The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and the Department of Health (DOH) officially premiered their six (6) short films advocating for a healthier lifestyle in the Healthy Pilipinas Short Film Festival last June 24, 2022 at the Red Carpet Cinema 1, Shangri-La Plaza in Ortigas.

The gala screening accommodated students, film enthusiasts, health experts, and guests in witnessing the first public screening of the five (5) regional films and one (1) featured music documentary film made by filmmakers from across the regions in line with the DOH’s Healthy Pilipinas campaign which advocates healthy living through the medium of easy-to-watch but impactful films.

“Through this project, we get to amplify that everything is integrated. Cinema is so fluid and it expands to so many sectors. This is the reason FDCP constantly reaches out to other government agencies such as DOH, para makita nila ang importansya ng cinema, in using cinema as that medium to send powerful messages, it changes people’s perspectives.” FDCP Chairperson and CEO, Liza Diño notes.

In a video message, DOH Spokesperson Undersecretary Maria Rosario Vergeire shared her remarks for the occasion, “Ang mga pelikulang mapapanood natin ay testamento ng pagkakaisa ng sining at kalusugan para sa ikabubuti ng ating mga mamamayan. Isinusulong ng adhikain na mas paigtingin ang paglikha ng kamalayan sa Healthy Habits na kailangang isabuhay ng bawat Pilipino. Nawa’y ang pagbubukas ng Healthy Pilipinas Short Film Festival ay magreresulta sa pagsulong sa kaalaman, kamalayan, at kalusugan ng bawat Pilipino. Lahat ng ito ay para sa isang Healthy Pilipinas.” 

The Health Department was represented by Dr. Beverly Ho, Director of Health Promotion Bureau, Dr. Dominic Maddumba, Chief of Behavior Change and Social Mobilization Division, Health Promotion Bureau.

Dr. Ho mentioned, “Mahalaga po sa amin na mataas yung kamalayan o yung health literacy ng mga Pilipino tungkol sa mga healthy habits na kailangan nila. We thought this partnership with FDCP would allow us to creatively inform the public to get to know more about these behaviors. This is a movement towards increasing health literacy of Filipinos to become a cornerstone of our universal healthcare reforms.”

The film festival not only aims to promote a healthier lifestyle for Filipinos but also to spotlight talents of regional filmmakers. DOH and FDCP saw this as an opportunity to be a starting point for a meaningful conversation about these important themes on health.  The screening of these short films on June 25 and 26 will be accompanied by talkback sessions via the online platform, Zoom.

First in the lineup is Carlo Catu’s Ang Paboritong Pinggan ni Nanay, a film that highlights nutrition and the value of having a meal together as a family. It tells the overlapping stories of three siblings while remembering their mother. Child’s Play by Julienne Ilagan focuses on reproductive health and the current concerns of teenage pregnancy.

Adding diversity to the lineup is an animated film by Keith Deligero, Brand X, showing the harsh reality of waste management issues and environmental health. A drama-romance film from Ryanne Murcia and Zurich Chan, Llegada, poses the topic of emotional and physical abuse between spouses. Life on Moon by Sheron Dayoc and Dito Ka Lang by Ice Seguerra, both put importance on mental well-being and serve as an eye-opener on the reality of depression.

For two consecutive days after the premiere, June 25-26, back-to-back screenings of each film will be conducted online followed by an individual talkback session after each film together with the filmmakers, a health professional or subject expert, and a celebrity moderator.

Dubbed as, What the Health: Real Talks Towards a Healthy Pilipinas, the talkback sessions will feature health experts from different organizations who will be present as panelists following the screening of every short film. Celebrity advocates, Maxene Magalona, Issa Liton, and Regine Tolentino, will also serve as moderators. Other celebrity moderators of the sessions are, environment TV Show host,  Ernie Lopez, news anchor, Rica Lazo, and actor, RR Herrera.

Healthy Pilipinas is a communication campaign initiated by the Department of Health to promote “7 Healthy Habits” for a healthier and  more sustainable lifestyle for Filipinos. They tapped the help of the FDCP to use film as a platform, and make the campaign easily relatable and accessible to everyone.

An onsite screening of the Healthy Pilipinas short films last June 25 at Gateway Cineplex Cinema 1, also took place alongside films from FDCP’s other events, the CineIskool Film Festival and the Pelikulaya LGBTQIA+ International Film Festival.

For its online screenings on June 25 and 26, the five (5) regional films and one (1) featured music documentary film will be divided into two sets. An easy guide on the screening schedules and registration links are below, Zoom link details will be provided upon filling-up the forms:

Day 1: June 25, 2022

2:00 PM Ang Paboritong Pinggan ni Nanay by Carlo Enciso Catu 

Talkback Session Ang Paboritong Pinggan ay Masustansyang Pinggan: https://bit.ly/HPSFFDay1AngPaboritongPingganayMasustansya...

3:30PM Child’s Play by Julienne Ilagan

Talkback Session Think your Life Won't Change With a Baby? https://bit.ly/HPSFFDay1youthinkyourlifewontchangewithababy

5:00 PM Brand X by Keith Deligero

Talkback Session Brand X: Reversing the Trashing of our Planet

https://bit.ly/HPSFFDay1BrandXReversingtheTrashingOfOurPl…

Day 2: June 26, 2022

2:00PM Llegada by Ryanne Murcia and Zurich Chan 

Talkback Session Killing Me Softly with His Words: A Discussion on Emotional Abuse

https://bit.ly/HPSFFDay2KillingMeSoftywithHisWords

3:30PM Life on Moon by Sheron Dayoc

Talkback Session It's Okay Not to be Okay, Let's Talk!

https://bit.ly/HPSFFDay2ItsOkayNotTobeOkayLetsTalk

5:00PM Dito Ka Lang by Ice Seguerra

Talkback Session When Music Heals: Confronting Depression Through Song

https://bit.ly/HPSFFDay2WhenMusicHealsConfrontingDepressi...