Hundred Islands Film Festival sails on its fifth year, ‘Green Bones’ to screen during opening
Hundred Islands Film Festival sails on its fifth year, ‘Green Bones’ to screen during opening
Photos courtesy of the HIFF
Manen aglayag atoy a tawen (Sailing again this year)
Now on its fifth edition, the Hundred Islands Film Festival (HIFF) in Alaminos City is set to open with the screening of ‘Green Bones’, the Metro Manila Film Festival 2024 Best Picture winner, on August 26, 2025.
The HIFF is known for producing regional short films that have gained recognition not only in the country but also on the international stage. Among these are ‘Laglag’ by director Gian Carlo Ducusin and ‘Ambag’ by director Mark Giddel Liwanag. Both directors, along with their casts and crew who are natives and residents of Alaminos, were recently recognized at the 20th Busan International Kids and Youth Film Festival (BIKY).
This year, a new batch of young filmmakers and storytellers from Alaminos will take part in an intensive week-long film lab, where they will be mentored by industry experts including directors Zig Dulay, Tim Rone Villanueva, Ian Christopher Cruz, Victor Villanueva, Carlo Obispo, Joseph Arcegono, Jerome Dulin, and Carlo Catu.
Ahead of the film lab, a separate Screenwriting Workshop was conducted for emerging screenwriters, mentored by directors Zig Dulay and Carlo Catu. From this writeshop, five screenplays were selected to serve as blueprints for the films to be developed during the lab.
“These Screenplays that are products of HIFF Screenwriting Workshop are exceptional scripts which will serve as the blueprints for the short films that our talented participants will craft, shaping them into cinematic masterpieces through their creativity and vision,” the festival said.
The selected screenplays are as follows:
‘Lustay’, screenplay by Danielle Joy Nivera
‘Under the table’, screenplay by Branden Josh Domingo
‘Cash-Cash to Heaven’, screenplay by Adam Nash Andrey
‘Hataw’, screenplay by John Paul Soriano
‘Puhunan’, screenplay by Candisse Ison
The lab will begin on August 22 and will culminate on August 31 with a community screening of the participants’ short films at the Don Leopoldo Sison Convention Center, where the best works will be recognized.
The HIFF is also reopening its Open Category Competition, featuring select short films from Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao that will compete for the Best Narrative and Best Documentary awards. Screenings for this category are scheduled on August 30.
Capping off the festival, an exclusive island tour at the world-famous Hundred Islands will be held for all selected participants.
The festival is headed by director and producer Raquel Rarang Rivera, with the support of the Alaminos City local government unit and the full backing of the North Luzon Cinema Guild.
