Film fest centers on the youth’s stories of climate change

FILMS convey stories and information that can change a person’s perspective and attitude towards various topics. While they are also entertaining, a story told through the lens of the youth can also provide a different angle.

It is this focus on the youth that the Climate Change Commission (CCC), in collaboration with the Oscar M. Lopez Center, launched the Klima Film Festival (KFF) for a second year this November.

The project, which began in 2020, aims to tell stories of the effects of climate change through films written and produced by young Filipinos.

“The Klima Film Festival is our creative platform to raise awareness on the problem of climate change. Together with Oscar Lopez center, the Climate Change Commission launched KFF last year despite the unprecedented challenges of the pandemic,” said Emmanuel M. De Guzman, Climate Change Commission Vice-Chairperson and Executive Director Secretary, in a recorded message during the online press launch on Oct. 29 via Zoom and streamed through Facebook.

“The decision to embark on KFF despite the odds, just shows how much importance we are giving to the involvement of our youth in the fight against climate change. And the outcome was very encouraging,” Mr. De Guzman said.

This year’s KFF carries the theme “Adapting for A Sustainable Future: Stepping Up Local Climate Action in a Post-Pandemic World,” highlighting local climate action and proactive measures.

USAID’s 2017 Climate Change Risk profile of the Philippines states that the country is “highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change,” which include sea level rise, increased frequency of extreme weather events, and rising temperatures and extreme rainfall. It is projected that there will be an increase in temperature by 2050, wetter and drier seasons, an increase in extreme weather incidents and hazards, and raise in sea levels by 2100. (https://www.climatelinks.org/resources/climate-risk-profile-philippines)

Representatives of the KFF Core Team said that this year’s film festival theme focuses on climate change action in the Philippines.

“We wanted to also focus on the local climate action in the Philippines. Especially, now that we are experiencing a pandemic, we feel that climate change has been set on the sidelines. But of course, climate change is not on vacation,” said Ludwig O. Federigan, head of the CCC Information and Knowledge Management Division of this year’s theme.

“We want to generate local climate adaptation stories as viewed by the young Filipino filmmakers, especially because the stories about adapting and building resilience to the impacts of climate change is something that’s very important for everyone to know,” said Perpi A. Tiongson, associate director at the Oscar M. Lopez Center.

The film festival is open to filmmakers between the ages of 16 and 25. Participating teams may have a maximum of 10 members.

The participants are required to participate in the film festival’s general assembly and Climate Film Labs, a workshop facilitated by science and film mentors to help them develop science-based storytelling and understand the technicalities in filmmaking. The labs will be conducted via Zoom.

All teams are required to submit a detailed film concept/synopsis after completing the general assembly as a pre-requisite to the Climate Film Lab (all entries must be submitted to klimafilmfest2021@gmail.com). The entries may be in any Philippine language with English subtitles. All entries can be shot and edited using any device with a resolution of at least 1080p. The film’s running time must be between seven and 10 minutes, including the title cards and the credits. From all the entries, 10 finalists will be selected.

The winning films will receive cash prizes, trophies, plaques, and certificates during the awarding ceremony. The Best Film will win P70,000, while the first runner-up and second runner-up will win P50,000 and P30,000 respectively. The other seven finalists will receive P10,000 each.

All entries must be submitted to klimafilmfest2021@gmail.com with the subject format, “KFF 2021 Entry | Team ID Number.” For more details and schedules, visit https://climate.gov.ph/events/klima-film-festival/kff-2021 or https://www.facebook.com/CCCPhl. — Michelle Anne P. Soliman