Sine Kabataan Short Films to premiere at the 3rd Philippine Film Industry Month

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) will kickstart the Sine Kabataan Short Film Festival 2023 with a premiere of the 10 competing short films from September 22 to 24 at Cinema 1, Red Carpet Shangri-la Plaza, Mandaluyong during the celebration of the 3rd Philippine Film Industry Month.

Eager to provide curious newcomers with an exceptional experience in filmmaking, Sine Kabataan presents a handpicked selection of short films that touches on contemporary challenges from the perspective of the youth.

Furthermore, the festival's centerpiece is the awards ceremony on September 22 where the most outstanding films will be recognized. A panel of esteemed judges, each a luminary in their field, has thoughtfully reviewed the short films in competition, recognizing exceptional achievement and storytelling prowess.

“The original short films created by our filmmakers from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao give us hope that they will be our nation's voices for empowerment," said Rica Arevalo, head of FDCP’s Education Division.

“We have the honor to present brave stories that are not only able to captivate the audience but also have the power to catalyze change. With the Sine Kabataan, we hope to create a generation of youth who are not afraid to speak up and articulate their vision, one frame at a time," Ally Del Pilar, Project Development Officer, added.

Beyond the big screen, the Sine Kabataan Short Film Lab and Festival creates a platform for next generation filmmakers to foster connections, inspire future creators, and celebrate the art of storytelling through film with their unique understanding of the contemporary challenges and how to address them.

For more updates on Sine Kabataan Short Lab and Festival 2023, follow FDCP on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

FDCP offers free screenings of Pinoy comedy films in Cinematheque Centres with “Sine Halakhak”

Wazzup Pilipinas!?

In celebration of the 3rd Philippine Film Industry Month (PFIM) this September, the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) Cinematheque Centres in Manila, Iloilo, Davao, Negros, and Nabunturan will screen Filipino comedy films for free from September 6 to 28.

In line with PFIM 2023’s theme “Tuloy pa rin ang Tawanan,” the FDCP curated 17 iconic films under the Sine Halakhak banner that shaped Filipino popular culture and made a significant legacy on Philippine cinema. Furthermore, these films elevated Philippine comedy beyond its entertainment value by combining aspects of social and political commentary to their stories.

The following titles are open to the public in Cinematheque Centres nationwide:

● Ang Babae sa Septic Tank by Marlon Rivera

● Ang Mga Kidnapper ni Ronnie Lazaro by Sigfreid Barros Sanchez

● Ang Pangarap Kong Holdap by Marius Talampas

● Ang Tanging Ina by Wenn Deramas

● Banyo Queen by Al Tantay

● Booba by Joyce Bernal

● D’ Lucky Ones! by Wenn Deramas

● Daddy O, Baby O! by Eric Quizon

● Die Beautiful by Jun Robles Lana

● Here Comes the Bride by Chris Martinez

● Isprikitik: Walastik Kung Pumitik by Efren Jarlego

● Kimmy Dora: Kambal sa Kiyeme by Joyce Bernal

● Ma’am, May We Go Out? by Mike Relon Makiling

● Mr. Suave by Joyce Bernal

● Petrang Kabayo by Wenn Deramas

● Praybeyt Benjamin by Wenn Deramas

● Yaya & Angelina: The Spoiled Brat Movie by Michael Tuviera

Filipino Blockbusters

Blockbuster films 

"Ang Tanging Ina," "Here Comes the Bride," "Yaya and Angelina: The Spoiled Brat Movie," “Petrang Kabayo,” and "Praybeyt Benjamin" are included in this year's Sine Halakhak line-up. The latter was the first Filipino film to reach PHP 300 million in box office sales, making it one of the highest-grossing Filipino films of all time.

Critically acclaimed films "Kimmy Dora: Kambal sa Kiyeme" and "Die Beautiful" are also included in the Sine Halakhak showcase. The latter premiered at the 2016 Tokyo International Film Festival, where it received the Audience Choice Award and Best Actor for Paolo Ballesteros.

