DREAMANILA FILM FESTIVAL

Friday, September 30, 2022

Dreamanila 2022: Web Screenings

By Anonym at September 30, 2022 No comments

Dreamanila 2022 will officially kick off starting October 29, 2022. Only selected films that agreed to be screened online will be featured on The Dreamanila Network

Winners will be screened in a live physical venue in December 2022.

Dreamanila 2022: The Fourth Year

By Anonym at September 21, 2022 No comments

The Dreamanila International Film Festival, founded in Manila at the CBRC Dream Theater in 2019, envisioned an event for filmmakers to feature their films not only in traditional venues but also in communities.

When the global pandemic happened, the internet and social media platforms became a natural choice to exhibit their films wherever they were. Considering the financial and health setbacks of the time, Dreamanila fully adopted the “online” platforms in order to keep up with the momentum, regardless of the many inherent drawbacks and challenges of filmmaking and distribution.

In its 4^th year, Dreamanila presents more than 50 films out of the 300 international submissions. The festival features 12 full-length entries and 41 short films. On the other hand, 7 unproduced screenplays will be competing in their third year.

Only selected films will be screened by Dreamanila on their YouTube Channel, which will be cross-posted and promoted on other social media platforms. Award winners will be announced in November, and subsequently screened in physical venues in months to come.

The Dreamanila Group is composed of its founder and director Archie Del Mundo (filmmaker and producer), Head Programmer Joselito Altarejos (filmmaker and producer), Festival Managers Jerrick David (Head of Productions, Carl Balita Productions), Head Reviewers Robert Cerda, and Lemuel Lorca (filmmaker).

The festival productions, fully operated under Film Freeway and Maximum Content, remain not-for-profit and unsupported by any cultural and national grants and solely activate on zero budget. FilmFreeway is the world's #1 way to discover, submit and get tickets to thousands of film festivals, screenplay contests, music contests, and photography contests all over the world. Nearly 2 million filmmakers, screenwriters, and artists use FilmFreeway to submit to over 12,000 of the world’s best film festivals and contests (including 170+ Oscar and BAFTA qualifying festivals).

Here are the Official Selections:

Features:

JUDGEMENT AND MERCY / János Szikora

THE SAKO TAPES / Machiel van den Heuvel

COLORLESS DREAMS / Ayub Shakhobiddinov

SONG OF A DYING SUMMER / Kohei Sengen

PAT ROCCO DARED / Bob Christie, Morris Chapdelaine

TAGBANUA / Silke de Vos

THE FADING NOMADS / Wei Shengze

FAGGOTS / Dominik Wojciech Krawiecki

YOU ARE MY SUNSHINE / David Hastings

O ORVALHO E O RIO / Leonardo Pinheiro

VERONA / Ane Siderman

THE FISHERMAN / Francis Luscianne Javier Gacer

BEGINNING / Jagan Vijaya

Shorts:

