TO CLOSE both the celebrations of the One Hundred Years of Philippine Cinema and National Language Month, the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) is holding a short film competition focusing on Philippine sayings (salawikain).

Called the SineWikain Challenge, the competition asks participants to select a saying from a list posted on the competition website (http://www.fdcp.ph/sinewikainchallenge) and turn it into a short film of two-minutes or less using a smartphone, which should then be posted on social networking sites Facebook, Twitter, or TikTok. The posted films should tag the FDCP and follow a caption format for the entry to be considered.

“Spotlighting the interpretation of salawikain into vertical short films, #SineWikainChallenge is a social media challenge meant to remind Filipinos about childhood teachings while also providing positive content and values that could uplift us amid the pandemic,” the council said in a press release.

The competition was said to be the idea of veteran actor Leo Martinez and was “partly inspired by the Good Moral and Right Conduct (GMRC) Law, which institutionalized GMRC and Character Development as part of the K-12 curriculum,” said the release.

The contest has two categories: an adult category for those aged 18 and over and a youth category for those aged 17 and below. Group participation is also allowed though a group may only be composed of a maximum of three people per submission and each individual or group is limited to one entry for the challenge.

The sayings on the FDCP list include musings about learned behaviors (Ang gawa sa pagkabata, dala hanggang pagtanda — what is done in one’s childhood lasts into adulthood), family values (Aanhin mo ang palasyo kung ang nakatira ay kuwago — what for is a palace if a owl lives there), love (Ang pagsasabi ng tapat ay pagsasamang maluwag — speaking the truth is equal to a good relationship), friendship (Ang tunay na kaibigan makikilala sa kagipitan — a true friend is known in hard times), and individual values (Madali maging tao, mahirap magpakatao — it is easy to be a human, it is hard to be humane).

The two first place winners in the short film competition’s two categories will receive P15,000 each, those in second place will receive P10,000 each, while those in third place will get P5,000 each. Twenty others in each category will also win P2,000.

The deadline for the submission of entries is on Sept. 20 and the announcement of winners will be on Sept. 23 on FDCP’s Facebook and Twitter pages and the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino and Sine Sandaan pages.

FILM ARCHIVE
Aside from the short film competition, the FDCP also announced that it has successfully processed for archiving select films from the University of the Philippines Film Institute film archive.

A total of 1,024 film reels were handed over to the FDCP in 2019, among them an original print of National Artist for Cinema Gerardo de Leon’s Noli Me Tangere (1961 and Bayan Ko: Kapit sa Patalim (1984) by National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts Lino Brocka.

The FDCP reported that it has completed “rewinding, transfer, and inventory” of the films and categorized them as Class A (minimal damage) and Class B (medium to heavy damage). The films are currently being stored in the interim film archive in the FDCP offices in Manila.

The two films by Mr. De Leon and Mr. Brocka were tagged as priority for restoration because of their “significant historical and cultural values.” Restoration will include digitizing the films and generating access copies for the public.

The FDCP has so far restored nine films in its collection and is currently restoring two more. Taking care of the films for archiving and restoration is the responsibility of the Philippine Film Archive (PFA), a department under FDCP.

“There is excitement during acquisition; feeling of loss before we leave, seeing some films that were destroyed in time; thrill during inspection; and tension during the handling of some delicate and damaged films,” PFA head Don Gerwin Arwan said in a statement.

“Then, there is pleasure after initial cleaning and transfer to a new container, and fulfillment when we complete the inventory and put them on racks or inside the film vaults. And before the day ends, we feel very honored to be able to do this for our country and for the present and future generations,” he added.  — Zsarlene B. Chua

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