Full Circle Lab Philippines to push through with online edition

Wazzup Pilipinas!

Full Circle Lab Philippines, a collaboration between Film Development Council of the Philippines and Matthieu Darras, current director of Full Circle Lab and former Artistic Director of the internationally renowned Torino Film Lab will take place via an online edition. Full Circle Lab Philippines will push through with its expanded program featuring four different film labs to benefit 20 projects from the Philippines and the rest of Southeast Asia.

Initially scheduled for April until it was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this year’s edition of Full Circle Lab Philippine will take place from September 15 to September 30 as we celebrate the official closing of the Philippine Cinema Centennial . During this period, it will hold three film labs for projects in development across the genres of fiction, series, and animation. 16 projects will be supported through these development labs, with eight projects under fiction and four projects each under series and animation. Additionally, Full Circle Lab Philippines will hold First Cut Lab which targets feature films at the editing stage. Four projects in the editing stage will participate in this year’s edition of First Cut Lab.

Full Circle Lab held its first-ever edition in the Philippines last year in collaboration with FDCP, .

The Full Circle Lab Philippines will also be featured in online masterclasses and public sessions preceding the two-week film lab through the FDCP Film Industry Conference (FIC). The Full Circle Lab joins FIC in its aim to bring together international experts and stakeholders to share and discuss the latest trends, opportunities, platforms, and cooperation that Filipino producers and filmmakers can explore for the development, production, and distribution of their projects with the intent of crossing over beyond local borders. Scheduled from September 12 to 14, FIC will feature various mentors from Full Circle Lab as they share their areas of expertise and how the international film industry is adapting to the new normal in light of the pandemic.

Discussing the new platform and participants of FCL, FDCP Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño said, “We are proud that as a continuation of the First Cut Lab last year, the Full Circle Lab this September pursues its empowerment and development of Filipino projects and filmmakers, while also expanding the participation of Southeast Asian filmmakers as well. This is in fulfilment of our commitment to our ASEAN partners to encourage collaboration in the region among our filmmakers as supported by the government’s film commissions that would lead to stories and narratives that are proudly our region’s own and can be shared among our countries’ markets and audiences.”

“We are also grateful to the mentors of the Full Circle Lab who will be reaching a broader audience as they will participate in the FDCP Film Industry Conference masterclass and sessions so that they may share to more of our filmmakers, students, and enthusiasts the current state of the global film industry and how they envision it adapting to the new normal during and post-pandemic,” she added.

Last year's mentors with FDCP Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño

Speaking to FDCP, Full Circle Lab director Matthieu Daras discussed the program’s move to an online platform saying, “Most exciting with Full Circle Lab’s move to an online platform is the opportunity to involve a very large scope of industry advisors from different parts of the world, who would not necessarily be available in the case of a physical event. For instance, we will have the privilege to have the participation of Nashen Moodley, Sydney Film Festival director, or Mike Goodridge, artistic director of Macau FF, in the First Cut Lab for films at editing stage.”

Mentors from this year's edition of Full Circle Lab will also participate in the online edition of FDCP's Film Industry Conference.

This will be Full Circle Lab’s second year in the Philippines, where it aims to support local filmmaking talent by bringing in international film industry veterans to lead film labs meant to tap into a project’s creative potential. This year’s edition features 12 mentors across the four separate film labs. 

The mentors for the fiction lab will be script consultants Ayman El Amir and Helen Beltrame-Linne as well as producers Giovanni Pompili and Meiske Taurisia. Series lab will be led by script consultant Mmbatho Kau and producer Naomi Levari. Animation lab, by writer and script consultant Aleksandra Swierk and producer Juraj Krashonorsky. And First Cut Lab by Full Circle Lab director Matthieu Daras and editors Benjamin Mirguet, Matthieu Taponier, and Maya Maffioli.

While Baybayin is cool, signages should be functional

Wazzup Pilipinas!

The newly-renovated Manila City Hall underpass can be used already. Admirable it may seem, because these projects do make locations more appealing to the eyes and are bonus points for tourism and equally an appreciation for Manila residents and visitors.

A portion of the mural painted at Lagusnilad underpass also pays tribute to frontliners in the battle against  health COVID-19, which includes healthworkers and delivery workers.

There are also signages that are also co-written in Baybayin, an ancient pre-colonial Filipino writing system.

However, many would like to debate on the need to use baybayin for a few  but valid reasons.

There is nothing wrong in advocating for baybayin, but remember that it is not the only system of writing we have in the country. Baybayin cannot encapsulate the culture of a whole nation when you exclude the other systems of writing.

No one even uses baybayin on a daily basis. Besides, baybayin isn't even supposed to be used for foreign words. We can't even use baybayin for the current form of Tagalog because it doesnt fit. Is this a useless move?

To adapt baybayin in order to "reclaim" our roots could just be futile because we have many ancient writing systems before. Baybayin does not even encompass the entirety of it.

