Full Circle Lab Philippines Returns with Online Edition, New Lab for Creative Producers

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

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

Now in its third year, the online Full Circle Lab Philippines will be held during the celebration of the Philippine Film Industry Month as declared in the Presidential Proclamation No. 1085.

The lab will be composed of the Fiction Lab, Series Lab, First Cut Lab, and the newest addition, the Creative Producers Lab, designed to nurture producers in project development, legal and financing issues, and company development to enhance the production value of their films.

Filmmakers from the Philippines and Southeast Asian countries Brunei, Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam are eligible and encouraged to submit their projects for consideration into the program’s four labs.

The submission of applications will be until July 30, 2021, and the FDCP will be announcing the final selection of projects in the first week of September. 

FDCP, with Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño at the helm, seeks to make the Philippines a creative hub for filmmaking in the Southeast Asian region in collaboration with Full Circle Lab director Matthieu Darras, former Artistic Director of the internationally renowned Torino Film Lab.

The international film lab has supported the development of film projects such as “Fan Girl,” by Antoinette Jadaone, “Babae at Baril” by Rae Red, “Hayop Ka! The Nimfa Dimaano Story” by Avid Liongoren, and “John Denver Trending” by Arden Rod Condez that competed in the world's A-List Festivals. “Fan Girl” had its world premiere at Tallinn Film Festival, “Hayop Ka!” just recently competed in the Annecy Film Festival, while “John Denver Trending” competed in the New Currents section of the Busan International Film Festival.

Xeph Suarez’s “Dancing the Tides,” one of the selected projects for the First Cut Lab Manila in 2019 and Southern Voices Film Lab’s Special Jury Prize awardee winning the Co-Production Grant worth PHP 500,000, is participating in this year’s La Fabrique Cinéma of the Cannes Film Festival.

Full Circle Lab alumni projects “Sam” by director E Del Mundo and producer Pamela Reyes and “Don’t Cry Butterflies” by Duong Dieu Linh are among the selected projects in this year’s Locarno Film Festival’s Open Doors, while “Pierce” by Nelicia Low participated in this year’s Far East Film Festival’s Focus Asia.

“For the past two years, Full Circle Lab Philippines has supported Filipino and Southeast Asian projects that have evolved into critically-acclaimed and internationally competitive films. By continuing this partnership with Tatino Films and Full Circle Lab, we are honored to be able to give guidance, support, and platforms to our filmmakers. We are excited to become a part of their Full Circle Lab journeys that will certainly mold the future of the Philippine film industry,” said FDCP Chairperson and CEO Diño.

Last year, the 2nd Full Circle Lab Philippines was held online due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Full Circle Lab has supported 20 projects from various countries in Southeast Asia, including 13 projects from the Philippines and seven projects with productions and co-productions from Vietnam, Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, and Taiwan.

See more details for the submission process below:

 

FULL CIRCLE LAB PHILIPPINES 2021

 

For the 2021 edition, FDCP and Tatino Films will continue to provide opportunities for the filmmakers to further develop and elevate their projects in the online version of the Full Circle Lab. The selected projects will have the opportunity to have an initial consultation with their assigned industry experts from the pool of Full Circle Lab mentors through a series of online meetings to ensure the safety of all the mentors, participants, and organizers.

 

Full Circle Lab Philippines aims to:

 

●      Identify, nurture, and train creative talents in the Philippines and Southeast Asia;

●      Support Filipino and Southeast Asian film projects along  with their development and post-production processes – to enhance their artistic and audience potentials with a focus on storytelling;

●      Foster the internationalization of the Filipino film industry and positioning the Philippines as a creative hub in the Southeast Asian region;

●      Create synergy between industry experts and professionals across the globe through sessions and talks via online platforms.

 

LABS

 

The program is composed of four labs: Fiction, Series, Creative Producers, and First Cut Labs

 

The Fiction Lab nurtures feature films in development, combining works in plenary, groups, and individual consultations.

 

The Series Lab aims at answering the growing demand for episodic content from VOD platforms and will nurture series projects – both mini-series and multi-season series are accepted.

 

The Creative Producers Lab is the newest addition to the Full Circle Lab that will nurture producers with projects in development.

