The Ika-33 Gawad Alternatibo film competition is now accepting entries for indie films, and school-based works are eligible to enter. The Gawad Alternatibo is the longest-running independent film competition of its kind in Asia that has been providing incredible platforms and opportunities for aspiring Filipino filmmakers since 1987.

As a part of the 2021 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, finalists of the Gawad Alternatibo competition will be screened at one of the country’s most prestigious and celebrated film festivals. On top of competing at a national stage and the film having a chance to be viewed by Filipinos across the country, there will also be cash prizes for winning entries in different categories: 1st PRIZE – P25,000; 2nd PRIZE – P15,000; 3rd PRIZE – P10,000; and Honorable mention – P5,000. There are also special citations for Best Regional Entry and Best Entry For/On/By Children.

This year’s categories include Short Feature/Narrative, Experimental, Documentary, and Animation. Participants may submit a maximum of 3 entries in each category, but an entry may only be submitted in one category.

If you’re interested to submit, take note of these important details:

WHO: Open to all Filipino filmmakers (based in the Philippines and abroad)

WHAT: Strictly independent works that are not produced for commercial screening. School-based works (i.e. theses) are eligible for submission. All entries must have been completed not earlier than March 14, 2020, and must not exceed 45 minutes running time.

WHEN: The CCP Film, Broadcast and New Media Division is handling the acceptance of entries, which will be open until April 19, 2021, not later than 12am.

WHERE: In light of the on-going pandemic and social distancing restrictions, all entries must be submitted online through this form. Fill out the online entry form and upload the film and additional requirements.

HOW: Interested participants must complete and submit the following requirements before the deadline:

• duly accomplished entry form;
• film format in AVI, MP4, or MKV only (film size must not exceed 1GB), with filename in the following format – FilmTitle_FilmDirector;
• additional film information such as synopsis (not more than 200 words), genre, running time, rating, full production credits in Word or PDF format;
• Two (2) photos from the film entry in jpeg format, and film entry poster (if available) in jpeg format.

For the full mechanics, go to http://bit.ly/GawadAlternatibo33Mechanics. You can also visit www.culturalcenter.gov.ph and www.gawadalternatibo.com. Follow the official CCP and Gawad Alternatibo Facebook pages for regular updates.