Nine short films made by junior high school students from Navotas City will battle it out in the 3rd Navoteño Film Festival to be held on June 23, Saturday, at the NC Sports Complex.
Kaunlaran High School‘s “Love @ First Vlog,” La Naval Academy‘s “Mea Patria” (My Homeland), Navotas National High School‘s “1485,” Navotas National Science High School‘s “Sukbit,” San Jose Academy‘s “Iris,” San Roque National High School‘s “Aninag,” San Rafael Technological and Vocational High School‘s “Draw Lots,” Tangos National High School‘s “Pantagrace” and Tanza National High School‘s “Padyak” will vie for the top three films, audience choice award and other special prizes.
The entries will be judged according to the following criteria: 50% for originality and execution and 50% for adherence to this year’s theme, which is Navotas tourism.
The Best Picture winner will receive 20,000 pesos and plaque of recognition. The 2nd Best Picture will get 15,000 pesos and a plaque while the 3rd Best Picture will bring home 10,000 pesos and a plaque. Consolation prizes of 5,000 pesos and a plaque will be awarded to the other finalists.
Special awards, which come with a cash prize of 1,500 pesos and a plaque, will also be given to the Best Poster Design, Best Original Song, Best Performance by an Actress, Best Performance by an Actor, Best Sound Design, Best Production Design, Best Editing, Best Cinematography, Best Screenplay and Best Direction.
The official film entries will be shown on the same day as the awarding ceremonies, with two screening schedules, from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. and 10 a.m. to 12 noon, at the same venue. Viewers will be given one ticket each to vote for their chosen entry. The film which gets the most number of votes from the audience will win the Box Office Hit (People’s Choice) award with a cash prize of 10,000 pesos and a plaque of recognition.
The participating schools submitted their scripts last May 21. A review and mentoring session with workshop facilitator Seymour Sanchez was held last June 9 at the Pangisdaan Hall, 4th Floor, Navotas City Hall before the final submission of entries.
Sanchez, who conducted a seminar-workshop on digital filmmaking last May 10 and 11, teaches film at the De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde School of Design and Arts, and cinema and journalism at the Far Eastern University Department of Communication.
The film festival, an annual activity of the Navotas City government, serves as a platform for the city’s future filmmakers to develop and harness their craft and showcase their works, as well as a means to discover young and talented Navoteños.