Short film scripts of any genre, on the theme “Stories with a Smile”, for the first Bacolod Film Festival must be submitted on or before May 18 at 11:59 p.m., after which 10 finalists will be chosen, the city said.
Selected filmmakers will each be given a production grant of P300,000, with P200,000 as initial release, and the remaining P100,000 once the picture lock version of the film has been submitted.
Scripts for romance, drama, comedy, or horror, in any Philippine dialect with English translation, should focus on the theme “Stories with a Smile”, or those with a “potential to inspire laughter, warmth, and a renewed appreciation for the brighter side of life”.
Total running time of the produced films must be 15 minutes minimum and no longer than 20 minutes, including opening and closing credits. The short films must be in narrative live action form, when taken as a whole.
Documentary, experimental, or animation will not be accepted, except if added only as elements within the film, the city said.
Multiple entries are accepted, but each script must be submitted with a separate entry form and online registration. The selection committee will only consider one entry per finalist.
The filmfest, set to be held in September this year, is open to filmmakers who are registered voters and residents of Bacolod. They can be producers, directors, or scriptwriters of an entry.
The festival aims to create a venue where local filmmakers and producers can showcase their talents and further solidify Bacolod, known as the “City of Smiles”, as one of the creative hubs for filmmaking in the Philippines.
“Bacolod should be proud of its creatives. We have very artistic directors, and actors,” Mayor Alfredo Benitez, who chairs the Bacolod Film Festival Council (BFFC), said.
Benitez earlier met with advocacy filmmaker and creative consultant Seymour Sanchez, whose designation as Bacolod Film Festival director was approved by the Sangguniang Panlungsod recently.
Sanchez, currently the technical consultant for Academic Linkages or education consultant of the Film Development Council of the Philippines, also led the initial meeting with Bacolod-based filmmakers at The Negros Museum May 2.
The meeting served as a platform for filmmakers to engage directly with Sanchez, Dr. Mae Llamas of the city’s Local Economic Development and Investment Promotions Office, and other BFFC personalities, the city said.
The filmfest is pursuant to City Ordinance 1061, or the Bacolod Film Festival ordinance, passed by the SP Feb. 14 this year and authored by Councilor Em Ang, with councilors Cindy Rojas and Celia Matea Flor as co-authors. ||
