UN Philippines launches youth film contest on post-pandemic future that leaves no one behind

INTRODUCTION

As part of this year’s celebration of United Nations (UN) Day in the Philippines on 22 October, the UN Philippines is organizing a nationwide video competition entitled, “CineSilip: Mga Kwento ng Pag-asa sa Gitna ng Pandemya.” (Glimpse Through Film: Stories of Hope in the Midst of a Pandemic)

The contest seeks to showcase how young Filipinos envision their role in creating a transformative future for the Philippines that is inclusive, equitable and leaves no one behind. While COVID-19 exposed the weaknesses of our society, it has also shown us for example that technology can mediate day-to-day interactions in ways never thought possible and through solidarity, COVID-19 need not stop us from sustaining the important task of transforming society in ways that leave no one behind.  We want to see glimpses of the dreams and aspirations of young Filipinos writ large through film. 

The competition is open to Filipinos 12 - 24 years of age. This age group, which belongs to Generation 2030, has a large stake in and the greatest potential for individual and collective action to achieve Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development.

CONTEST THEME

The UN Philippines will showcase the dreams and aspirations of young Filipinos for a transformative future for the Philippines, post-pandemic, that is inclusive, equitable and leaves no one behind.

CONTEST MECHANICS 

1. The contest is open to individuals, between the ages of 12 and 24 years at the time of the competition.
2. Entries must be submitted on or before 18 October 2021,11:59 PM. Final entries must be no more than three (3) minutes, including opening and closing credits. 
3. The entry could either be a live-action video or animation in a narrative format, or any of the following genres: drama, comedy, musical, action, suspense, historical, sci-fi, adventure or documentary in support of the contest theme. 

Instructions for submission are as follows:

• Click on “CineSilip: Mga Kwento Ng Pag-asa sa Gitna Ng Pandemya” on the UN Philippines Facebook Page. This will route the user to the mechanics of the competition. For the full guidelines, users must read and understand the contest rules below. Users must “Like” the UN Philippines Facebook Page before s/he can join the contest.
• The official entry form can be accessed via https://bit.ly/CineSilip. By signing the Registration Form, the contestants agree to abide by the rules of the competition and the film guidelines and by the decision of the panel of judges. Consent forms can be downloaded here. 
• Users can submit one (1) entry during the submission period.
• All submitted entries will be stored on the UN Philippines Youtube Page but will not be visible to the public. 

4. Once all entries have been gathered, a Selection Team will screen all of the valid/verified entries in order to choose the Top 10 finalists. Top 10 Entries will be announced on 20 October 2021 on the UN Philippines Facebook Page. The entries will be scored according to the following criteria:

• 35%: Theme Integration – this will be based on the degree to which the entry faithfully captured and depicted the theme of the contest;
• 25%: Creativity and originality – this will be based on the novelty and imagination of the entry’s approach to story-telling;
• 25%: Production Value – this will be based on the entry’s production value, in terms of direction, cinematography, music and sound, editing, etc.;
• 15%: Impact – this will be based on the film's resonance to the intellect and emotions.

The shortlisted contestants will be notified via email and phone using the contact details that they indicated in the registration form. 

5. The Top 10 entries will then be uploaded on the UN Philippines Facebook Page for public viewing and for online voting for the Voter’s Choice Award. Online voting will be held from 20 - 22 October 2021, 12:00 PM. Facebook users can only vote once per entry during the whole voting period. It must be noted however that the entrant with the most votes will win the Voter’s Choice Award. It does not automatically guarantee a spot in the Top 3.
6. The Selection Committee will score the Top 10 Entries to determine the top three winners. 
7. The criteria for selecting the Top three winners will be as follows:

• 35%: Theme Integration – this will be based on the degree to which the entry faithfully captured and depicted the theme of the contest;
• 25%: Creativity and originality – this will be based on the novelty and imagination of the entry’s approach to story-telling;
• 25%: Production Value – this will be based on the entry’s production value, in terms of direction, cinematography, music and sound, editing, etc.;
• 15%: Impact – this will be based on the film's resonance to the intellect and emotions.

8. The Top three winners will be announced on 22 October 2021 during the UN Day 2021 Celebration hosted by the UN Philippines. The top three contestants will be notified via email and phone using the contact details that they provided in the registration form.  

9. The Top 3 Winners and the shortlisted finalists will have their videos shown in a Film Festival from 22 - 31 October 2021. 

