CineKabalen Kapampangan Film Festival Short Film Competition The CineKabalen Kapampangan Film Festival aims to motivate Kapampangans to explore digital filmmaking. Organized by the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (HAU), Foundation for Lingap Kapampangan, Inc., and the Holy Angel University Center for Kapampangan Studies, the festival seeks to promote Kapampangan culture and language through cinema. With the launching of the Sinukwan Kapampangan Film Competition last 2009, the advocacy to promote Kapampangan culture and language has extended its reach to include the medium of digital cinema. It was not only a competition of Kapampangan short films produced and directed by Kapampangan filmmakers, but also a retrospective of the contribution of Kapampangans to Philippine Cinema since its birth. The CineKabalen Kapampangan Film Festival will be a continuation of what was started as the Sinukwan Kapampangan Film Competition, in order to encourage Kapampangans to make more films that tackle the Kapampangan experience. The film festival will be one of the satellite events of the Sinukwan Festival this year. Entries 1. Entries to the competition must be: CONTEST RULES AND GUIDELINES a. short films in digital (DVD video or file) format, strictly 10 to 20 minutes long including opening and closing credits; b. in HD, 16:9 aspect ratio (widescreen); c. narrative fiction, not documentaries or music videos; d. using mainly Kapampangan language with English subtitles; e. preferably tackling Kapampangan life, culture, and experience, although contestants are free to choose their own theme or topic; f. short films produced not earlier than January 2012 g. short films that have not yet participated in national and international film festivals 2. The story may be set in any time or place. 3. Extreme violence and obscenity are discouraged. Although no film will be disqualified from the competition, the organizers reserve the right not to publicly show during the festival any
entry they consider unfit for general patronage. However, the uncensored director s cut will be the version to be sent to the judges for judging. 4. Use of copyrighted music and footage is not allowed unless permitted by the owner of the material. Entrant must show proof of permission in case copyrighted materials are used. Contestants 5. The entrant is understood to be the director or one of the directors of the film being submitted; 6. The contest is open to either of the two qualifications: a. Filmmakers who identify themselves as Kapampangans or of Kapampangan descent, living in the country or abroad, amateur or professional; b. filmmakers based in Central Luzon, Kapampangan or non-kapampangan, amateur or professional; 7. Officers and staffers of the Foundation for Lingap Kapampangan, Inc., Center for Kapampangan Studies, Holy Angel University Theater Guild, and CLTV36, and other members of the organizing committee are not allowed to join; 8. Contestants may submit as many entries as they want. Free Workshop 9. Interested parties may attend a free workshop on scriptwriting and directing. To register for the workshop, please contact (045) 888-8691 loc 1312, or email kapampangancenter@gmail.com Deadline 10. Entries must be submitted to the Studies, Holy Angel University, Angeles City on or before November 12, 2012 (Monday), 5PM. 11. Each film entry must be labeled with the title, production staff, production date, running time, contact details, and town/city of filmmaker s residency (e.g. Apalit, Pampanga; Cabanatuan City, Nueva Ecija). 12. Each film entry must be accompanied by a one-page synopsis in English, Filipino, or Kapampangan. Festival Awards 13. All qualified film entries will be screened during the CineKabalen Festival Week in public venues which may include: theaters, cable/free TV, and selected universities.
