The Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in Eastern Visayas is inviting communication students to participate in the ‘PelikulAgraryo 2025’ short film festival. This initiative aims to highlight successful stories stemming from the country’s agrarian reform program. Jose Alsmith Soria, the regional information officer for DAR-Eastern Visayas, emphasized the festival’s goal to engage young filmmakers in narrating the impact of agrarian reform from their unique perspectives.
The festival, themed ‘Pag-ani sa mga Pangarap: Mga Kwento ng Pag-asa at Tagumpay sa Agraryo’ (Harvest of Dreams: Agrarian Stories of Hope and Success), encourages students to focus their films on real-life experiences of agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) and agrarian reform beneficiaries organizations (ARBOs). The competition is divided into two categories: ARB and ARBO, and is exclusively open to students enrolled in communication and media-related courses.
Participants will first compete in regional elimination rounds, with the national finals and awards ceremony scheduled for April 18, 2025, in Metro Manila. Regional winners can win up to PHP30,000 for the best film in each category, with additional prizes of PHP15,000 and PHP10,000 for second and third place, respectively. Individual awards for best director, best actor, best actress, best cinematography, best editing, and best screenplay will each receive PHP10,000.
The regional winners will advance to the national level, where they can compete for the top prize of PHP60,000 for the best film, along with other awards. The deadline for submitting regional entries is February 28, 2025. Interested students in Eastern Visayas can visit their local DAR office for more information.