The local film festival scene is set to witness the third edition of the TOFARM Film Festival (TFF), which shall now include a TOFARM Short Film Competition.
The brainchild of Socio-Entrepreneur Dr. Mila O. How, TFF is the only advocacy-driven film festival in the country today, with entries showcasing the lives, journeys, trials and triumphs of the Filipino farmers.
“We were deeply saddened with the demise of Direk Maryo J. delos Reyes, our first TFF Director,” Dr. How said. “He gave so much of himself for TFF. When he suddenly left us, we found ourselves at a crossroad. Should we go on with the project or not?”
“But after a lot of thinking, I personally thought it’s best to carry on what Direk Maryo started. The festival would be a continuation of his vision for the farmers and for our film industry. This is our tribute to him,” Dr. How added.
In the absence of Direk Maryo, Dr. How sought the expertise of three seasoned film personalities who will stand as Festival Advisers, Bibeth Orteza and Joey Romero, with Laurice Guillen as Consultant. The Festival Director, however, is yet to be appointed.
“It’s very overwhelming to get support from not one, but three well-respected people from the film and television industry. It motivates us further to come up with more meaningful films that, hopefully, will follow the success of our previous entries,” Dr. How enthused.
Just in the first two years of its existence, from 2016 to 2017, a number of TOFARM Film Festival entries have already gained international recognition following local exhibition.
The weeklong TOFARM Film Festival 2018 will run from Sept. 12 to 18, with the Awards Night slated on Sept. 15. The festival committee is now accepting script entries for screening. Deadline of Submission is on April 20. For more information on how to submit original manuscripts, log on to www.tofarm.org.
