By: Zaren Yzabelle Reamillo 

Far Eastern University (FEU) Film Society (FilmSoc) launched this year’s edition of their annual film festival with the theme ‘Sinepiyu XV: Liwayway Pag-usbong ng Sining sa Kamalayan’ aiming to bring societal and cultural consciousness through submissions of diverse student short films in the Philippines.

Senior High School (SHS) and college student filmmakers are welcome to submit their entries until April 2, 2023 for the Interschool Division and until April 23, 2023 for the All Tamaraws division within the Narrative, Documentary, and Experimental categories. 

Film entries for the Interschool Division can be within the Narrative, Documentary, and Experimental genres and must be produced not earlier than January 2022 while the All Tamaraw Division is strictly within the Narrative category which is open only for 4th year Digital Cinema students under the Film and Directing class.

All film entries must be submitted in .mp4 or .mov format with 720 HD resolution and a total running time of at least five minutes and at most 20 minutes including the opening and closing billboard. 

Filmmakers and Film productions are also allowed to submit more than one entry. 

There will be a submission fee of PHP 150 for the Interschool Division and the registration form must be completed upon submitting the entry. 

In an interview with FEU Advocate, FilmSoc Vice President and Sinepiyu XV Director Melissa Cuaderno shared her expectations for this year’s entries. 

“I personally expect sa mga entries ngayon is [kumbaga] mas matapang and talagang direct ‘yung advocacies nila [student filmmakers]. Although, kahit naman sa mga previous years namin sa Sinepiyu may mga pelikula naman na talaga na ginawa para ibahagi ‘yung mga narratives and advocacies nila but for this year, I expect talaga na bolder and more progressive ‘yung mga films (I personally expect that this year’s film entries would be braver and more direct in showing their advocacies [student filmmakers]. Although, in the previous years of Sinepiyu there have always been films that were created to show their advocacies but this year, I expect that the films would be bolder and more progressive),” she said. 

The physical screening of qualified short films in All Tamaraws and Interschool categories is set to take place on May 3 to 4 at the Cinematheque Center in Manila which will also be streamed on Juanflix, the official channel of Film Development Council of the Philippines.

Other requirements and guidelines and mechanics were posted on the official Facebook page of Sinepiyu.