THE University of the East’s Bachelor of Fine Arts-Communication Department was accredited by the Film Development Council of the Philippines Academic Film Society (FDCP-AFS) with the school’s Buklod Sining as its accredited student organization.

A memorandum of agreement was signed by FDCP Chair Tirso Cruz III to formalize the partnership.

UE said that the partnership aims to gather and nurture a community of emerging filmmakers, providing them access “to training programs, financial assistance, and other forms of support that will aid in their growth as filmmakers.”

“The FDCP accreditation stands as proof of the Department’s outstanding curriculum, exceptional faculty who are also practitioners in the film industry, and solid support from the alumni filmmakers and institutional partners in the creative industry that nurture the creative abilities of UE fine arts students through the years,” UE said.

“It also signifies that the Department meets the rigorous criteria set forth by the FDCP, ensuring that students receive top-notch education and training in the field of visual communication. This partnership opens up new avenues for collaboration, networking, and professional development. It will strengthen the Department’s ties with the FDCP and the local film community for artistic innovation,” it added.

The AFS is the FDCP-led association of schools, colleges, and universities in the Philippines with existing programs, courses, organizations, and initiatives related to filmmaking.

For almost 10 years now, the UE CFAD Visual Communication (formerly Advertising Arts) Department has continuously produced award-winning student and alumni films, some of which were awarded and recognized by numerous award-giving bodies like Cinemalaya, Gawad CCP Alternatibo, FDCP Film Ambassadors Night, NCCA Ani ng Dangal, FACINE in San Francisco, USA and other festivals.

To date, UE CFAD film projects have been screened in more than 80 festivals locally and abroad, received film grants, attended international educational programs like ASEAN-ROK Film Leaders Incubator, BIFAN NAFF Fantastic Film School, StrudelmediaLive-New York, Mini Film Festival Malaysia’s Documentary Workshop, the Tokyo Festival Farm Lab, and the International Performing Arts Institute, Berlin.