MANILA, PHILIPPINES — Ten (10) young filmmakers have been selected as finalists in the 5th edition of the Sine Kabataan Short Film Lab and Festival. Each finalist will receive a PHP 100,000 grant as funds to use in the production of their respective short films.
Sine Kabataan is a youth film competition organized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) that provides an opportunity for young filmmakers to showcase their talents and develop their creativity and originality in storytelling while touching on important issues as perceived by their generation today.
The 20 shortlisted story concepts went through an intensive online Story Development Lab. The filmmakers were given training on how to build the messaging and branding of their projects through the Pitching Lab. After the Sine Kabataan Pitching Showcase held last March 27, the Selection Committee composed of Director JP Habac, Producer Armi Cacanindin, and FDCP Executive Director Ria Anne Rubia chose ten finalists from the 20 projects.
The top ten finalists underwent the Safe Filming Lab together with the CineIskool finalists last April 2. The ten Sine Kabataan finalists will undergo the Editing Lab before their final exhibition at FDCP’s banner project Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (PPP) 2022.
“In order for our young and aspiring filmmakers to flourish in this industry, we need to equip them with the necessary tools and skills to further develop their craft and provide the platform where they can share their projects. This is what Sine Kabataan is keen on providing through its platform and intensive film labs. This year, we are proud that the selected finalists chose to tackle relevant issues to the youth using their fresh perspectives. Congratulations to our young filmmakers, we hope that this experience will jumpstart their filmmaking journeys,” said FDCP Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño.
The 10 selected projects of the young filmmakers from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao explore coming-of-age themes, social commentary, digital technology, and environmental issues. This year’s lineup also includes entries in animation, mixed media, and mixed live formats.
The fifth edition of Sine Kabataan film labs and events will be held in a hybrid format. The past two editions were held online and were screened for free on the FDCP Channel. Sine Kabataan began solely as a film competition for young filmmakers. This is the second time that the Sine Kabataan included intensive lab sessions exclusively for the participants.
The 10 Official Finalists of Sine Kabataan 5 Short Film Lab and Festival:
| Ami ug Migo (Ami and Migo) by Karina Jabido | A boy reaches out to a classmate who doesn’t speak the same language. |
| Anak ng Santol by Karen Israel | After swallowing a santol seed, nine-year old Bajingjing starts preparing everything before she eventually ‘dies and turns into a santo tree.’ |
| Back Home by Anna Katrina G. Velario | A deported family of 2, drive their way home through pain and revelations. |
| Boy Kilat by Faith Anne Aragon | In a small shing town in Cebu, a 12-year-old boy becomes a victim of online sex trafficking and tries to protect his younger brother from becoming one. |
| Friends and Rainy Days by Raiza Masculino | A young girl named Jenna wishes to enjoy the sunny day but her plans get ruined when it suddenly rained. |
| HM HM MHM by Kim Rivera Timan and Samantha Pauline Villa-Real | A 9-year-old child emulates living in a pandemic society using a makeshift doll house, revealing her unhappy life at home. |
| Kalumbata (Philippine Eagle) by Ryan C. Cuatrona | The story is about a critically endangered eagle building a nest after a huge storm in spite of the threats that lurk around its habitat and how the flight of an Indigenous community living in the same place is related to its own struggles. |
| No More Crying 毋通閣吼咯 by John Peter C. Chua | A young third generation Chinese-Filipino photographer is suddenly tasked to create the funeral portrait of his grandmother on the morning of her wake. Faced with the shock of grief and the gargantuan task of memorializing his grandmother’s life in a single photo, the young man is further challenged by the question: how will he commemorate the life of someone he barely knew? |
| Tong Adlaw Nga Nag-Snow Sa Pinas (The Day It Snowed in the Philippines) by Joshua Caesar Medroso | In a small coastal barrio, a young boy is challenged to help his closest friend who is being physically abused by his father. |
| Unsolved Equation by Dexter Paul De Jesus | During the annual Division Math Olympiad, a 4th year high school achiever, Andrew, finds a much more difficult problem than finding an equation of a certain line—it’s when he faces his estranged relationship with his father. |
