Now on its 24th year, the French Film Festival in the country started last June 12, 2019 as organized by the Embassy of France in the Philippines and supported by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP). The Festival offers an alternative form of cinema with a lineup of 15 contemporary French films that explore the depths of human relationships and the importance of family.

Filipino filmmaker Dwein Baltazar’s “Oda sa Wala” joins the diverse selection of outstanding films in competition at the 54th Karlovy Vary International Film Festival (KVIFF), making it the only competing Filipino film in the prestigious film festival for 2019. Established in 1946, the KVIFF is the largest film festival in the Czech Republic, the leading film event across Central and Eastern Europe, and one of the oldest film festivals in the world. The KVIFF shares the same category as Cannes, Berlin, Venice, San Sebastian, Moscow, Montreal, Shanghai, and Tokyo as one of the world’s most prestigious film festivals.

To provide a platform for expressing the youth’s perception on social issues, the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) will once again hold the Sine Kabataan, a short film competition that showcases the youth’s raw talents in telling stories through films about socially relevant issues that affect the youth.

The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) continues its developmental programs for the empowerment of regional cinema with the first-ever Southern Voices Film Lab (SOVOLAB), which aims to advance and develop feature film projects from Mindanaoan filmmakers.

The French Film Festival returns for its 24th edition in the Philippines to offer audiences an alternative form of cinema with a lineup of 15 contemporary French films that explore the depths of human relationships and the importance of family. As it approaches its silver anniversary in 2020, the French Film Festival continues to expand its audience nationwide by organizing screenings in Metro Manila, Cebu City, Davao City, and, for the first time ever, in Bacolod City.

Film director Petersen Vargas’ second feature project “Some Nights I Feel Like Walking” has been selected for this year's Locarno Film Festival’s Open Doors Hub program in Switzerland. Established 17 years ago, the Open Doors Hub Program is Locarno Film Festival’s industry sidebar. Directors and producers with projects chosen for the program will be mentored and will have the opportunity to network with potential international distributors and partners. This year, the co-production platform will present eight (8) promising projects from Southeast Asia for international collaborations.