Inilunsad ang ikatlong edisyon ng Istorya Ng Pag-asa Film Festival (INPFF) nitong Nobyembre 27, Miyerkules, sa Clock In By Ayala Offices sa Makati City.
Ang INPFF ay kumpetisyon ng short films (3 to 5 minutes) na nagtatampok ng mga kuwento ng pag-asa at magsisilbing inspirasyon sa komunidad.
Joint project ito ng opisina ni Philippine Vice President Leni Robredo at ng Ayala Foundation, Inc.
“Just to give you a history of how Istorya Ng Pag-asa became a project of the Office of the Vice President, this actually started when I was invited to an event called Araw ng Pag-asa, Araw ng Pagbasa in November 2016 at the Ayala Museum,” lahad ni VP Robredo.
“I was actually one of those Istorya ng Pag-asa stories featured at the Ayala Museum, and when I went, I was with two other Istorya ng Pag-asa champs.
“One of them was Hidilyn Diaz and the other was a lady from Quezon City, a turon vendor by the name of Nanay Lorna.
“Hidilyn Diaz told us the story of her life, and very inspiring yung kuwento.
“Kinuwento niya how she was born to a very poor family in Mindanao, kung papaano siya nag-ensayo noon. Ang gamit niya lang, yung mga lata ng gatas na merong semento sa loob.
“Ikinuwento niya how she was able to be very good at her craft, at yun yung naging tuntungan niya for success.
“And yung kuwento naman ni Nanay Lorna, napakahirap niya, naglalako ng turon, single mother... but she was able to send all her four children to school, all very successful.
“One was a law student, one was a nurse, one was a teacher. Yung youngest niya intern med student sa PGH [Philippine General Hospital] nung time na nagkita kami. Doktor na yata siya ngayon.
“So, after nun I went out of the event, I was very inspired, but I did nothing.
“Siguro, a few days after, I was invited to another event in Cagayan de Oro, yung Let Us The Conversation. It was an event that was sponsored by young people, students of Xavier University.
“Pagpunta ko sa event, ang pinag-uusapan, how the young people were… wanted to put a stop to all the negativity that is in our midst.
“Sabi niya, ‘Kaya tayo nagtitipun-tipon ngayon, kasi we want to effect change already, we want to do something about it.’
“So, napaka-inspiring din nung event, naikabit ko siya dito sa event na ‘to. ‘Tapos, sinasabi ko, ‘Buti pa ‘tong mga bata, nakaisip ng paraan kung papaano baguhin yung nangyayari sa paligid.’
“’Tapos ako, biktima rin ako ng mga fake news, ng lahat, pero wala akong ginagawa.
“So binalikan ko yung sponsors ng Araw ng Pag-asa at Araw ng Pagbasa, pinakiusapan ko if we can adapt the Pag-asa part.
“So that was the birth of Istorya Ng Pag-asa as a project of the Office of the Vice President.”
MAKING FULL-LENGTH FILMS AND SURVIVAL OF INPFF
May balak ba si VP Robredo na gawing full-length films ang mga kasali sa filmfest? Itutuloy pa rin ba ang INPFF kahit hindi na siya ang bise-presidente?
“Yung unang tanong, wala pa, wala pang balak. Kasi, this is only going to be the third year. Ang parang tinitingnan pa lang namin ngayon, how to expand, how to make known yung project to more filmmakers.
“Because we were so happy that the majority of those who joined were students, communication students, film students. So napakalaking bagay, and to encourage more filmmakers to make films about certain advocacies.
“Parang ito na yung pag-push sa advocacies, and yung balak nga ngayon to make special editions.
“Yung unang special edition… we have been planning this for more than a year already, yung drug dependents na naging okey.
“’Tapos, yung mental health. Iyon yung dalawang special editions na pinaplano namin.
“In Naga, merong isang special edition na ginawa na for the coffeetable book. We also have a project called Camp Pag-ibig. Ano ‘to… kaya siya Pag-ibig, kasi ginagawa siya every Valentine’s Day. Pero this is a camp for differently-abled children.
“Doon sa coffeetable book, may chapter siya for the inspiring stories of the Camp Pag-ibig participants. Pero to make it a full-length film, wala pa.
“Kasi, it entails so much, e. Parang it will be very prohibitive, kasi, ‘di ba, napakamahal ng pag-produce ng film, so baka hindi siya accessible to all.
“Ang gusto sana namin mas maraming mag-join. Kasi, it gives a variety of topics and advocacies.
“Yung sa second, kung iko-continue pa ba?
“Sana! And one of the reasons why may pag-asa itong mag-continue is because of our partnership with Ayala Foundation.
“Kasi sila, hindi naman political. So, sana, even if I’m not vice president anymore, advocate na lang ako, sana yung project tuluy-tuloy pa rin,” mahabang tugon ni VP Robredo.
IS THERE A FORMULA FOR WINNING?