THE FUNERAL / Labinot Morina

ATHANASIA / Boško Krljaš

A SILENT IMPRISONMENT / Jason Hancock, Ruben Falla, Cameron Ashplant

I WAS MAX / Lukas Kacinauskas

NIGHT LIGHT / Miguel Gierran

WHEN THE NIGHT COMES / Katarzyna Sikorska

SQUISH / Xavier Seron

DIMA, DMITRY, DMYTRO. GLORY TO THE HEROES / Clemens Poole

SORROW / Stefan Teofilovic

BEAUTY QUEEN / Myra Aquino

THE RIDE / Allen Estrada Capoy

THE BLOSSOMING OF THE COUNTRY MAIDEN / Caloy Soliongco

TELLA / Zachary Conlu

I AM A BLACK HOLE / Ronald James Baculo

BACK HOME / Andrew Hermosura

CONTROL / Crio Kuzuma

GUHIT / Dionisio Bacudio III

PALETTE / Yurugu Matsumoto

ARTIST / Andrej Krasavin

A HAIRCUT FOR THE HINA DOLL / Minoru Mizoguchi

APHRODIZZY / Anton Hing

LAUF / Laudika Thanky Hamutenya

NEITHER NOR / Soon Teik Ong

THE GIFT / Serge Samoilov

ASTRONAUT'S UNIFORM / Dmitri Frolov

MISS PONTIANAK / Alina Wong JinKei

JUST LIKE WATER / Manos Triantafillakis

MY DAD, THE CAMERA AND I / Felipe Camargo de Moura Campos

DOUBLE HELIX / Qiu Sheng

CHINESE FUSION / Siyu Yan

THE REINCARNATED GIANT / Han Yang

A BIT OF HAPPINESS / Ashish Madurwar

INSIDE OUT / Adam Taylor

REMOVABLE / Shu-Ying Chung

FROZEN IN FEAR / Mattias Löw, Oinam Doren

THE BATAAN DEATH MARCH / Jesse Collier Sutterley

ANG MOTEL / Jon Matthews

21st & Colonial / Angelo Reyes

YELLOW POLKA DOT / Tin Nguyen

FEELING THROUGH / Doug Roland

ME AND MYSELF / Passos Zamith

Screenplays:

A KISS GOODNIGHT / JK Sanapo

FAMILIAR STRANGER / Shiela Bunag Abille

FREEDOM MAN / Billy Festorazzi

IN JADE MOONLIGHT / Craig Stewart

GOING NOWHERE / Ismael Castañeda

M IS FOR MYSTERY / Jerzy Suchocki

AFTER HOURS / Jerzy Suchocki

DREAMANILA 2021 AWARD WINNERS

By Anonym at March 04, 2022 No comments

The story is king and execution is everything.

Even if one or two components are missing, its effectiveness rests mostly on whether its desired effects reach its audience. 

A film may be subjectively incomplete, but it will always be inimitably a creation of its own.  

When one chooses to do away with conventions, the best film remains a product of its reckoning.

The best film strongly infuses creative visions and informed commentaries about life and society and the entire human experience. Regardless of what is perceived missing, or what elements are not supplied. 

While a film may be short, it can potentially hit the cinematic jackpot. 

When there is a more profound victory gained to it than what the eye can see and what the technology can plausibly enhance.  

When one decides to confront realities and their concealed meanings, the film is transformed into an interactive platform.
The best film unites the filmmaker to their audience to effectively orchestrate a well-rounded discourse.

Films have now reached their high point – from magnetic and digital sounds to visual and digital effects, to actually experiencing them wherever it is accessible and convenient. 

Even the age of modern pandemic cannot simply stifle their sustained growth – and films have become, more than ever, a powerful tool to document lived experiences.

These are the qualities of the films that we are giving recognition to tonight. 

These are the kind of films that Dreamanila International Film Festival has sought and found in its 3rd edition.  

Congratulations Dreamanila filmmakers! And may your tribe never cease to increase!

ARCHIE DEL MUNDO, Executive Director
JOSELITO ALTAREJOS, Head of Festival Programming
LEMUEL LORCA, Creative Director
ROBERT CERDA, Associate Programmer

Dubai-based filmmaker's true Maranao story is Dreamanila 2021 Opening Film

By Anonym at November 02, 2021 dreamanila, Features, News No comments

We present to you this year's Dreamanila IFF OPENING FILM: 
TIME OF UNREST by Francis Luscianne J. Gacer
(November 19 / 9pm Manila / 5pm UAE)

Based on a true story. Vietnamese refugee siblings (Linh and Binh Van Ho) landed on the island of the Philippines and were sheltered by a Muslim Maranao couple (Datu Usman and Fatima). Years went by the siblings were left under the care of Saleema (daughter of the Maranao couple) until the Vietnamese siblings were forced to leave the Philippines.

Shot entirely in UAE while retaining its historic and filmic Philippine setting, Time of Unrest is produced by Dubai-based filmmakers and actors.

