The awards were held at the Studio 1 of ABS CBN Building. In attendance were the Star Cinema and ABS-CBN executives and Board of Judges headed by Charo Santos-Concio, EVP of the Entertainment Group. Star Cinema’s Managing Director Malou Santos gave the opening remarks, saying how it has always been part of the Star Cinema vision to exhaust all means available to look for the next great story, and that it was only a matter of time before a leading film outfit such as Star should hold its own screenwriting contest.
Towards the end of the program, Charo Santos-Concio – in her closing remarks – emphasized that this initiative of Star Cinema will definitely be a yearly endeavor. To quote her own words, "..We expect to discover more writing talents from among the youth, who are just waiting for their break, year after year".
The impressive and distinguished Board of Judges responsible for choosing the winners and finalists from the initial 219 entries were also disclosed for the first time. All judges were carefully selected to represent the broadest possible range in terms of background and field of expertise. Writers, producers, researchers, directors, members of the academe, journalists and network executives comprised the 25-member body.
For an extensive coverage of the Awarding Ceremonies, you may visit Star Cinema’s webpage, www.abs-cbn/starcinema.com.
Star Cinema will start accepting entries for the Second Annual Scriptwriting Contest in April 2001.