10. All entries will be publicly available via the UN Philippines Facebook Page starting on 20 October 2021.

CONTEST RULES AND GUIDELINES

1. Entrants are individuals that are bona fide Filipino citizens between 12 and 24 years old, at the time of the competition. A scanned copy of the entrants’ birth certificate will be submitted to show proof of the entrants’ age. Entrants may or may not be enrolled.

2. Entrants must not be professional filmmakers. They must not have previously won any award in any Short Film competition, in the Philippines or in other countries. 

3. UN Staff and their relatives up to the second degree are disqualified from the competition.

4. The submission period is from 27 September  to 18 October 2021. The deadline for submission of entries is on 18 October 2021, 11:59 PM. Entries received after this date will not be considered.

5. Entrants may submit only one (1) entry each.

6. All entries must be submitted in digital format.

7. The length of the video should not exceed 3 minutes, including the opening and closing credits.

8. The specifications for video submissions are as follows:

• All film entries must be in digital video format. The following copies will be submitted for screening and archival purposes:  

1. HD file (MP4 or MOV with bit rate not more than 15mbps) of film with English subtitles if film is in another dialect and a 30-seconder trailer;  
2. HD File of film with video frame rate of 24fps;
3. Aspect ratio: 16:9
   
   Size: 1920 x 1020 px,1600 x 900 px or 1280 x 720 px (minimum)
4. File Size <25MB

• A poster of the film should be uploaded on the Registration Link

1. Format: portrait, .jpg (.png)
2. Aspect ratio: 1.45
3. Size: 555 x 800 px
4. Resolution 300 pixels per inch

9.  Entrants may use any genre (i.e. Narrative, Documentary, Experimental, Musical, etc.), but must fully and clearly depict the concept “CineSilip: Mga Kwento Ng Pag-asa Sa Gitna Ng Pandemya” (as explained above) in its main story, dialogue, interactions, or visual elements.

10.  Films may be shot and edited using any device such as, but not limited to, professional filming devices like digital cameras, mobile devices (i.e. smart phones, tablets), desktop or laptop computers, and the like. The film’s final resolution should be acceptable enough for cinematic and television screening, at least 790p.

11.  No copyrighted materials (music, images, etc.) may be used for this contest unless the entrant owns the copyright or has a license to use the material for this contest. Written permission must be obtained and provided upon request for all copyrighted materials.

12. All footage must be shot by the entrant. Previously shot footage may be used, and those who will be needing to shoot additional material should adhere to their city’s rules and regulations on going outdoors.

13. Entries may use any language. However, subtitling in English is required. 

14. Content must comply with all local and national laws of the Philippines. Content must not (1) promote illegal behavior; (2) support racial, religious, sexual or other invidious prejudice; (3) advocate sexual or violent exploitation; (4) violate rights established by law or agreement; (5) invade the privacy of any person; or 6) be otherwise inappropriate as determined by the UN Philippines in its sole and conclusive determination.

15.   Entries must be strictly independent films and not produced by commercial producers.

16. All entries must not be viewed publicly before the UN Day celebration on 22 October. Entrants may not—prior to the awards ceremony on 22 October 2021 — publicly share or publish their entry in any manner and may not post or upload their entry to any website or video hosting site (including, but not limited to, Facebook, Youtube or Vimeo and other online or digital platforms). Failure to comply with this requirement may result in disqualification of the entry.

17. The ownership of the underlying intellectual property of the entry remains with the entrant, with the following exceptions:

• Entrants grant UN Philippines the right to use their names, photographs, statements, quotes, testimonials, and video submissions for non-commercial promotional purposes without notification or further compensation.
• Entrants grant UN Philippines the right to use, reproduce, distribute, perform, and/or display the entrant’s video without further compensation or notification to the entrant.
• UN Philippines maintains the right to reproduce, distribute, perform, display, or exhibit the video for non-commercial promotional purposes on their website, at conferences, or at any other venues.

18. By submitting to this contest, the entrant acknowledges that her/his work may become subject to public voting on the contest site. 

19. ALL entrants must submit all requirements, completed and signed and uploaded on the contest page together with their entries. 

20. The UN Philippines will not provide compensation for any costs incurred by the filmmakers to produce submitted entries. Only winning entries will be awarded a cash prize. The cash prizes are as follows:

First Place - Php 30,000

Second Place - Php20,000 

Third Place - Php10,000 

21. The decision of the Board of Judges is final.

22. For more information visit the UN Philippines Facebook page or email: unic.manila@unic.org.