Dreamanila 2021 goes LIVE in November

By Anonym at October 24, 2021 No comments

Dreamanila International Film Festival had only one live physical screening edition that was held during its inception at the Dream Theater of the then Carl Balita Productions in 2009. It featured 15 films all screened with a modest number of attendees. Independently, it was supposed to be held again for a live audience in March 2020, but then the pandemic lockdown happened. With over 30 films, in competition, the second edition was entirely held online via the Facebook Live Streaming platform. Projecting the pandemic would be manageable 18 months later, the 3^rd and present edition was expected to finally be held in a physical venue, but as we have come to know of the present condition, the Philippines remains hard-hit by the COVID-19 situation, and so on November 19-21, Dreamanila 2021 will still be projected via the internet, with hopes that in the future, it will be gloriously reinstated in its rightful and most festive mode.

Dreamanila remains to be solely supported by Film Freeway and The Dreamanila Group. On its 3^rd year, filmmaker and writer, Archie Del Mundo continue as the Executive Festival Director. Mostly operating from minimal entry fees. Dreamanila persists even with zero expenditures and virtually nonexistent corporate and cultural grants, given the inherent difficulty of raising funds during this time of uncertainty. The 2021 Jury Panel and Board Members are composed of award-winning filmmakers Joselito Altarejos, Lemuel Lorca, and film scholars Jerrick David and Robert Cerda.

Dreamanila fest 2021 is set November 19-21

By Anonym at March 06, 2021 News No comments

With over 500 entries so far submitted and previewed, the Dreamanila International Film Festival is set on November 19-21 this year. Granted the pandemic provisionally ends before these dates, and events in the Philippines will be conducive to be held in physical venues - the 3rd edition of the festival is tentatively scheduled as mentioned.

The expanded deadline is furthered and given new periods that will end on September 30, 2021. Notification will follow suit 30 days later. The awards remain as follows: Best Film, Best Performance, Best Director, Grand Jury Award, Special Jury Prize, Best Screenplay, Achievement in Aural and Artistic Design, Social Media Award, Audience Award.

Given that securing funds remain irregular due to the hard blows in Philippine economy, Dreamanila 2021 is still characterized by its humble nature to provide whatever accessible platform it can possibly gather. The online edition may still continue depending on the provisionality of the state of the global health crisis, and the financial capability of the festival.

What remains is our fervent hope to create and reach out to audiences worldwide, and to introduce and reintroduce film talents and voices.

Dreamanila 2020 goes online in time of COVID-19

By Anonym at April 24, 2020 No comments

Owing to the exceptional circumstances brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic, the DREAMANILA 2020 decided to forego the live programs this year.Instead, we are holding the festival as a digital event.

* Selected finalists can decide whether they want to screen their films over live-streaming

*Here are the SEMI-FINALISTS for the INTERNATIONAL FEATURES COMPETITION:

*Here are the SEMI-FINALISTS for the INTERNATIONAL SHORTS COMPETITION:

*Here are the FINALISTS for the MANILA SHORTS SIDE- COMPETITION:

Dreamanila 2020 will hold as the COVID-19 situation improves

By Anonym at April 16, 2020 No comments

In this difficult time of worldwide health crisis, Dreamanila would like to extend our prayers for everyone to be safe and secured in their homes; and our full support to our frontliners. We would like to keep our communications line open to our filmmakers and submitters for the supposed Dreamanila 2020 edition. Know that we are continuously on the current to bring out the event in any way possible that would be beneficial to everyone.

Through our online platforms, we continue to watch and review the submissions and we will be contacting the semifinalists to make arrangements for the final decisions that will be announced as soon as everything is completed.

Tentatively, our rescheduled festival dates originally set on August 27, 200 will be on touch and go mode depending on the progress of our pandemic situation.

Dreamanila sets extended deadline until end of February 2020

By Anonym at February 03, 2020 dreamanila, Features, News No comments

Over 400 hundred films in total have been submitted for our 2^nd annual Dreamanila International Film Festival so far. We have set our extended deadline until the end of February 2020, 11:59pm, PST. Feature films, short features, and screenplays are still accepted for submission.

The venue and schedule for the screenings and awards ceremony will be set as soon as the details are confirmed and finalized. We are still accepting sponsors and donations to support the holding of the festival in Manila, Philippines.

