Cinematografo Originals Contest now accepting entries

DALY CITY, California – The works of Filipino filmmakers made the international scene in 2016.  To build on these breakthroughs the newborn CINEMATOGRAFO Originals Contest is now accepting entries, with the goal of nurturing new filmmaking talent from the Filipino diaspora.

Last year was filled with inspiration for aspiring filmmakers in the diaspora. Director Brillante Mendoza’s“Ma’ Rosa,” won the 2016 Cannes Best Actress Award for lead actress Jaclyn Jose. Lav Diaz won the Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize at the 2016 Berlin Film Festival for “Hele Sa Hiwagang Hapis” and the Golden Lion Prize for Best Picture at the 2016 Venice Film Festival Diaz for “Ang Babaeng Humayo.” These were just some of the big winners last year.

CINEMATOGRAFO Originals Contest is a new annual competition that provides seed grants for full-length features, either documentary or narrative.  It is open to all U.S. citizens and/or U.S. permanent residents of Filipino descent, 18 years or older.

For budding filmmakers struggling to get funding for their projects, CINEMATOGRAFO will award more than $100,000 worth of production, marketing and distribution funds.  This is a path to have stories realized on the big screen.

The contest criteria are 40% Story and Premise, 20% Presentation, 20% Plot and Pacing and 10% Theme.

CINEMATOGRAFO Originals Contest winners will actually highlight the CINEMATOGRAFO International Film Festival to be held this October in San Francisco.  “This will be a platform for a new generation of U.S.-based Filipino or Filipino American filmmakers to bring their films to the world stage,” said Film Festival Director John-D Lazatin, also the Global Head of Theatricals of ABS-CBN International.

There are three deadlines for submission to allow ample time for filmmakers, including students, to submit the best versions of their entries: January 31, 2017, Early Bird; February 15, 2017, Regular; and February 28, 2017, Late Deadline.  For more information, visit www.cinematografofilmfestival.com .