MANILA, Philippines - During the past few years, the Philippines has become known for indie films that have received awards from film festivals around the world, including Brillante Mendoza’s Kinatay which won for him the Best Director award in the Cannes Film Festival in 2009.
With growing popularity of indie films by a new breed of film directors, SM Cinema aims to bring the genre to the mainstream with the launching of Big Shot, a search for the best young independent filmmakers in the country.
Big Shot is open to all aspiring student filmmakers from any reputable college or university. Participants will each produce a short film or full- length movie about modern-day heroism with the help of renowned mentors. Entries can be submitted until Aug. 15.
SM Cinema will then choose the top three movies, awarding P500,000 each to the winning filmmakers. SM Cinema will show these movies during the Indie Film Festival on January 2011, right after the Manila Film Festival.
The Big Shot competition was launched during the special screening of Bakal Boys, an indie film about children metal divers recently shown at Centerstage. San Beda College Rector Fr. Aloysius Maranan, Apogee Productions’ Albert Almendralejo and Rapa Lopa of the Aquino Foundation graced the special screening. In his speech, Lopa emphasized the role of cinemas as innovative venues for social awareness.
Big Shot is one of the many exciting events of SM Cinema. For details, log on to www.smcinema.