The Japan Foundation Asia Center and the University of the Philippines Film Institute are set to hold an exchange program for film students in Asia, dubbed as “…and Action! Asia #03.”
This endeavor is slated from February 26 to March 10 in cooperation with the Ateneo de Manila University and the De La Salle-College of Benilde.
Nineteen film students from the Philippines, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand and Malaysia will come together and coproduce short films within an eight-day production schedule in Quezon City.
The Japan Foundation Asia Center, a unit within the Japan Foundation dedicated to conduct and support collaborative initiatives in Asia, launched …and Action! Asia in 2014 with the aim of encouraging a new generation of filmmakers from East Asia to achieve a greater understanding of filmmaking in other countries, expand their networks in the region and utilize their experience for their studies and future careers.
For its third edition, the program duration is extended and held outside Japan for the first time. Thanks to the partnership with the University of the Philippines Film Institute, the students this year are given the opportunity to collaborate in the Philippines.
The gathering of Asian students is timely, as the country is currently reveling in what is called the “third golden age of cinema”, bolstered by countless Philippine films enjoying critical acclaim and awards from various festivals and competitions all over the world.
Another first for the program is the production and screening of the short films on March 8, starting at 2 p.m., in the Cine Adarna UP Film Institute. It is open to the public with free admission.
As in the previous years, the program will also have lectures by guest speakers, including renowned film producer Bianca Balbuena, multiawarded film director Carlitos Siguion-Reyna and screenwriting guru Armando “Bing” Lao.
…and Action! Asia #03 is supported by Sony Philippines.