Cinema One Originals postponed due to COVID-19 crisis

Image: Cinema One Originals

MANILA, Philippines—The Cinema One Originals Festival has been postponed amid the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) situation in the country.

“After careful deliberation, we have decided to postpone this year’s C1 Originals given the detrimental COVID-19 pandemic we are facing,” said festival director Ronald Arguelles in a statement Tuesday.

“The health and safety of our filmmakers, artists and production teams is our priority,” he stressed.

Cinema One Originals 2020 is postponed. While the deadline of entries submission for the 2021 Cinema One Originals Film Festival is until June 1, 2020.

Read our full statement here.#C1Originals pic.twitter.com/8iUZWykNs4

— Cinema One Originals (@c1origs) March 31, 2020

A new date for the festival has yet to be announced. This year would have seen its 16th edition.

Organizers also stated that submission of entries for the festival in 2021 has been extended until June 1. Finalists will receive a P3 million production budget.

The C1 Originals festival is known for promoting stand-out independent filmmaking in the country, as well as bringing in top world cinema films for Filipino audiences.

The festival last ran in November 2019, with Giancarlo Abrahan’s gay rom-com “Sila-Sila” bagging the Best Picture award. J. E. Tiglao’s feature debut “Metamorphosis”, which tells the story of an intersex person, also swept awards, including Best Director for Tiglao.

C1 Originals also began streaming some of its films on YouTube during the enhanced community quarantine.

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‘Community quarantine’ postpones first summer Metro Manila Film Festival

/MUF