Further announcements will be made in the coming days, and inquiries will be entertained each time we gather them.

We have started reviewing the films and shortlisting the entries that are most likely to be hailed “Official Selection.” The notification and public announcement will be made on our Facebook Page and through emails via FilmFreeway.

Here are some of the films that we have received very recently:

Over 300 film submissions worldwide so far

By Anonym at October 09, 2019 dreamanila, Features, News No comments

As of October 10, 2019, over 300 film submissions worldwide so far have been entered to our database with USA filmmakers leading the count. Filmmakers from at least 40 countries have submitted. The Late Deadline will be until December 31, 2019.

Here are some of the submissions that we have gathered and initially previewed:

Dreamanila 2020 is a wish our hearts make

By Anonym at June 02, 2019 Features No comments

Bebs Gohetia's CHASING WAVES (2018 Dreamanila Awardee for Technical Excellence)

DREAMANILA International Film Festival was birthed in the most challenging foundational principles and in the most trying unavailability of logistics and resources. It was originally a huge event that could have happened in one of the most paradisiacal location in the Philippines. But it almost became, not a fulfilled dream, but a nightmare that was the Fyre Festival of film festivals. It was December 2018, and funding and support were still falling through. Scheduling, the most basic element of any event, seems nosediving into a pit of uncertainty.

There was no way a festival planned neatly for over a year could just implode without ourselves breathing even the thinnest air into it. It was passion. It was dedication. And the honor to commit to a united goal. Dreamanila may have had a difficult pregnancy and labor, but it was birthed, alright. We had good friends who came to our rescue. And on that day that stretched into more days and nights, Dreamanila struggled through screening carefully programmed film features from the Philippines and the most exotic locations in the world. It came through over delayed orders of pizza and pasta - and the way we hushed through the flickers of a nicely projected and newly minted screens of its founding theater, the Dream Theater, we all whispered into the courageous December winds - that Dreamanila actually survived and would continue to be curated and held, armed with lessons and deeply embedded faith to World Cinema, the Dreamanila Group vows to convene and reunite for a better edition.

This is why, for no fear of no-association, Dreamanila will be coming in May 20, 2020 to its new home. Dreamanila will cater to more films in the widest array of criteria and selections. We will re-honor the films and their filmmakers of Dreamanila 2018 that shone into the dark corners of our uncertainties and confusions, but remained tranquil and associative. We will emerge. We will make a common cause. We will be more mature and cooperative, and much friendlier. We are open to corporate sponsors, co-partnership, renewals, and support in all forms.

Because we love capturing the glory of cinema. And with our dreams, from Manila to the world, we remain faithful and unwavering. If we keep on believing, the DREAM that we wish will come true.

Dreamanila 2020 starts accepting entries TODAY

By Anonym at June 01, 2019 Features No comments

Joseph Laban's Baconaua (2018 Dreamanila Best Screenplay)

Dreamanila International Film Festival, now on its second edition, is accepting entries starting today, June 1, 2019. Filmmakers should be able to create an account on our sponsor/platform FilmFreeway. Entry fees for feature length and short features are $5.00 and $2.00 respectively with corresponding discounts for Gold Members. Early-bird deadline is set June 30, 2019.

Dreamanila 2020 will be held in Manila, Philippines from May 20-23, 2020. The festival will be re-screening Dreamanila 2018 award winners, as well; and they will be awarded with certificates and gifts belatedly.

There will only be two categories and awards for Best Film and each category will be divided and streamlined accoirdingly.

The venue for Dreamanila 2020 will be announced soon.

Sponsors, co-partnership, and donations are accepted.

CLICK THE PHOTO to be redirected to FilmFreeway:

Hossin Tabrizi"s

Mahin's Issue, Maliheh's Problem (2018 Dreamanila Best Film)

Dreamanila 2020: Official Designs/Sponsors

By Anonym at May 28, 2019 Features No comments

Dreamanila International Film Festival proudly accepts entries on FilmFreeway, the world's #1 way to enter film festivals and creative contests. FilmFreeway is a proud sponsor of Dreamanila 2020.