Ano ang topic o tema na maaring gamitin? Meron bang tema na malaki ang tsansa na manalo sa contest?
“Wala, e. Wala,” sagot ni VP Robredo.
“Actually, parang walang pattern. Kasi, halimbawa, yung first run, yung nag-Best Film was about Marlon, pero there were many other topics na… those who watched, parang ang lumalabas na favorite doon did not make it to the top 3, yung Alkansya.
“Yung Alkansya was the story of John-John, 11-year-old boy from Tondo na nagda-dive sa murky water of the Manila Bay para kumuha ng mga coins.
“Yung nanay niya kasi, iniwan siya sa lola. ‘Pag hinahanap niya yung nanay niya, ang sinasabi ng lola, umuwi sa probinsiya, walang pamasahe pabalik. So, before he goes to school… nagda-dive siya.
“Pag nakakakuha siya ng five pesos, yung three pesos, nilalagay niya sa alkansya. Iyung two pesos, pambaon niya.
“So that was one of the favorites during the first film festival, ‘tapos iba-iba, iba-iba yung kuwento.
“Yung second film festival, mas valid. Gaya niyan, si Ka Dodoy was a story of a fisherfolk community that decided to empower themselves and decided to save their village.
“Yung Breaking Through the Darkness was about depression. There were a few, two or three films about depression, yung si Al, I think was the only artist who was featured, one of the awardees was about… yung Litratista, if you saw it, isa yun sa mga favorites, was the story of a more than 70-year-old lady na litratista siya sa public schools in Manila.
“So, ano talaga, iba-iba. Pero the good thing about it is, other than the fact that the stories inspire... kasi dalawa yung audience namin, yung isang klase yung mga kababayan natin na dumadaan through the same kind of difficulties, na we hope to give them hope, na ito ngang mga taong pini-feature namin, kahit nagdaan din sa grabeng kadiliman, were able to survive, iyon yung first group.
“Ang second group naman for the more privileged Filipinos, na ang hope namin, pag napanood nila, magpapasalamat sila sa blessings nila. And sasabihin sa sarili nila, ‘Kami, wala kaming karapatang magreklamo, kasi sila nga na grabe yung pinagdadaanan, na-survive nila, ano pa kaya kami?’
“So, iyon yung audience, pero may mga surprises din.
“Halimbawa, one of the clips that was shown kanina was a clip of a film called The Climate Puppeteer.
“It’s about a call center agent who treks the mountain during his day offs, pero pagte-trek niya, napa-find out niya na yung mga villages sa itaas ng mountain, sobrang hihirap, tapos hindi nag-aaral yung mga bata.
“And because of him, we trekked to Sitio Makantog in Tanay, it’s more than one-hour trek up the mountain, pinuntahan namin with One Meralco Foundation.
“Kasi, walang kuryente sa itaas, may nag-iisang elementary school na one classroom, one teacher, kinder to grade five, isang klase lang.
“So, ang laking bagay na nakuryentehan na sila. Ano ‘to, solar, na yung lahat ng bahay roon, nilagyan ng parang solar kits, na meron na silang ilaw pag gabi.
“I was talking to the teacher, si Teacher Brian, hindi siya tagaroon, taga-Binangonan siya. Pero doon na siya natutulog sa classroom, kasi, ang layo niya.
“Ikinukuwento niya, dahil nga walang kuryente, six o’clock in the evening, tulog na siya. ‘Tapos, parang twelve hours siya every night natutulog.
“Kasi, wala namang gagawin. Tapos, sabi niya, yung first night… kasi pumunta kami, naka-one night nang may kuryente, e. Yung first night…one of the things that One Meralco Foundation gave was also a TV set and a computer set for the school.
“So, sabi niya, yung mga bata, nanonood na nung mga educational materials.
“Yung matandang nakausap namin, for the first time, nakapakinig daw siya ng radyo, the night before kami pumunta.
“So, alam ninyo yun... parang yung mga taken for granted natin dito, sobrang manna from heaven for them, and were if not for the film, hindi sana namin makikilala yung community na yun.
“So, may mga surprises na ganun, na you discover people, we discover community na nangangailangan pala ng tulong, and we are able to help through our partners.”
THE PRIZES
Ang deadline ng submission ng entries sa 3rd INPFF ay sa March 27, 2020.
Ang mananalo ay tatanggap ng P100,000 at trophy.
Nakalaan sa first runner-up ay P50,000 at trophy. Para sa second runner-up, P30,000 at trophy
Ipapalabas sa Ayala cinemas ang tatlong short films na magwawagi.
Sa April 30 ang announcement ng top ten films na ipapalabas din sa Gala Night at awarding ceremonies sa June 12, 2020.
May mananalo ring Best Director, Best Cinematography, Best Editing, People’s Choice Award, AFI (Ayala Foundation, Inc.) Community Development Award, at OVP (Office of the Vice-President) Special Recognition Award na tatanggap din ng cash prize at trophy.