First District Cong. Edgar Chatto is a Boholano who is always invited to speak on a national level including his recent speaking engagement during the virtual launch of the Klima Film Fest (KFF) with the Bohol solon citing the importance of film not just as a form of entertainment but also as a medium to spark patriotism and to inspire people towards noble causes.
“Film is not only a source of entertainment; it can touch lives and can strongly impact viewers thereby making it an effective medium to influence citizens to act for a noble cause,” Chatto said.
Organized by the Climate Change Commission (CCC), the Klima Film Festival (KFF) aims to encourage the youth to advocate for climate changr action through films written and produced by them.
The KFF is being held in collaboration with the Oscar M. Lopez Center (OML Center) as part of its Balangay Project.
Chatto, who currently chairs the Climate Change Committee at the 18th Congress of the House of Representatives, was the guest speaker during the KFF launch.
In his message, he highlighted the film fest as a great opportunity for the Filipino youth, Boholano artists in particular, to take part in climate change advocacy.
Climate change and the science behind it is a complicated challenge to explain to public, he said, and KFF is an exciting medium that accords young artists to be involved in the social realities, real life stories of Filipinos affected by the global phenomenon.
Moreover, Chatto is confident that the experience in creating the short films, more than the prize, will shape consciousness of the young artists and at the same time influence viewers to strengthen resolve and commitment and to take bold and concrete steps to save mother earth and humanity.
The film fest is open to young artists aged 16 to 22 years old who will form a team of up to 10 members. A team with members below 18 years old must submit a parental consent form. Entries should be originally made, must be in narrative fiction, and must adhere to the theme “Adapting for a Sustainable Future”.
The running time of each entry should be between five (5) and seven (7) minutes only, including the title cards and the credits. While teams have the ownership of the film, teams must agree that the submitted film will be co-owned with the CCC and the OML Center. These films shall be used as information, education, and communication (IECs) and promotional materials only.
Each participating team shall be required to submit a film concept/synopsis after attending the climate change seminar-workshop through bit.ly/KFFRegForm. Once all climate film lab activities are completed, teams must ready with their films.
Submission shall include: the Film, 30-second trailer, Official Poster (18’ x 24’), and behind-the-scenes footages. All entries must be submitted to klimafilmfest@gmail.com with the subject format, “KFF Entry | Team ID Number”.
The submission period will be until 12 midnight of October 23, 2020.
Representatives from the Climate Change Commission and the Oscar M. Lopez Center will select the top ten (10) finalists. Finalists will be judged by juries composed of three (3) Commissioners of the Climate Change Commission, one (1) member of the National Panel of Technical Experts, two (2) representatives from the Oscar M. Lopez Center, and three (3) renowned members of the film industry.
The Klima Film Festival shall award the Best Film (Php50,000), 1st Runner Up (Php30,000), and 2nd Runner Up (Php20,000). The remaining finalists will receive Php 5,000 each. Special Awards – Php3,000 each – include the Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Cinematography, Best Production Design, Best Musical Scoring, Best Performance, Best in Research and Content, Audience Choice Award, Best Poster and Most Liked Teaser.
A staunch advocate of environmental protection, Chatto in the holding of various capacities in government has ensured that policies, programs, activities consider the protection of the environment.
As current Climate Change Committee Chair, he raised the issue of climate change in this pandemic scenario.
Chatto said government and civil society can seize this moment as a unique window of opportunity to re-build society and to avoid the worst consequences of climate change through the integration of policies that support the environment and climate change adaptation and mitigation.
Climate change, after all, he said over arches issues and concerns in agriculture, food, water supply, health, education, job, and economic development.