’s like a muscle that gets stronger the more you exercise it. We get better at discerning what’s true from what’s false. But we have to start with the hard part—with knowing that there’s no safety net and that the messy work of figuring out what to believe is something worth embracing as an individual.”

-Michael Lacanilao, Filmmaker

Pubmat by Paolo Pondoc
Caption by Shane Neri Sinangote

18/04/2025

𝐍𝐚𝐚 𝐬𝐚 𝐢𝐦𝐨𝐡𝐚 𝐚𝐧𝐠 𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐠𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐚𝐧 𝐬𝐚 𝐤𝐚𝐦𝐚𝐭𝐮𝐨𝐫𝐚𝐧

In a time of rampant disinformation, critical thinking is more essential than ever. Michael Lacanilao, Director of the Escherian Stairwell, highlights the film’s role in sharpening analytical skills, urging the community to embrace logical reasoning.

‟If all our lives we’re told what to think and what to believe, it can be terrifying to take on the responsibility of thinking for ourselves. Where do we even begin? The temptation would be to keep passing on the hard work of deciding what’s true and what’s not onto somebody else: to our parents, to our teachers, to our leaders, to professional ‘fact checkers,’ to ‘trusted gatekeepers’ of information. We want them to clean the world up for us so we can navigate it safely.

‟But when we take on the task of grappling with what to believe as a personal responsibility—as part of being human, as part of being an adult—we find it gets less and less scary and less and less difficult over time. It’s like a muscle that gets stronger the more you exercise it. We get better at discerning what’s true from what’s false. But we have to start with the hard part—with knowing that there’s no safety net and that the messy work of figuring out what to believe is something worth embracing as an individual.“

-Michael Lacanilao, Filmmaker

Pubmat by Paolo Pondoc
Caption by Shane Neri Sinangote

17/04/2025

𝐅𝐢𝐥𝐦, 𝐓𝐫𝐮𝐭𝐡, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐥𝐨𝐠𝐮𝐞: 𝐀 𝐑𝐞𝐜𝐚𝐩 𝐨𝐟 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐄𝐬𝐜𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐢𝐚𝐧 𝐒𝐭𝐚𝐢𝐫𝐰𝐞𝐥𝐥 𝐒𝐜𝐫𝐞𝐞𝐧𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐭 𝐗𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐀𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐨

On April 15, 2024, the Xavier Ateneo Film Society (XAFS) and its primary partner, the Xavier Ateneo Night School Program - Alternative Learning System (Night School Program), collaborated with DAKILA Cagayan De Oro, Carmen Art District, and Likhang Seening's Xavier Film Society Senior High School.

The organizations invited Manila-based filmmakers to organize “Basa Salida: Critical Thinking and Disinformation.” A public screening was first held at Carmen Art District, followed by a one-time event at Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan.

The program featured screenings of films by Director Michael Lacanilao: the first was his film thesis, “Building a Modern Myth.” After the film went viral following its leak in 2012, it depicted the Escherian Stairwell, an infinite loop with impossible geometry on stairs located at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT). Just as the stairwell’s design manipulates perception to create a false sense of endlessness, disinformation distorts reality through repeated, cyclical narratives that mislead audiences.

The film's thought-provoking storyline and examination of media manipulation prompted insightful discussions on how disinformation shapes society, highlighting the critical need to promote analytical thinking in an info-demic era.

Photos by Dan Tupas and Julio Napone
Frame by Paolo Pondoc
Words by Shane Neri Sinangote

15/04/2025

"The purpose of art is to make the invisible visible" - Paul Klee

On World Art Day, we celebrate the full spectrum of artistic expression — from architecture, literature, and music to painting, dance, and theatre.

The Film Crusaders celebrate Cinema, the seventh classical art that uniquely converges these forms into a single medium, transforming them into a dynamic, immersive experience from a subjective lens.

As a synthesis of the arts, film not only mirrors reality but reimagines it, making it one of the most powerful cultural and aesthetic tools of our time.

Ipasiga ang sinema, mga Ka-Salida!

15/04/2025

𝗡𝗢𝗪 𝗦𝗛𝗢𝗪𝗜𝗡𝗚 𝗙𝗢𝗥 𝗙𝗥𝗘𝗘?!

Kitakits unya 1 PM, mga Ka-Salida!

RSVP diri para masiguro ang imong slot:
https://forms.gle/QKJtyxFPyZQoAW8q6

📍 𝐗𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 - 𝐀𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐨 𝐝𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐧, 𝐂𝐃𝐎
🗓 𝐓𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 15 | 1𝐩𝐦
📍 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭, 𝐂𝐃𝐎
🗓 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 14 | 6𝐩𝐦
🗓 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 16 | 6𝐩𝐦





Pubmat | Paolo Pondoc

14/04/2025

Hilig ba mo mag consume ug fake news? 🫵🏻🤔

Film screening on critical thinking and disinformation TOMORROW, mga Ka-Salida!

RSVP diri para masiguro ang imong slot:
https://forms.gle/QKJtyxFPyZQoAW8q6

📍 𝐗𝐚𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐫 𝐔𝐧𝐢𝐯𝐞𝐫𝐬𝐢𝐭𝐲 - 𝐀𝐭𝐞𝐧𝐞𝐨 𝐝𝐞 𝐂𝐚𝐠𝐚𝐲𝐚𝐧, 𝐂𝐃𝐎
🗓 𝐓𝐮𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 15 | 1𝐩𝐦
📍 𝐂𝐚𝐫𝐦𝐞𝐧 𝐀𝐫𝐭 𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐭𝐫𝐢𝐜𝐭, 𝐂𝐃𝐎
🗓 𝐌𝐨𝐧𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 14 | 6𝐩𝐦
🗓 𝐖𝐞𝐝𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐝𝐚𝐲, 𝐀𝐩𝐫𝐢𝐥 16 | 6𝐩𝐦





Kitakitss!

Video by Dan Tupas