Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival

The Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival is a film festival in the Philippines held annually during the months of July and August at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. Its aim is the development and promotion of Filipino independent films.^[1] The film festival is organized by the Cinemalaya Foundation, with the support of the Cultural Center of the Philippines and Econolink Investments, Inc.

Each year, the Festival provides "seed investments" of ₱500,000 (US$10,000~) to ten independent filmmakers. These ten "finalists" are culled from hundreds of submissions from all over the Philippines. Their films debut at the festival, together with in-competition short films, as well as various out-of-competition works.

The festival organizing committee is headed by veteran Filipino director and actress Laurice Guillen. The committee oversees the production of the films, sometimes interfering with filmmakers' artistic decisions.^[2] The current 11th edition of the festival was held from August 7–15, 2015 in Metro Manila, Philippines.

History

The Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival is a film competition and festival that aims to encourage the creation of new cinematic works by Filipino filmmakers – works that boldly articulate and freely interpret the Filipino experience with fresh insight and artistic integrity. It also aims to invigorate the Philippine filmmaking by developing a new breed of Filipino filmmakers. Each year, ten fresh talents are given a seed grant in order to create the film of their dreams. These films in the New Breed Full Length Category are then featured in festival at the Cultural Center of the Philippines every July and compete for the coveted Balanghai Award. Awards are also given in the Short Feature Category and the Directors Showcase. Along with these competition films are an array of exhibitions that include Tributes to Past Indie Mavericks of Pinoy Cinema, a Cinemalaya Kids’ Treats, World Premieres of New Digital Works (the Cinemalaya/NETPAC Prize), and other modules.

Aside from the screenings are other exciting film-related events: the Cinemalaya Film Congress, a two-day conference that looks at all aspects of independent filmmaking and distribution; the Cinemalaya Sine Taktakan, a forum with the year’s batch of new Cinemalaya filmmakers; and a host of other events.^[3]

Cinemalaya Foundation Inc.

The Cinemalaya Foundation is a non-stock, not-for-profit, non-government foundation, committed to the development and promotion of Philippine Independent film.

The Cinemalaya Foundation was established for the following purposes: to help develop and support the production of cinematic works of Filipino independent filmmakers that boldly articulate and freely interpret the Filipino experience with fresh insight and artistic integrity; to discover, encourage, support, train and recognize gifted Filipino independent filmmakers; to promote Filipino independent films locally and internationally; and to establish a network for exchange, communication, and cooperation among members of the independent film sector.

The core project of the Cinemalaya is the annual Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival and Competition which provide financial grants for the production of, at most, 10 full-length feature films which will then compete for the Best Full-length Film award. It also awards financial grants to the production of five full-length feature films by veteran directors in the Directors Showcase category. The Cinemalaya competition also recognizes the work of short filmmakers . The Cinemalaya Independent Film Congress is an important component of the Festival, providing a venue for interaction and dialogue between alternative filmmakers and those in the mainstream.

The Cinemalaya Foundation also aims to support other projects such as national outreach, seminars and workshops on production, marketing and distribution of independent films. It hopes to strengthen the presence of Filipino independent films in foreign festivals and competitions, encouraging Filipino filmmakers to enter and be part of the international film circuit.

Major award winners

In 2010 (6th edition), the festival separated the full-length entries to two separate competitions: The Directors' Showcase and the New Breed section. The five feature-film entries will compete under the Directors' Showcase which are presented by veteran film directors of the country. While the other ten feature-film entries will compete under the New Breed section which are presented by first-time or young filmmakers working today. The Short Film section has also ten competing entries. In 2015, there was no competition for both new breed and Directors' Showcase instead the Cinemalaya Foundation decided to focus on Short Films. During the 2015 Awarding Ceremony, The Cinemalaya Foundation announced that on its 12th edition, there will two competitions, the Main Competition (Full Length Feature) and the short film features.^[4]

New Breed

Directors' Showcase

Main Competition ( Full Length Feature )

Short Film Feature

References

External links

• Official website