MCS AlumKnight wins screenplay competition

Mount Carmel School’s 2019 AlumKnight Justin P. Ocampo. (MCS)

Justin P. Ocampo, a member of Mount Carmel School’s Class of 2019, recently won the University of Hawaii Manoa Abernathy Screenplay Competition that gives him a chance to write an original screenplay that could possibly be turned into a film.

The competition is an annual contest that provides undergraduates in the Academy for Creative Media the opportunity to write an original screenplay and provide monetary funding to produce their screenplays into films. Competitors were scored on originality, creativity, unique voice, structure, screenplay format, articulation of character arc, and thematic meaning. Selected winners of the competition earn a $250 award and $500 to produce their screenplay in an Academy for Creative Media course.

“I applied for the Abernathy competition because I believed in my vision for the film so strongly that I knew I had to produce it and that this competition was one of the best ways I could guarantee that to happen,” said Ocampo. “The competition gives an extra monetary award to go toward production costs for when I choose to make it in a production class here at UH.”

Ocampo is no stranger to film making. As a student at MCS, he was greatly involved in the production of the school’s We Drank Our Tears series, including Benjamin Abadilla’s Story, The Stories of Carmen, Antonietta, and Rosa, the combined stories of Visitacion, Henry Indalceio, and Dave Sablan. In 2018, Justin co-directed The Story of Rafael Mafnas, alongside his peer, Angelo Manese, which won Best of Festival at the Guam International Film Festival that year and was featured in the 2018 Los Angeles Asian-Pacific Islander Film Festival.

When asked about what his screenplay is about, Ocampo said, “The primary message of Tala is that acting compassionately leads to stronger familial relationships. Tala, the protagonist, learns this throughout the course of the story. Since this was a personal story for me that was based on my own upbringing, this was a lesson I’ve lived through as well.”

MCS president and theatre program adviser Dr. Galvin Deleon Guerrero shared his own pride as MCS students continue to challenge the status quo of their careers. “It has been an exciting honor to mentor Justin since he was in junior high and watch him grow into an amazing young filmmaker with whom I now work as a colleague,” said Deleon Guerrero. “Whether on stage, in film, or even at the podium, Justin deftly blends skill, passion, and authenticity to deliver compelling stories with powerful messages.”

Ocampo was also active in the school’s Mock Trial program and won the 2018 Attorney General’s Cup Speech Competition.

“Mount Carmel School, particularly the school’s Theatre Club, was where my love for film was born. By giving me the opportunity to direct We Drank Our Tears: Rafael Mafnas’ Story and help with a multitude of other film and theatre productions, MCS gave me an edge in terms of having a wealth of pre- and post-production experience to draw from before having even begun any formal film education, which was extremely valuable once for me once I got to UH. I’m extremely grateful and excited to continue challenging myself and to gain new professional experiences.”  (PR)