We're only just two weeks into September as the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) headed the celebration of the first-ever Philippine Film Industry Month, and I can say that we are off to a great start.

With the launch of our several programs and partnerships at the beginning of this month - as well as our filmmakers, producers, workers, partners, and friends from the media coming together to show their love and support for the industry - it is truly a testament to how Philippine Cinema is thriving despite the challenges of these new times.

It was essential for us that this month, through our events and activities, we encapsulate our direction of honoring the legacy and heritage of Philippine Cinema. At the same time, want to empower the current generation and stakeholders of the industry as they create more stories and films that we would be proud to call our own and would continue such legacy.

Here are the rest of the activities for the 1st Philippine Film Industry Month this September.

September 20 to October 1 - Full Circle Lab Philippines (FCL PH). Organized by the FDCP in partnership with Tatino Films, FCL PH will have another virtual edition of its capacity-building program led by international industry experts to support Filipino and Southeast Asian filmmakers in enhancing their projects to become globally competitive.

The 3rd FCL PH has selected a total of 24 projects and participants from the Philippines and Southeast Asia out of a pool of applications: eight feature projects for Fiction Lab; four mini-series projects in development for Series Lab; four feature-length films in the editing stage for First Cut Lab; and eight emerging creative producers for the newly added Creative Producers Lab.

Mentors for the Fiction Lab are script consultants Ayman El Amir and Helen Beltrame-Linné and producers Giovanni Pompili and Meiske Taurisia. Joining the roster are script consultant Mmabatho Kau and producer Naomi Levari for the Series Lab, consultant editors Benjamin Mirguet and Catalin Cristutiu for the First Cut Lab, and producers Juraj Krasnohorski and Igel for the Creative Producers Lab.

September 21 to 23 - Sine Kabataan Talkbacks and Sine Isla: LuzViMinda Talkbacks. As per Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino tradition, talkbacks featuring all participating filmmakers in Sine Kabataan and Sine Isla: LuzViMinda will be held to allow audiences to gain deeper insights into the film entries and provide a platform for filmmakers to discuss their works in greater detail.

September 22 - Co-production Masterclass, Workshops in Film Incentives (WIFI), and Announcement of FilmPhilippines Cycle 2 projects. The FDCP FilmPhilippines Office (FPO) will hold the co-production masterclass "Let's Create Together: Getting Into International Co-Productions," featuring prominent Filipino producers.

To orient interested companies on the FilmPhilippines Incentives Program, the FPO will hold another session of Workshops in Film Incentives (Wifi) to discuss the Film Location Incentive Program (FLIP), International Co-Production Fund (ICOF), Asean Co-production Fund (ACOF), and Film Location Engagement Desk (FLEX). FPO will also make the much-awaited announcement of its Cycle 2 projects.

September 24 to 26 - Musical Scoring program of the Mit Out Sound: International Silent Short Film Competition. To enhance the skills of film and audiovisual workers, the FDCP National Registry (NR) will hold a free Musical Scoring Program for NR registrants in partnership with the country's first silent film lab, Mit Out Sound: International Silent Film Lab.

The FDCP, together with its partners at the International Silent Film Festival Manila (ISFFM), recognizes the salience of music like silent films. In line with the Silent Short Film Competition and the Mit Out Sound: International Silent Film Lab, the ISFFM aims to encourage the participation of musical scorers and composers in the festival and open the field of film scoring to a diverse set of professionals to engage in silent short film scoring and instill an appreciation for silent short films.

September 25 to 30 - Elwood Perez Retrospective Free Screenings @ FDCP Channel. The Elwood Perez Retrospective features free screenings of nine films of the two-time Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) Awards Best Director and three-time FAMAS Best Director. These are "Bilangin ang Bituin sa Langit," "Ibulong Mo sa Diyos," "Nakawin Natin ang Bawat Sandali," "Masarap, Masakit ang Umibig," "Esoterika: Maynila," "Inday Garutay," "Otso," "Stepsisters" and "Isang Gabi... Tatlong Babae!"

Aside from the screenings, the Philippine Film Archive website (philippinefilmarchive.FDCP.ph) will also host an online exhibit for the 76-year-old Perez, who received the Special Honorary Award at the 2013 Cinema One Originals Digital Film Festival and Lifetime Achievement Award (Gawad Gintong Ani) at the 2015 FACINE Filipino International Cine Festival.

September 29 - FDCP-City of Manila Vaccine Nation Day for film and Entertainment Workers. The Vaccine Nation Day for Film and Entertainment Workers of the FDCP NR in partnership with the City of Manila's "Vaccine Nation is the Solution" program continues on September 29 at Adamson University, which is the second dose schedule for those who got vaccinated last August 2 at Palacio de Maynila. The FDCP NR-City of Manila vaccination program has provided for the inoculation of 3,500 film and audiovisual workers.

September 30 - Closing of Philippine Film Industry Month. The first-ever Philippine Film Industry Month will end with a bang through a virtual ceremony that will recap the month-long activities that celebrated the Filipino film industry and feature the Awarding of Sine Kabataan and Sine Isla: LuzViMinda winners, the launch of the revamped FDCP Website, the relaunch of the FDCP Channel, the announcement of the CreatePHFilms Cycle 1 projects, and opening of CreatePHFilms Cycle 2.

Notes from the Chair
The Sunday Times Magazine  - The Manila Times

Notes from the Chair is part of the Arts Awake section of The Sunday Times Magazine published by The Manila Times. Click HERE to view the article on The Manila Times website.