AnakTV’s Sinebata fest challenges young filmmakers

Elvira Go

Exciting news for many young Filipinos who want to ride the cresting wave of “filmmaking for all” that’s now sweeping through the country: AnakTV’s Sinebata, a festival of short video productions by, for and about the Filipino child, was launched last week, with deadline for submission of entries set this Nov. 11.

Elvira Yap Go, president of AnakTV, set the bright and bracing tone for the launch, which was further underscored by Secretary General Mag Cruz Hatol and Sinebata Ambassadors led by Jodi Sta. Maria, Robi Domingo, Joyce Ching and Joshua Dionisio.

Most encouraging of all was the screening of  some brief but creatively effective videos made by child filmmakers, which offered proof positive of our youths’ innate aptitude and gift for making movies.

The retrospective screenings got viewers excited about the level of quality of the entries to this year’s festival and competition, which has been catchily subtitled, “Ibidyo Mo Ang Nais Mo.”

Workshops

It’s a gift that has been honed with filmmaking workshops held all over the country in the past, few years. Sometime back, we joined Mag Cruz Hatol’s committed team of trainors for another advocacy in Mambajao, Camiguin, where over a hundred eager and “artistically hungry” students learned the basics of hands-on filmmaking well enough to be able to come up with their own minimovies in only a few days’ time.

Mag Cruz Hatol

The short films they came up with insightfully “represented” and vivified the issues, conflicts, dreams and ambitions of Filipino youths today.

We found the mentoring and viewing experience valuable, because it effectively gave a voice to many Filipino children, who have traditionally been relegated to the (politely silent) background on the local scene.

Small wonder, then, that the students present at the Sinebata launch were voluble in their excitement and enthusiasm for the festival and competition’s prospects this year.

They were similarly delighted to learn that all finalists will become Philippine entries to the Southeast Asian Prix Jeunesse Awards next year. Winners in that event will move on to the bi-annual Prix Jeunesse Festival in Munich, Germany.

The Prix Jeunesse Foundation was established to promote quality in television for young people worldwide—as well as enabling youths to see, hear and express themselves and their respective cultures through the mass media.

This is an important undertaking, because it “democratizes” the mass communication process and makes the world’s youth an “enabled” part of it. Since film and TV has a predominantly youthful audience and appeal, young exponents and viewers who are trained to create works for it, as well as to perceptively appreciate its potential, would be a vigorous and vital tool for global peace and genuine understanding.

Festival of shorts launched to promote child-friendly viewing.

Many issues

Under the auspices of Sinebata and related youth-oriented media initiatives, young Filipino filmmakers and videographers have expressed their views on many issues that have challenged them, like poverty, abuse, quality of education, inequality, bullying, child labor, pollution, garbage disposal, consumerism, parental neglect and ethical and spiritual concerns.

The culmination of the Sinebata festival is set for Dec. 8 and 9, and will feature screenings and workshops, followed by the awards rites on Dec. 10.

The categories are Under 7, Preteens or 8-12, and teens or 13-18. The sections are Student or Amateur, Professional and Guest.

There will be a grand prize for each of the major categories, as well as prizes for creative but low-budget filmmaking, a Tolerance and Peace prize, an Education prize, Columbia Award for Family Values, and the Betty Go Belmonte prize. For more details, telefax (02) 352-2190 or visit www.anaktv.com.