Paul Christian Ocampo

First FAMAS Short Film Festival director encourages more celebrities to explore short filmmaking

Article (news)

Push Team

Ahead of the highly anticipated inaugural FAMAS Short Film Festival, festival director Gabby Ramos encouraged celebrities to explore the world of short filmmaking.<div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1739376928085PUSH-First-FAMAS-Film-Festival-Director-Encourages-Celebs.jpg" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div>During an intimate meet-up with select entertainment press in Quezon City, Director Gabby shared that aside from being a big help in promoting short films by involving celebrities, this initiative would also allow the actors to learn and gain more experience.“Actually lahat ng artista ABS (CBN Corporation) or sa ibang network gusto ko silang pumasok sa short film (para) may experience sila yung kultura ng paggawa ng mga bagong filmmaker or mga professional filmmaker na gumawa ng short (films). Malaking tulong ang (mga) artista,” the festival director said.He added that it&#x27;s also timely, as short films are now gaining traction even on Video On Demand platforms.“I&#x27;m trying to tell na lahat ng artists ah even big stars tsaka malaking tulong na rin yun sa industry saka we&#x27;re, we&#x27;re moving (towards) another wave na VOD,” Ramos explained.On February 10, the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences, more commonly known as FAMAS, formally launched their newest festival, which will be led by Ramos and FAMAS President Francia Conrado. The event will also be presented by REMS Entertainment.Director Gabby, who won Best Short Film at FAMAS 2024 for his entry Huling Sayaw ni Erlinda, shared the type of movies they are currently looking for.<div><iframe class="instagram-media instagram-media-rendered" id="instagram-embed-0" src="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C7cpjB-Bpxx/embed/?cr=1&amp;v=14&amp;wp=607&amp;rd=https%3A%2F%2Fod2-workbench-web.abs-cbn.com&amp;rp=%2F#%7B%22ci%22%3A0%2C%22os%22%3A35304.09999999404%2C%22ls%22%3A35105.29999999702%2C%22le%22%3A35109.29999999702%7D" allowtransparency="true" allowfullscreen="" frameBorder="0" height="881" data-instgrm-payload-id="instagram-media-payload-0" scrolling="no" style="background:white;max-width:540px;width:calc(100% - 2px);border-radius:3px;border:1px solid rgb(219, 219, 219);box-shadow:none;display:block;margin:0px 0px 12px;min-width:326px;padding:0px"></iframe></div><script async="" src="//www.instagram.com/embed.js"></script>“Yung excellence kasi yung hinahanap. Napakahalaga yung information na kayang ibigay ng isang director. Anong mensahe mo sa tao? Nakakapagbago ba ito ng imahinasyon? Nakakatulong ba ito sa kapwa ng Pilipino? Hindi lang basta pinaiyak eh, kundi umiiyak ka pa rin kahit hindi ka nanonood,” he explained.The director added that the movie should ideally be impactful, inspiring its audience to walk the talk and live by the lesson they&#x27;ve learned.He went on, “Hindi lang basta nakapagbigay ng lesson. Kundi nagawa dapat nung nanonood yung lesson na natutunan. That’s the power of filmmaking. So, yun ang hinahanap talaga natin.”Despite the festival being new, the festival director hopes that in future editions, they will be able to offer grants to participants.“Next year, kapag, in God&#x27;s provision, maybe we&#x27;ll be having a grant na kung may papasok ng mga sponsors and everything, na yung mga gustong tumulong. May mga tao na instead na mag-support for today, for this year, yung gusto nila na o next year pag meron. Baka pwede na tayo mag-abot ng grant sa kanila,” the director shared.He also noted how important it is and how the grant will make a significant impact.“You know, grant is different eh. Kasi it&#x27;s, you know, 500,000, 700,000 (pesos) makes a difference sa isang filmmaker kung maibibigay yung grant na yun,” he explained.But for now, winning entries are set to receive a trophy, on par with the awards the organization presents at their usual festivals.FAMAS president Francia Conrado told the media: “The reason why I really want this because nanghihinayang din ako dun sa mga magaling na mga filmmakers ng short film. They really deserved this.”The FAMAS president went on to share how prestigious the trophy is.“Sabi ko nga, the most coveted trophy. It&#x27;s 3.5 kilos na, kasi ‘di ganun kabigat. It&#x27;s made of solid bronze. And well, I can say its price. Somebody deserves to have it dahil it&#x27;s not (just any other trophy), it&#x27;s (worth) 5 figures,” she added.The short film festival is open to all ages and participants from across the country, including OFWs, as long as they meet the basic criteria. This includes a maximum running time of 20 minutes, with films having been premiered between January 2024 and March 2025. Additionally, the director must be a Filipino citizen, and the production must be based in the Philippines, although co-productions are also allowed.For the complete list of criteria and other inquiries, interested parties may reach FAMAS via email at famas.shortfilm@gmail.com or on Facebook at FAMAS Short Film Festival.The deadline for submission of entries is on March 25, 2025, with selected films set to screen from May 3 to May 9, 2025. The festival will wrap up with an awards night on May 10, featuring categories such as Best Actor, Best Actress, and Best Short Film, among others.Entries can be submitted through the following link: https://forms.gle/dnH5Y53U3jaxWqWB8.SEE RELATED STORY:<div><a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/events/2025/2/11/famas-announces-1st-short-film-festival-1140" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">FAMAS announces 1st short film festival</a></div><div> </div>—By Jemuel Tandoc

The Festival Director of the inaugural FAMAS Short Film Festival, Gabby Ramos, encourages celebrities to explore the world of short filmmaking.

The Festival Director of the inaugural FAMAS Short Film Festival, Gabby Ramos, encourages celebrities to explore the world of short filmmaking.