PH Mission Launches Filmmaking Workshop for Filipino Students

DUBAI: The Philippine Consulate-General in Dubai has launched its first photography and filmmaking workshop, which is part of the consulate’s Rizal Forum series named after the country’s national hero Dr Jose Rizal, for Filipino students.

Twenty-four high school students from United International Private School-Dubai, The Philippine School-Dubai, and Far Eastern Private School-Sharjah are participating in the six-week free workshop organised by Yasmin Cortes, wife of the consul-general and head of the Filipino Ladies of Dubai, reported Khaleej Times.

“After an initial two weeks of training, the students will exhibit their works at the consulate’s main exhibit gallery. Then the list of 24 will be trimmed to top 10, who will join the 48-hour film project, a platform for independent film makers and budding film makers,” Cortes reportedly said.

Renowned Filipino photographer Eros Goze and Raul Gabat, managing director of Canon Middle East, are supervising the workshop, the report said.

Meanwhile, Cortes reportedly briefed the students on the history of Philippine movies from the 1940s up to its “regrettable decline in the late 1990s”.

“Thankfully, the rise of Filipino film makers like Brillante Mendoza and Lav Diaz … bolstered the roster of great talents in our film industry such as Lino Brocka, Ishmael Bernal, and Mike de Leon,” the Filipino envoy was quoted as saying by the Dubai-based news portal.

Cortes reportedly emphasized that Filipinos have a strong penchant for self-expression in the arts, particularly in music, film, and literature – and they are globally recognized for their talents.

(Source: FilipinoTimes.ae)