 

The First Cut Lab is open to feature films at the editing stage and helps creative teams to reach the film they envision, fostering their artistic and circulation potential.

 

The Lab will be preceded by sessions headed by world-class experts as part of the FDCP’s Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (PPP) International Film Industry Conference from September 17 to 19, 2021.

 

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS GUIDELINES

 

How to apply

 

Full Circle Lab Philippines is open to filmmakers from the Philippines and Southeast Asia countries: Brunei, Cambodia, Timor-Leste, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.

 

●      Applicants should submit their entire application by the 30th of July 2021.

●      All requirements shall be sent to projectlab@fdcp.ph.

 

Selection

 

The Full Circle Lab mentors shall review the materials of eligible applicants and shall confer to select the final selection, ensuring the diversity of the lineup.

 

FDCP will be announcing the final selection of the official projects by 1st week of September 2021.

 

For Fiction and Series Labs, the stage of development of each project may vary.

 

1. Projects with or without producer(s) attached will equally be welcomed. There is no need to have financing in place.
2. Participants will be the author(s), and the directors and producers will also be attending if they are attached to the projects.
3. The Labs are open for projects that have not yet entered the pre-production stage.

 

Applicants must submit the following:

 

●      Duly accomplished Application Form

●      Logline (50 words), Synopsis (1 page), and Concept/Treatment (Up to 10 pages)

●      Director’s and producer’s statements (Up to 2 pages)

●      Director’s and screenwriter’s filmographies (1 page)

●      Producer’s filmography (1 page) and Production company profile (1 page)

●      Rights to Adaptation if applicable.

●      All requirements must be submitted in separate PDF documents.

 

For the Creative Producers Lab, producers must attend the whole duration of the lab. Independent Producers are welcome to apply.

 

Applicants must submit the following:

 

●      Duly accomplished Application Form

●      Producer’s statement (Up to 2 pages)

●      Producer’s filmography (1 page) and Production company profile (1 page)

●      All requirements must be submitted in separate PDF documents.

 

 

For the First Cut Lab, the film’s producer, director, and editor must attend the whole duration of the Editing Lab.

 

Applicants must submit the following:

 

●      Duly accomplished Application Form

●      A minimum of 30 minutes of scenes from the film. Must be subtitled in English. Scenes can be separate and can be in the rough cut.

●      Logline (50 words), Synopsis (1 page)

●      Director’s and producer’s statements (Up to 2 pages)

●      Director’s and editor’s filmographies (1 page)

●      Producer’s filmography (1 page) and Production company profile (1 page)

●      All requirements must be submitted in separate PDF documents.

 

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WEBSITE LINK:

 

https://www.fdcp.ph/media/full-circle-lab-philippines-returns-online-edition-new-lab-creative-producers

WWF-Philippines highlights local initiatives for Plastic-free July

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

In celebration of Plastic-free July, the Worldwide Fund for Nature (WWF) Philippines featured Plastic Smart Cities sites as model communities in developing initiatives and solutions to address plastic pollution.

In the webinar Smart Cities Lead: Community Solutions for No Plastics in Nature (NPIN) conducted on July 15, WWF-Philippines brought together representatives from different sectors from Plastic Smart Cities in the country: Manila City, Donsol Sorsogon, Davao City, Island Garden City of Samal, and San Isidro Davao Oriental.

WWF’s Plastic Smart Cities is a capacity building initiative for cities and communities to eliminate plastic pollution. Since 2018, it has supported cities and coastal centers in taking bold action to stop plastic pollution, with a goal to reduce plastic leakage into nature by 30% in the near term, and achieving no plastics in nature by 2030.

In her opening remarks, WWF-Philippines, Executive Director Katherine Custodio expressed how even our biggest problems, such as plastic pollution, are possible to address if we work together.

“Our challenges are interconnected and so the solution needs to be connected as well. This webinar is about community solutions that give hope because they are linking lives, livelihoods, and nature as they address plastic pollution,” she added.

During the webinar, Wilma Aravelo, President of Kalipunan ng Liping Pilipina (KALIPI) from Donsol discussed the role of women in communities upcycling single-use plastics. They collect and shred the waste products and use the material as filling for plushies which they sell to tourists visiting the municipality.

