Vice President Leni Robredo encouraged amateur and professional Filipino filmmakers to join the second Istorya ng Pag-asa Film Festival, which her office is organizing in partnership with the Ayala Foundation, Inc. and the Film Development Council of the Philippines.
INPFF is a nationwide competition open to all Filipinos – including those based overseas – for original short documentaries featuring inspiring, unique and extraordinary stories of ordinary Filipinos. It aims to give a platform for filmmakers to showcase true stories of hope and spread the perseverance, dedication, and warmth of Filipinos amid life’s adversities.
Robredo was joined by INPFF 2018 winners Florence Rosini and Meg Seranilla in the presscon held at the Office of the Vice President. Last year, Rosini took home the grand prize of 50,000 pesos, a DSLR camera and a Samsung S8 phone for “Ang Biyahe ni Marlon,” the story of a former Uber driver who has Tourette syndrome. Meanwhile, Seranilla won first runner-up and 30,000 pesos for “Tago,” which tells the story of the Tago Jazz Café run by jazz drummer Nelson Gonzales for both artists and enthusiasts of the genre.
The vice president said she hopes that the film festival will be able to promote real-life positive stories of ordinary Filipinos. “It is our hope that through Istorya ng Pag-asa – especially the INPFF – Filipinos will be united around the common values of hope, of perseverance, deep faith, and the goodness of humanity, which are the underlying themes of each story,” she added.
The OVP received 73 entries for the first INPFF last year. Of this number, 15 made it to the final round. “It was supposed to be a one-time thing, but because of the success of the first year, we returned for a second run. And we hope that it will be a regular run already,” Robredo revealed.
On its second year, INPFF offers bigger prizes as the Best Film winner is expected to bring home 80,000 pesos while the first and second runners-up will get 50,000 and 30,000 pesos, respectively, during the film festival’s gala night and awarding ceremony.
The top three films will also receive trophies and get the chance to be screened in Ayala Mall Cinemas nationwide from June to October 2019. There will also be special prizes for Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Script, People’s Choice Award and a special award courtesy of Ayala Foundation.
“We can change the conversation and build our nation with hope that transcends gender, social status, political party, religion or region, or business affiliation,” Robredo said. “Istorya ng Pag-asa is borne out of this need to change the national conversation. We want to bring extraordinary stories of ordinary people to every nook and cranny of our country, to every school and City Hall, to every mall, airport, and bus station. We want our people to know that they, too, can be a source of hope,” she concluded.
Interested parties must submit copies in USB of the three (3) to five (5)-minute film (one with subtitles and another without subtitles) in H.264 format, 1920×1080 or higher resolution, completed application form (from the website), brief resumé with two recent 2×2 photos, copy of government-issued ID of the filmmaker and letter of consent written and signed by a parent or guardian (if the participant is a minor) to the OVP at No. 100 11th Street, Barangay Mariana, New Manila, Quezon City 1112 on or before March 25, 2019. For full contest mechanics and application guidelines, visit istoryangpagasa.ovp.gov.ph.
