MANILA, PHILIPPINES, AUGUST 24, 2020 -- Following the successful celebration of the 24th Asian Television Awards (ATA) in Manila in January 2020, the ATA has announced it is partnering the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) in the quest for the best of Filipino talents and entertainment programs in the country to compete on Asia Pacific’s largest platform for content makers.

The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) is now calling for submissions for Sine Wikain: Sandaang Pagpapaalala, an online challenge celebrating the ‘Buwan ng Wika’ and the closing of ‘Sine Sandaan: The One Hundred Years of Philippine Cinema. Spotlighting the interpretation of ‘salawikain’ into vertical short films, #SineWikainChallenge is a social media challenge meant to remind Filipinos about childhood teachings while also providing positive content and values that could uplift us  amid the pandemic.

“Zsa Zsa Zaturnnah vs. The Amazonistas of Planet X,” the animated comedy film of Avid Liongoren, was awarded the Open Doors Locarno Development Support Grant on August 12. The project, co-produced by Liongoren of Rocketsheep Studio and Franck Priot of Ghosts City Films in France, will receive 14,000 Swiss francs. 

In June, the Film Development Council of the Philippines launched its initiative, Binging During Quarantine, a campaign encouraging the public to share their favorite films and series—particularly those currently available in online platforms—so that others could binge on them as well during this quarantine period. The campaign is a safe and fun way to promote our love for cinema while maintaining necessary social distancing by staying in the comfort of our homes.

After the success of this year’s first-ever Manila-hosted 24th Asian Television Awards (ATA) last January 10 to 12 at Resorts World Manila, the region’s most celebrated TV awards show opens its Call for Entries for the 25th Asian Television Awards. The 25th ATA is slated to happen on January 15 to 17, 2021 at Cambodia with Bayon TV as official broadcast partner. 

The government’s commitment to ensure the health and safety of film and audiovisual content workers as operations resume amid the COVID-19 pandemic is made possible through the Joint Administrative Order No. 2020-001 of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), Department of Labor and Employment (DOLE), and Department of Health (DOH), which is endorsed by the Department of the Interior and Local Government (DILG).