What will Manila look like in 30 years?
“Manila 2019–2050: City of the Future” is a series of events organized throughout 2019 by the Embassy of France to the Philippines. The objective is to bring together French and Filipino experiences and expertise in sustainable and livable urban development and focus on a vision of what Metro Manila can potentially become by 2050: a region of sustainability, a center of economic and technological progress, and more importantly, a home for its inhabitants.
In light of this, French author and comics writer Benoît Peeters will be in Manila on November 25 and 26, 2019 to award young Filipino comics artists for creating and sharing their vision of Metro Manila in the year 2050. Two winners from the professional and student categories shall be personally awarded by Mr. Peeters.
For the nationwide contest, participants were asked the question, “What will Manila look like in 30 years?” This was launched in collaboration with Peeters and Komiket to invite professional and amateur artists to submit original comics strips illustrating their vision of the city 30 years into the future. The entries presented both optimistic and pessimistic visions of the future; while some portrayed a technologically-advanced metropolis, others had a dark and somewhat dystopic picture of Manila and its inhabitants. Transportation appears to be a common theme, depicting how traffic and the measly transport system shall persist, while others conveyed innovative solutions.
A jury led by Peeters, the French Embassy, and Komiket shall select a grand prize winner from the professional category who will receive an all expense paid trip to France to attend the Angoulême International Comics Festival, one of the world’s biggest and most prestigious events dedicated to comics.
The works of 20 finalists from the professional and students categories will be exhibited at the 6th floor Gallery of the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde’s School of Design and Arts on November 26.
“Manila 2019–2050: City of the Future” is supported by the Fonds d’Alembert of the Institut Français, a fund dedicated to initiatives that encourage dialogue under the theme “City of the Future.” This project is supported by the Alliance Française de Manille, Air France, Komiket, Wacom, and the Manila Bulletin.
