MANILA, PHILIPPINES, FEBRUARY 11, 2022 (UPDATED AS OF FEBRUARY 15, 2022) – Eleven (11) Filipino filmmakers were selected to participate at the recently concluded Kyoto Filmmakers Lab (KFL) last January 28 to 30, 2022, held in-person in Kyoto, Japan for participants within the country, and virtually for participants outside Japan.

Rob Mego Perez, a film student, was chosen by the KFL to attend the program physically in Kyoto. The ten other members of the Philippine delegation, who all attended virtually, was composed of award-winning directors, up and coming producers, experienced screenwriters, and other filmmakers that are set to make their mark in the industry. They are Ferdinand Lavin Jr., Richard Legaspi, Mio Dagsaan, Cheska Marfori, Jeremiah Magoncia, Megan Louise Hernandez, Dennize Jem Basa, Andrei Karol Hernandez, Marcial Tarnate III, and Noah Del Rosario. 

This film lab is the training arm of the Kyoto Historica International Film Festival in collaboration with the Tokyo International Film Festival, Italian Cultural Institute of Osaka, and Biennale College Cinema. 

Every year, KFL receives more than 200 applications from different countries, from which 40 participants were chosen to join the Master Sessions for this year’s KFL. Out of this forty, twenty attended the onsite workshop, while the rest attended via online platform. 

The three-day filmmaking training was tailor-fit to young filmmakers for them to develop their talents, to share inspiration, and to foster collaboration among the participants from various nationalities and filmmaking backgrounds. The lectures were given by esteemed directors and professionals, highlighting Japanese heritage and the spirit of its filmmaking.

Perez, a Communications and Media Studies student from the University of the Philippines Visayas is the only undergraduate chosen to join the workshops onsite in Kyoto. He is also the only representative supported by the International Film Studies Assistance Program of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) for the 14th KFL.

“As a film student, being surrounded by people with various backgrounds in the film industry was both intimidating and inspiring,” Perez shared some of his experiences at KFL 2022. He adds, “It was wonderful to see how the crew worked behind the camera. I've discovered that filming is a sort of art that defies categorization.”

KFL opted to offer a separate Master Sessions Online to make the workshop accessible despite the travel restrictions brought about by the ongoing pandemic. Of the twenty selected participants for the virtual workshops, half were Filipinos.

FDCP Chairperson and CEO Liza Diño shared, “We have a lot to learn from Japanese culture, especially their film culture and work ethic. We at the FDCP are delighted that Fiipino filmmakers have taken part in this learning experience that gave them both knowledge and exposure that will hopefully inspire them to create more quality films.”

Aside from the technical workshops on filmmaking, participants were also given the chance to learn how to present a project through a lecture with the partner film school of KFL, the Biennale College Cinema, a program run by La Biennale di Venezia. 

The annual Kyoto Filmmakers Lab offers an opportunity for filmmakers to network with other practitioners and experts from across the globe and be immersed in an international set-up. For more information on the assistance programs and trainings offered by the FDCP, you may visit: https://www.fdcp.ph/programs/trainings-and-labs.