DAR Ilocos launches short film contest to highlight agrarian reform beneficiaries
SAN FERNANDO CITY, La Union (PIA)—In a bid to uplift the agrarian reform beneficiaries by sharing their narratives through creativity in filmmaking, the Department of Agrarian Reform (DAR) in the Ilocos region is calling for entries in their student short film competition.
Dubbed PelikulAgraryo: Department of Agrarian Reform Central and Regional Film Festival (DARCRFF) 2025, the competition will announce regional winners that will represent the region in the national finals.
DARCRFF 2025, with the theme “Pag-ani sa mga Pangarap: Mga Kwento ng Pag-asa at Tagumpay sa Agraryo” (Harvest of Dreams: Agrarian Stories of Hope and Success), features true-to-life success stories of the agrarian reform beneficiaries (ARBs) and agrarian reform beneficiary organizations (ARBOs) in the region.
Registration of entries is until February 7 only; participants can register through this link: https://bit.ly/REGISTRATIONPelikulAgraryo.
The competition is divided into two categories:
- The ARB Category focusing on beneficiaries of the Support to Parcelization of Lands for Individual Titles (SPLIT) project
- The ARBO Category highlights the successes of organizations involved in DAR programs
Maria Ana Francisco, festival chairperson and DAR Region 1 director, emphasized DAR’s steadfast commitment to enhancing the lives of the farmers, highlighting the importance of showcasing their success stories.
“By celebrating their passion for filmmaking and providing a stage to exhibit their cinematic talents, PelikulAgraryo 2025 will advocate for the inspiring stories of ARBs and ARBOs, fostering awareness of the Department’s milestones in elevating the quality of life for farmers, especially in the Ilocos Region,” she said.
Competition timeline
- Call for Entries: January 6, 2025
- Deadline of Registration: February 7, 2025 (Regionals)
- Deadline of Submission: February 28, 2025 (Regionals)
- Initial Screening and Judging of Entries: March 3 and March 14, 2025
- Regional Awarding of Winners: Between March 14, 2025 to March 31, 2025 (Per Region)
- Screening of Finalists and Judging for Nationals: Between March 14, 2025 to April 4, 2025
- Nationals Awarding of Winners: Friday, April 18, 2025
Eligibility and guidelines
- The competition is open to all Filipino communication and media-related tertiary-level students enrolled in any college or university in the Ilocos Region during the academic year 2024-2025.
- Schools outside the Ilocos Region can join the regional competition in their respective regions.
- Participating schools can submit multiple entries, but production staff members cannot be repeated across entries.
- Participants can visit DAR provincial offices for potential case studies and obtain certification of authenticity from DAR provincial/regional offices or Municipal Agrarian Reform Offices (MARO).
Entries and submission
- Films must be original and not submitted to any other contests except for academic purposes.
- Film duration should be between 10-15 minutes, including title cards and end credits.
- Films with languages other than English require subtitles.
- Outputs should be submitted digitally through this link: https://bit.ly/SUBMISSIONPelikulAgraryo.
Awards and national finals qualification
- A total of P180,000 will be dispersed for the awards in the regional competition, which are the top four for each category: best director, best actor, best actress, best cinematography, best editing, and best screenplay.
- There will be 20 finalists that will represent the region in the national finals, 10 for each category.
For other details, participating student filmmakers can access the detailed mechanics and terms and conditions via this link: bit.ly/PelikulAgraryo2025GuidelinesandMechanics.
Director Francisco urged qualified participants to join the competition, emphasizing that these storytellers will play a crucial role in increasing public appreciation for the vital work of farmers in guaranteeing national food security.
By intensifying its efforts to disseminate the success stories of agrarian reform beneficiaries and advocate for their recognition, the DAR is committed to acknowledging the significant contributions of these individuals to the nation. (AMB/REB, PIA Region 1)