14. A Board of Jurors composed of experts from the film industry, will pick the following winners: Best Picture, Special Jury Prize, Best Director, Best Actor, Best Actress, Best Supporting Actor, Best Supporting Actress, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, and Best Sound and Music. All winners will receive a trophy; the Best Picture and Special Jury Prize will get additional cash prizes of P30,000 and P15,000, respectively. 15. Directors of commendable entries, award-winning or not, will have the chance to represent Pampanga and participate as official delegates in the 5th Cinema Rehiyon Film Festival to be held in February 2013 in Los Banos, Laguna, where transportation and accommodation expenses will be sponsored. KEY DATES DATE/TIME ACTIVITY VENUE Sep 29 (Sat), 9AM-5PM Oct 6 (Sat), 9AM-5PM Nov 12 (Mon), 5PM Scriptwriting workshop with Mr. Raymond Lee Directing workshop with Deadline of submission of entries Studies Theater, Holy Angel University, Angeles City Studies Theater, Holy Angel University, Angeles City Studies, Holy Angel University, Angeles City Dec 2 (Sun), 11AM-9PM Screening and Awards Night To be announced For inquiries: mobile: 0915 260 1946 landline: (045) 888-8691 loc 1312 email: kapampangancenter@gmail.com Facebook: www.facebook.com/cinekabalen
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS Q: What is an indie film? Indie is short for independent. A film is considered indie when it is produced outside major film studios such as Star Cinema, GMA Films, Viva Films, etc. (in the Philippines). Because of this, indie films frequently tackle unique, original, or non-mainstream content socio-political topics, cultural topics, to name a few using cinematic styles the filmmakers personally employ according to their artistic vision. As an independent production, an indie film is often done with low budget. This, however, pushes the filmmaker to be resourceful and challenges him to produce commendable art in spite of lack of resources. It is to be noted that because of the emergence of digital technology and relatively cheaper equipment, filmmaking has been democratized; it now can be done by almost anyone, from students and professionals, to ethnic minorities and the working class. An indie film is often mistaken to be a gay film. While it is true that queer films fall under indie most of the time, this is because freedom of expression and the tackling of non-mainstream themes are allowed or even encouraged in indie. However, it is this characteristic of indie that has also given way to the production of films that tackle themes not usually shown in television and mainstream cinemas films about poverty, social inequality, ethnicity, environment, political oppression, subcultures, environment, nationalism, and gender issues. This characteristic of indie has also paved way for the emergence of regional films (to be discussed below). Examples of Filipino indie films include Cinemalaya films like Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros by Aureus Solito, Ang Babae sa Septic Tank by Marlon Rivera, Jay by Francis Pasion, Thy Womb by Brillante Mendoza, Ang Sayaw ng Dalawang Kaliwang Paa by Alvin Yapan, and Donsol by Adolf Alix. Example of foreign indie films include the first Paranormal Activity, (500) Days of Summer, and Memento. Q: What is a short film? A short film is a film that is not long enough to be considered a full-length feature film. There is no consensus with regard to the actual length of short films. Some short films can run for as short as half a minute. Some can run for as long as 50 minutes. For the purpose of CineKabalen, we shall be setting the duration of a short film from 10 to 20 minutes, including credits and introductory production logos. Because of the shortness of their duration, short films often do not have complicated plots. They have fewer characters compared to full-length films. Some can even revolve on just one character. Think of short films as poems or short stories, and full-length films as novels. For example of short films, you may search YouTube for the following titles: 10 Minutes by Ahmed Imamovic; Kasambahay Habambuhay (Anthology) by Nestle Philippines; Carpool and Faculty by Jerrold Tarog; Balangingi by Jason Paul Laxamana; Late Bloomer by
Craig MacNeill; Lovefield by Mathieu Ratthe; Validation by Kurt Kuenne; and Demokrasya by Aissa Peñafiel and Miguel Ocampo. Q: Why is Kapampangan being required as medium of dialogue? In the recent years, due to the emergence of interest in indie filmmaking, digital technology, and cheaper equipment, people from the provinces have also began to make films about stories found uniquely in their respective hometowns. With this came the use of their respective native languages and dialects. This trend has come to be known as the emergence of Regional Cinema, which is believed to be a crucial contribution to the diversification and decentralization of the otherwise Tagalog- or Manila-centric Philippine Cinema. Cinema Rehiyon was first held last February 2009 at the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP). It is the NCCA s (National Commission for Culture and the Arts) Cinema Committee s event for the then-called National Arts Month, now Philippine International Arts Festival (PIAF). Cinema Rehiyon is the first ever national film festival that puts the spotlight on independent films from the provinces, aiming to decentralize the Manila-based concept of Philippine Cinema and take note of the more politically correct perception of Philippine Cinema a collection of films from every corner of the archipelago, may they be indie or mainstream. While Kapampangans have been represented in all four consecutive Cinema Rehiyon festivals, the quantity has not been consistent. In 2009, only one Kapampangan short film ( Ing Bangkeru ) represented Pampanga in the Other Parts of Luzon block. In 2010, there were five Kapampangan films that represented a Pampanga block. In 2011, the number of films went back to one, as only the Angeles City feature film Astro Mayabang represented Pampanga. In 2012, there were only three. The reason 2010 produced five Kapampangan films for the Cinema Rehiyon Film Festival was because in 2009, the first Kapampangan short film competition, called the Sinukwan Kapampangan Film Competition, was organized in the province of Pampanga as part of the annual Sinukwan Festival. Kapampangan films, unfortunately, are not as abundant as those coming from Davao, Cebu, Bacolod, and Naga. This is the reason the organizers are encouraging Kapampangans to make films about their own people and culture using their native language. Q: Where can I learn more about filmmaking? Aside from the workshops that we will be organizing, plenty of learning resources and tutorials are available. Just search Google and YouTube.