WWF-Philippines has been working with KALIPI through product diversification and market development. Since then, KALIPI has been contributing to diverting plastic wastes in Donsol through their products.

From Brgy 23-C, Davao City, LIKHAnegosyo president and Sangguniang Kabataan official Arcel Coton discussed the importance of mobilizing the youth to address the plastic problem.

LIKHAnegosyo aims to become an avenue of productive social growth and unite the youth by increasing awareness on proper waste disposal and management, developing innovative solutions to address plastic pollution, and transforming the youth to be advocates of No Plastics in Nature initiative.

Plastic Smart Cities recognizes that there is no single solution to address plastic pollution but rather a comprehensive strategy that engages all actors – governments, businesses, and communities – to examine every aspect of the life-cycle of any given plastic material, and identify key elements that are ripe for interventions.

Among the multisector panel of speakers includes:

● Hon. Justina Buenviaje-Yu, Municipal Mayor of San Isidro

● Joanna Mae Norcio, PSO IV, Assistant Chief, Operations Division, Department of Public Services, Manila City

● Julian Rodriguez III, Manager, Technical Services Director and Pollution Control Managing Head of Paradise Island Park and Beach Resort in the Island Garden City of Samal

To conclude the webinar, NPIN National Lead Czarina Constantino – Panopio encouraged the continuous partnership and collaboration among women, youth, local businesses, local governments and other stakeholders until we achieve our vision of having no plastics in nature.

“The beauty of this project really is its heart which is striving to create a balance between humans and nature. We are thankful for these stakeholders and we look forward to continuing our partnership to stop plastic waste leakage in nature,” Panopio said.

Smart Cities Lead: Multisector panel of speakers including women, youth, business, and government representatives shared their initiatives and solutions to address plastic pollution.

PLDT Enterprise highlights combatting faculty, student burnout in the next normal

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

PLDT Enterprise, the B2B arm of the largest fully integrated telecommunications company in the Philippines, called for innovative solutions that would address the threats to the well-being of students and teachers as they continue eLearning in the next normal.

During PLDT Enterprise’s recently held eBossing Online Class—dedicated for the members of the Philippine Association of Colleges and Universities (PACU) and their 3,000 university and colleges heads, faculty members, and admin officers—Dick Perez, PLDT Enterprise Assistant Vice President and Corporate Relationship Management Head for Academe & FMCG, said that the toll of increased workload on teachers and other associated effects of the pandemic should not be underestimated.

A study from United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) found that more than 28 million students, educators, and parents are grappling with the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, which also affects their health and well-being.

Perez highlighted that a good way of lessening stress in online learning is to make a pedagogy based on fun, interaction, and collaboration.

“The inclusion of collaborative activities in an online course leads to positive performance outcomes. Collaborative group interaction facilitates active learning, shared knowledge and promotes social interaction and a supportive e-learning community,” Perez said.

“Moreover, the value of teaching through games is compelling. Games draw students into the learning process, foster a healthy sense of competition, and encourage them to refrain from failures as stepping stone to greater success.”

However, when using a game-based learning approach, Perez advised educators to “avoid games that offer arbitrary rewards but rather those that challenge students to make difficult choices that lead to interesting and meaningful outcomes.”

Meanwhile, PLDT Enterprise Assistant VP and Head for Education, FMCG, SMBiz Enterprise Strategic Solution Group John Combalicer added that higher education institutions need to prioritize making online academic counseling and medical services accessible to students.

“We need to address the educational well-being for the next normal. PLDT is your partner in helping your educational institution in your role to creating more e-learning experience that will help educators, students, and parents cope up in this pandemic,” Combalicer noted.

During the program, CHED Commissioner Dr. Aldrin Darilag, CHRP, RHT, RN enumerated the different programs and goals of the institution for the sector and talked about institutionalizing online learning and other relevant policies that aim “to retrofit the educational system in the new normal and empower both educators and learners.”

Darilag shared about PHL CHED Connect, a platform launched by CHED that contains more than 1.6K educational content and has engaged more than 60K unique users already.

PLDT Enterprise has been a partner of PACU in providing connectivity plans and e-Learning services to its member schools. The group has also been working with global technology companies in creating more meaningful connections and immersive eLearning experiences for students and teachers.

For more information, visit pldtenterprise.com