The National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA) in partnership with the Negros Cultural Foundation (NCF) is launching Sine Halaga Film Festival to showcase 12 Filipino films highlighting cultural values mainly through video-on-demand platforms.
An opening program will kick off the online film festival on August 25, 2021 at 6PM which will be broadcast live on Facebook. It will mark the world premiere of the 12 films on Vimeo OnDemand and the NCCA Learning Resources Hub website.
According to Film Festival Director Elvert BaƱares, the films will be made available to the public for free. āThis is for every Filipino around the world!ā he said.
The film festival tackles 19 Filipino values identified from a 2-year research conducted by the NCCA to uncover insights on what Filipinos value at present. This includes personal values such as value of the self, life and purpose, resilience, happiness, and social values such as good governance, love for country, honesty and integrity.
BaƱares emphasized that each film was written to reiterate the importance of these Filipino values while depicting local customs and practices.
Sine Halaga Film Festival also comes with an educational component wherein the films will be used for classroom education. āItās what makes Sine Halaga unique from other film festsāthe films used as a tool to teach Filipino values.ā BaƱares said.
āWe are organizing a series of webinars and preparing study guides to aid our teachers in discussing the films to their students. With the help of our teachers, we can articulate effectively the values that each film conveys.ā BaƱares added.
12 films selected from over a hundred submissions
At least 100 entries from hopeful filmmakers nationwide were screened by the Sine Halaga jury during the selection process. The jury includes NCCA Committee on Cinema Chairperson Rolando Tolentino, film critic and educator Tito Valiente, award-winning Filipino filmmakers like Jeffrey Jeturian, Roy Iglesias, Sari Dalena, National Study on Filipino Values author and lead researcher Arvin Villalon and co-author Jose Soliman, Jr.
Only 12 stories were chosen, and weāre awarded funds for production.
The 12 films are Bakit ako Sinusundan ng Buwan directed by Richard Legaspi, Black Rainbow directed by Zig Madamba Dulay, Dandansoy directed by Rod Arden Condez, Hadlok directed by Ralston Jover, Looking for Rafflesias and other Fleeting Things directed by James Allen Fajardo, Lorna directed by Noel Escondo, Masalimuut Ya Tiyagew Ed Dayat directed by Jan Carlo Natividad, Minaās Family History directed by Christopher Gozum, Sa Balay ni Papang directed by Kurt Steven Soberano; Salog ning Diklom directed by Jordan Jose Dela Cruz, Ugbos ka Bayabas directed by Manie Magbanua Jr., and 13 Feet directed by Carlo Obispo.
Sine Halaga organizers believe that streaming the films online is an effective way of reaching the younger generation to empower them with values that are positively Filipino.
For updates and more information on Sine Halaga, follow @SineHalaga on Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and Vimeo or send an email to sinehalaga@gmail.com. #PR
HOW TO WATCH THE FILMS OF SINE HALAGA?
Go to https://vimeo.com/sinehalaga/vod_pages Choose your film/s Click Rent and look for “Apply Promo Code” and type the promo code: sinehalaga Click “Watch Now” and enjoy for FREE!
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