The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
The winners in the Full-length Documentary and Short Fiction Feature categories of the Sineng Pambansa Climate Change Scriptwriting Contest were awarded the certificates and the cash prizes promised to them at the Film Development Council of the Philippines’ (FDCP) headquarters on September 17.
The winners in the Full-length Documentary category are first-placer Sheryl Rose M. Andes for Disigaw, who received P100,000; second-placer Analisa Puod for Environgers (P50,000) and third-placer Mario L. Mendez Jr. for The Water Bearers (P25,000).
For the Short Fiction Feature category, four scripts were declared as winners: Ang Bisikleta ni Lolo Kiko, by Maricel C. Cariaga; Ang Dalawahan, by Vinson Lance S. Gabato; The Assignment, by Crisanto P. Fuego; and Hukay, by Marvin C. Gabas. The P85,000 cash prize allotted for the category was distributed equally to the four, thus each received P21,250.
FDCP Chairman Briccio Santos was on hand to present the winners their certificates and prizes, as well as urge them to create more discourses on climate change. There are plans to strengthen the climate-change advocacy by making the contest yearly. Also, once funds are available, the FDCP will look into the winning scripts to see which ones can be produced.
The contest encouraged writers to tackle the increasingly urgent issue of climate change, which has made its presence felt more acutely in recent years. The winning scripts will be the basis of future short films or full-length documentaries that inform and capture people’s imagination, rousing them into action.
The contest was conceptualized through the FDCP’s Sineng Pambansa program and its belief in the multifaceted effort it takes to transform awareness into action through audiovisual presentations.
The contest took place earlier this year, with the deadline set on March 6. More than 100 scripts were submitted. The winners were first announced on July 6.