The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) logo | Image: Facebook/FDCP
The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) unveiled its programs for the first quarter of 2024 as part of its mission to champion and uplift the Philippine film industry.
Starting with “Sine Sinta: Pag-ibig at Pelikula,” the FDCP celebrates the month of love from Feb. 16 to 29 with public screenings of Filipino classic and contemporary romance films, such as “One More Chance” and “Kita Kita,” among others, for free at Ayala Malls Trinoma, The Metropolitan Theater, FDCP Cinematheque Centres, and JuanFlix: The FDCP Channel. The screenings will also be accompanied by discussions with contemporary Filipino filmmakers on the significance of romantic movies in popular culture.
In addition to its February calendar, the film development agency will offer a two-day workshop from Feb. 22 to 23 entitled “Film Production Workshop: Story Development” to students of the West Visayas State University which aims to teach them the various techniques of conceptualizing and developing narratives.
The FDCP has also partnered with the Movie Workers Welfare Foundation Inc. (Mowelfund) in holding a series of workshops for film, communication, multimedia and fine arts students. The workshop series, which started last Feb. 3 and runs until March 9, deals with the history and basics of cinematography and is facilitated by renowned filmmakers Raymond Red and Danton Wieneke.
On March 18 to 24, the sixth edition of Full Circle Lab Philippines will offer film labs to support Filipino and Southeast Asian projects in various stages of development and production.
To celebrate Women’s History Month, FDCP’s “Cine Filipina” will feature celebrated female directors, producers and writers whose works champion the rich and unique stories of women in the Philippines and around the world.
Running from March 6 to April, “FDCP Presents: A Curation of World Cinema” will showcase international films in Philippine cinemas in order to cultivate a holistic film appreciation among Filipino audiences, including Wong Kar Wai’s classics “In the Mood for Love,” “Happy Together,” “Chungking Express” and “Fallen Angels,” among others.
Powering up the April calendar are the “Student Film Assistance Program Cycle 1 of 2024”; “Making Movies: TMTCS-FDCP Film School Workshop Series Year 2”; the annual award ceremony called “Parangal ng Sining”; and “Action! Spotlight,” which is a discussion among filmmakers.
The FDCP also participates in prestigious film festivals around the world and provides travel and financial support to Filipino filmmakers. The agency recently received awards from the 2023 Taiwan Creative Content Fest (TCCF) for Sonny Calvento’s “Mother Maybe,” as well as at the 34th Singapore International Film Festival (SGIFF) for JT Trinidad’s “The River that Never Ends.”