The 2nd CHANGE Short Film Festival organized by the non-profit CHANGE Foundation Inc. continues to champion good Filipino values with this year’s theme “Heroes for Change: Ordinary People with Extraordinary Hearts.”
The competition encourages young aspiring filmmakers, whether they are students, amateurs or professionals, to “inspire Filipinos through stories that show the many endeavors where we all can help each other and ultimately build a better country for the next generation.”
Entries may be submitted until Sept. 30 via WeTransfer addressed to changefoundationinc@gmail.com.
Twenty finalists will be chosen and screened at the awarding ceremonies at Fisher Mall Cinemas on Oct. 20.
CHANGE Foundation, which serves as a “catalyst in changing the hearts of people by promoting positive values such as honesty, kindness, compassion, perseverance, and integrity through inspiring videos and media campaigns,” mounts the annual festival whose winners are selected by esteemed jurors led by highly acclaimed director Joel C. Lamangan, DGPI.
Lamangan, chairman emeritus of the Directors’ Guild of the Philippines, Inc. (DGPI), and the jury will decide from seven finalists the three prize-winning films (grand, second, and third) and four excellence awardees.
All three-minute films will be judged based on creativity and execution of stories that highlight the values of “honesty, kindness, excellence, nationalism, and concern for the environment.”
CHANGE Foundation explains the competition theme: “For changes to make a difference in the world, we need heroes with extraordinary hearts or those who follow what is right or seek the truth despite the difficult challenges and being unnoticed or unrewarded for one’s efforts.”
Winners will receive cash, including P40,000 for the grand prize, and trophies, while excellence awardees will also receive cash and plaques of appreciation.
On the festival’s maiden year, Raphael Robes’ Karamay, which tackles recovering and moving on from drug abuse with the help of a friend, won the grand prize. John Carlo Reyes’ film about depression, Kwarenta, and Mariannelle Crisostomo and Jonnie Lyn Dasalla’s Balik on paying it forward, bagged the second and third prizes, respectively.
Last year’s jurors included CHANGE Foundation director Reginald Joshua K. Pendoza, the late Aliw Awards Hall of Famer director Roxanne A. Lapus, award-winning filmmaker Real S. Florido, and advertising art director Leo Carlo Santos.
Formed in 2016, volunteers of Change Hearts thru Awareness, Nurturing, Giving and Encouraging Foundation, Inc. promote, teach and instill positive values in media to influence Filipinos to have good character (“maayos na pagkatao”). CHANGE Foundation is the fifth most followed foundation on Facebook in the country after leader UNICEF, followed by World Vision Philippines, Rock Ed Philippines, and Haribon Foundation.
Visit www.changefoundationinc.com or www.facebook.com/changefoundationinc for competition mechanics or call 0917-6890417 for more information.