TWO short films about the displacement of communities from the perspective of the youth have been made after undergoing a project lab and winning production grants worth P500,000 each under iACADEMY’s iNDIEGENIUS program.
This year, the second edition of the program aims to empower more filmmakers with regional backgrounds to bring their films to life.
Launched in 2023, iNDIEGENIUS is part of a greater commitment to “foster film education and support the next generation of filmmakers,” in partnership with the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and the Directors Guild of the Philippines (DGPI).
The short film Bisan Abo, Wala Bilin (Even Ashes, Nothing Remains) by Kydylee Torato, one of the two finalist grantees from the first edition, recently premiered at the Sinag Maynila Film Festival among other regional film festivals. Meanwhile, Muli Ka Na, Merlie (Uwi Ka Na, Merlie) by Shane David, the other winner, is set to premiere this year.
At a screening of the two films last week at the Power Plant Mall in Makati, iACADEMY president Raquel Perez-Wong said that the iNDIEGENIUS film lab is one of the best in the Philippines.
“We’re a school that specializes in software engineering, game development, film, and multimedia, and we try to make it accessible to the next game changers and creative storytellers. But there are students who, for different reasons, are not able to go to school or complete a degree. This led to the birth of iNDIEGENIUS,” she said.
Building on the success of last year’s inaugural event, which was open to all, the second edition will focus on younger filmmakers, aged 18 to 35. The call for applications runs until Jan. 27.
Ten projects will once again be selected to undergo the film lab, two of which will win P500,000 production grants. Meanwhile, the program has expanded its scholar slots (those filmmakers whose projects are not ready for production but who will still join workshops) from two to 10.
The two scholars last year were Cedrick Labadia and Sophia Velonza, who went on to create their own films and also represented the Philippines at the Busan International Film Festival.
“This expansion means that up to 20 projects in development will benefit from the project lab,” said Keith Sicat, program director of iNDIEGENIUS. “The whole point is to open the door and make sure it’s accessible. We don’t want to be gatekeepers. We want to open the floodgates for everybody.”
Those interested in applying can do so until Jan. 27 via https://indiegenius.iacademy.edu.ph. iNDIEGENIUS will select 10 finalist projects and 10 scholars, all of whom will undergo intensive workshops in March. — Brontë H. Lacsamana