Independent Comedy Films

Independent films included in Sine Halakhak are "Ang Babae sa Septic Tank" and "Ang mga Kidnapper ni Ronnie Lazaro," both of which delve into metafiction by depicting the production of local independent films that could potentially be recognized by critics and international award-giving bodies. Furthermore, “Ang Babae sa Septic Tank” was the Philippines' official entry for the 2011 Academy Awards for Best Foreign Film. "Ang Pangarap Kong Holdap" is another comedy film that revolves around a group of friends who plot their first big heist in the hopes of becoming the town's most notorious thieves.

Filipino Classics

"Daddy O, Baby O!", "Ma'am, May We Go Out?", and "Isprikitik: Walastik Kung Pumitik" are Filipino classic films that depict the struggles and misadventures of working-class people in the country while incorporating Filipino humor in their stories.

The first two films are top-billed by Rodolfo “Dolphy” Quizon and Tito, Vic and Joey, who are well-known comedians with a huge fan base and prolific body of work in the local industry.

2000s Comedy Films

Lastly, comedy films from the early 2000s such as “Booba,” "Mr. Suave,” "D' Lucky Ones!" and "Banyo Queen" complete this year’s Sine Halakhak line-up. These films sustain the tradition of Filipino humor by portraying memorable characters who cope with misfortunes in a comical, light-hearted manner.

Sine Halakhak showcases films that are top-billed by some of the most prominent and well-respected comedians in the local film industry, including Eugene Domingo, Ai-Ai Delas Alas, Vice Ganda, Michael V., TVJ (Tito, Vic, and Joey), and the late Comedy King Dolphy.

These icons of Philippine Comedy will be honored at PFIM's Closing Ceremony on September 29 in recognition of their achievements in the entertainment industry. 

Sine Halakhak screenings are open to the public for free. Moreover, the FDCP will host Film Talks and film showings in select venues throughout September in celebration of Philippine comedy and its contribution in shaping the cultural identity of Filipinos.

For news and updates, stay tuned to FDCP's Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram pages.

Beyond Einstein: Pinay physicist investigates exotic subatomic particles

Wazzup Pilipinas!?


UPD-CS NIP associate professor Dr. Gennevieve Macam and her colleagues are working to understand the behavior of a relatively new subatomic particle called a Weyl fermion. (Photo credit: Dr. Gennevieve Macam)

Building on Albert Einstein’s work, a Filipina physicist and an international team of researchers recently discovered that a special class of subatomic particles can be described using concepts from the famous scientist’s Theory of Relativity.

UP Diliman College of Science National Institute of Physics (UPD-CS NIP) associate professor Dr. Gennevieve Macam and her colleagues were investigating Weyl fermions, exotic subatomic particles that are similar to electrons but have no mass. They found that the behavior of these particles can be understood by adapting Einstein’s ideas on causality.

Causality refers to how one event can directly lead to another event in a cause-and-effect relationship. Einstein took this idea further when he realized that nothing can travel faster than light. This led to the concept of "light cones," which represent all the possible paths that light—or any signal moving at the speed of light—can take from a given event in space and time. Anything inside the light cone of an event could potentially be influenced by that event, while anything outside the light cone cannot be affected by it due to the limitation imposed by the speed of light. The outer boundary of this cone is called the “event horizon.”

Dr. Macam collaborated with Prof. Guoqing Chang of Nanyang Technological University and his team. They found that these concepts, which normally apply to space and time, could also be used to describe the behavior of Weyl fermions in terms of energy and momentum.

“Our work shows how Einstein’s equations can be adapted to describe quantum materials,” Dr. Macam said. “This paves the way to a better understanding of how the strange quantum world and our everyday reality are intertwined.”

Weyl fermions were first theorized by German physicist Hermann Weyl in 1929 but their existence was only proven almost a century later, in 2015. Due to their charged but massless nature, Weyl fermions may have future applications in electronics and computers.