Syllabic writing system, Baybayin is. You don't convert per letter. Acronyms should be written in Baybayin script as they are pronounced by native Filipinos in their native tongue...thus it should be /el/ /ar/ /ti/ at /es/ em/ mo to convert properly.

Recommendable na isalin muna sa Filipino yung mga Ingles na salita kung ilalapat sa baybayin. Hinggil naman po sa letra, balik po tayo sa rule na kung anong bigkas, siyang baybay. kaya nga po sana kumonsulta muna sila sa NHCP, NCCA, at/o National Museum.

Actually parang walang “standardized rules” pa ang baybayin... kaya maganda talaga na napag-uusapan at napag-aaralan.

Is this a good way to promote the writings? Will we have even the slight urge to study baybayin?

But then, this promotion may serve only those who can actually learn it. I mean lahat kaya naman pero would it be practical for many. Pero, as stated, this is a good way to promote the handwriting system of the Filipinos.

For me, the level of performative wokeness has me screaming. you know what would have made sense?

Yes it looks good, but are we really using baybayin just for the sake of aesthetics?

Why use Baybayin in a place where almost no one uses/understands it? Also bakit Baybayin lang? What about the other 15 documented pre-colonial writing systems? Kakalimutan na lang? Naiinis ako ha ginagawang aesthetic lang kasi ito eh.

Also, this is really impractical and unnecessary knowing that MOST filipinos don't know how to read and write baybayin.

The intent to promote the Filipino heritage is good, but out of 109 million Filipinos, how many can read Baybayin? with that, what does this make us?....never mind.

Well I'm just saying that if you want to learn it, sure no problem. But if you're saying that it's for "decolonization" and ''revival" aba eh, mahaba-habang usapan yan mga mars.

Not to mention that's not ours to begin with but from our IPs.

What's the use of using Baybayin if we don't even write our signs in Tagalog?

ICONS for the illiterate
TRANSLATIONS for tagalog readers
NOT BAYBAYIN as basically no one is proficient

🚉 Istasyon ng tren - LRT 1 sentral
🏛 Bulwagang panlungsod ng Maynila
🏢 SM Manila

While having Baybayin is cool, let's not forget that signages are supposed to be functional. There is a science behind it, ensuring maximum visibility, readability and viewer's safety.  With these considerations, I'd rather not put a "cool" translation that no one can actually read.

The national government's hard push for Baybayin is a performative bit of essentialist "nationalism" that prioritizes aesthetics over any actual meaningful attempts at building awareness of our history or dialoguing with our identity.


 📸: DTCAM, MB

Sarah Balabagan's Revelation: Did Arnold Clavio take advantage of an underage rape victim?

Wazzup Pilipinas!

"Arnold Clavio" is now trending in the Philippines.

I just watched Sarah Balabagan's Facebook live. I didn't know Arnold Clavio was an actual pig who took advantage of an already traumatized girl, had an affair with her and got her pregnant. Well, if it was true.

“Ang ama ng aking panganay na anak ay si Arnold Clavio... Sinabi niya sa akin noon, wag akong aamin... Kahit anong mangyari wag akong aamin...”

Sarah Balabagan, a former OFW who was sentenced to death penalty and later on granted parole in United Arab Emirates, finally revealed after 22 years that Arnold Clavio is the father of his eldest child.

So totoo ba yung chismis na nabuntis ni Arnold Clavio si Sarah Balabagan? Sarah (17 yrs old), a traumatized rape victim, tapos si Arnold (32-33 years old) isang reporter na nag cover ng case ni Sarah.

May bago nang pumalit sa "Walang Tulugan" show, ito ay ang, "Walang Aminan!" hosted by Arnold Clavio.

Barako pala itong si Arnold Clavio. Matulis Ang bagong Mang Kanor ng Pilipinas!  Mahilig sa BATA! But could he be considered a pedophile?

Titos like me are more interested Sarah Balabagan-Arnold Clavio than the Tim Sawyer-China Roces shit!

Yung si Sarah Balabagan pa ang na-guilty at pinatawad ng asawa ni Arnold Clavio dahil naanakan siya.

Ang kapal ng fez ni Arn-arn! Kaya pala niya nasabi na walang diskarte ang gobyerno kontra COVID-19, dahil siya ang mas madiskarte. Kuning IATF Chair si Arnold Clavio.

Has Arnold Clavio issued any statement yet about Sarah Balabagan’s big revelation? If it was true, has he provided support? and he should not deny paternity. From the situation prevailing at that time, it seems Arnold Clavio took advantage of a traumatized minor.

Miss Jessica Soho, paki-feature nga si Arnold Clavio at Sarah Balabagan. Yung kababuyan ni Arnold kung talagang wala kayong kinikilingan at serbisyong totoo lamang! Patunayan ninyo nga?

Of course, mayroon kayang ‘tao’ sa likod ng pag-amin o ‘rebelasyon’ ni Sarah na si Igan  ang tatay ng kanyang panganay? Malay natin this is just a negative publicity designed to bring this broadcaster down.