By Jodi Bustos
Eagle News Service
Three Filipino fiction and seven non-fiction short films were selected to represent our country in the first-ever Southeast Asia Prix Jeunesse (SEA PJ), a children’s television festival that bestows the most prestigious awards in that category.
The Top Ten were chosen from the 142 array of entries submitted through the Sinebata festival. This year’s theme was “Pride in self, family, and traditions.”
The Philippines will host the international video festival, which is spearheaded by Anak TV Foundation, an advocacy organization that promotes television literacy and pushes the agenda for child-sensitive, family-friendly television in the Philippines. The foundation has become the vanguard of television literacy in the country.
The country will be the chief convenor and will organize and stage the event from November 27-29, 2017 at the Peninsula Manila.
Participants will come from the 10 member-states of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations: Brunei Darussalam, Cambodia, Indonesia, Lao People’s Democratic Republic, Malaysia, Myanmar, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
The festival — aimed at providing a glimpse of the different cultures in those countries — coincides with the 50th anniversary of the regional bloc, which held its 31st summit in the Philippines this year.
“Children are children. whatever their nationality is, you can see they all have the same aspiration, same dreams,” Ms. Elvira Go said in a statement.
“..We in Anak TV through the first-ever Southeast Asia Prix Jeunesse want to give them media space to showcase their talents, their creativity and at the same time so we can learn from them, listen from them,” she added.
The Prix Jeunesse Foundation is known internationally for advocating excellence in children’s television. Established in Germany in 1964, it has been promoting, celebrating and honoring the highest quality in youth and children’s television.
The Prix Jeunesse is one of the highest honors one who engages in children’s media can receive. It is likened to an award from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.
PHL entries
There are three winning entries under the non-fiction professional category for children under 7-years old, for pre-teens 8-12 years old, and for teens 13-17 years old.
Thesere are the following: “Team Yey!” a children’s television show produced by ABS-CBN Corporation; and “Front row: Bata sa Overpass” and “Reel Time: Isinulat sa Tubig,” which are documentaries produced by GMA Network.
“Bata sa Overpass” tells the story of a 9-year-old boy who, after his classes, goes straight to a mall to sell sampaguita to pedestrians. While waiting for buyers, he reads his school books and finishes his homework.
“Reel time” tells the story of a 10-year-old boy and his friends from his neighborhood who cross the sea and take a two-hour trek up the mountain before finally reaching school amid exhaustion and hunger.
“Alamat: Ang Bakunawa at ang pitong buwan” won under the Fiction Category for children under 7-years old. It tells the story of a boy named Bulan who used to tell tales about Bakunawa to scare the townsfolk. One day, he finds out the Bakunawa is real but no one wants to believe him.
“Daig kayo ng Lola ko” is a TV drama fantasy anthology series broadcast by GMA Network. It won under the category for pre-teens aged 8-12.
“Salam: Bagong kaibigan,” a social studies and values education show, bested programs under the Fiction category that targeted children 13-17 years old.
“Lansangan” is a 2-minute silent film narrating the lives of the poor in the Philippines. It was produced by Aubrey Macapagal and won under the Amateur category.
In the Children’s category,“Kalsada,” a short video produced by Sta. Ana National High School Media Arts Clique, won for best elucidating the value of Pride in Self.
“Tatay Nando” won for best explaining the value of Pride in Family. It was produced by John Mason Hermogenes and tells the story of a very hardworking and caring father, Nando, and his daughter, Hanna. Although she grew up without her mother by her side, she still feels that her mother is with her because of her dad.
“Lakbay” best explained the value of Pride in Traditions. Produced by Neil Cancan, it tells the story of a teenager named Racquel Laxamana, who comes from the indigenous group Aeta in the Philippines. Guided by her cultural heritage, she pursues her dreams.
After the awarding ceremony, select Sinebata Video Festival winners shared their experiences while working on their entries and gave pieces of advice to future filmmakers.
“Most of the children nowadays experience many hindrances when it comes to education, one of those is poverty, but this is not a reason to give up,” a delegate from the winning-entry “Kalsada,” said in an interview.
When she was asked to give her advice to aspiring young filmmakers, she said: “Don’t hesitate to show your talents!”
Hermogenes, for his part, said that “Tatay Nando” was inspired by true events.
“There is a father, a single parent in our community who works more than what is expected of him just to fulfill his obligations to his daughter,” Hermogenes narrated.
“Calling our fellow youth, we must appreciate and we must be proud of everything our parents have done for us,” he said.
Cancan said “Lakbay,” which stresses the importance of education, was also based on real events.
“This story is about the journey of (Racquel) Laxamana going to school. This has been my inspiration that no matter how long the journey is, there will always be a fruitful success at the end of the road, especially in pursuing education,” Cancan said.