The third Montanosa Film Festival is on after its media launch at SM City Baguio last Thursday.
FilmFest director Ferdie Balanag said 24 films have been selected to compete in three categories, documentary, narrative and mobile phone.
With a funding of PhP1.5 million from the National Commission for Culture and Arts, the filmfest will subsidize the 24 films that are currently in progress with PhP40,000 for documentary, PhP50,000 for narrative and PhP10,000 for mobile phone.
“Divergence + Convergence, this year’s filmfest theme which is in coordination with the NCCA’s Cinema Rehiyon, is month long festivity declared by mayor Benjamin Magalong after signing Executive Order 24 declaring March as Montanosa Film Festival month.
It will formally oen on March 25 at SM City while online film showing will start on March 26 and the Cinema Rehiyon Best of Region on March 27.
Workshops where renowned film makers as facilitators are scheduled on March 28 and where the filmfest semi-finalists will get to meet their mentors for film pitching.
A three day outdoor film showing will be done at the Rose Garden of Burnham Park starts on March 29 or the Sinemusikain (film, food and fair).
The Lakbay Sine, an outreach program by the Cultural Center of the Philippines, will be staged also and will be in partnership with the MFF Campus Caravan where workshops will be done in the various city schools. The CC Cinema Under the Stars (CUTS) will also be held once again.
A nine month apprenticeship program for young film makers ages 18 years old and younger called Vivisto Baguio will culminate with the Zoom! The Young Filmmakers Acceleration Program, a movie that will premiere during the festival.
This year’s filmfest will see the launching of the animation section and which will have its own category during next year’s MFF.
The month-long affair will culminate on March 31 followed by the closing night bonfire called “agliyab’ on Aril 1 at the Baguio Convention Center where the filmfest finalists will be feted and where they get their prizes. Pigeon Lobien
