Heritage Without Borders: The Bangsamoro Short Film Festival 2020

The Bangsamoro Short Film Festival (BSFF) is for young Moro artists within and outside the Bangsamoro region to hone their talent in film while promoting awareness on Bangsamoro stories, especially amid the COViD-19 pandemic.

Heritage Without Borders: The Bangsamoro Short Film Festival 2020

With this year’s slogan #HeritageWithoutBorders, MP Atty. Maisara C. Dandamun-Latiph,​ BSFF executive producer shares the aims of the festival. “This will promote awareness of the Bangsamoro stories that illustrate our rich heritage as well as our unique identity as a Bangsamoro. The Bangsamoro has its very unique identity and this uniqueness needs to be shared to the whole world. Our aim is to discover aspiring young Moro filmmakers who can contribute in building just and inclusive society and communities. Through this Festival, we hope to provide the platform for our aspiring artists to show their talents and skills in short film-making.”

The film festival during this COVID-19 time will also serve as a psychosocial intervention amid the “new normal” by giving the talented young Moros a chance to unearth their talents in filmmaking and to be heard.

Leading the creative programming of the event as our Festival Director is Moro filmmaker ​Rhadem Musawah: “When we talk about Moros or Bangsamoro art, we are typically boxed as traditional craft-makers. I believe that the Moros can go beyond that and I want to change that by helping give them the platform to kick-off and showcase their creative storytelling through short films.”

Entries should be one (1) to five (5) minutes running time, which already includes credits. Participants can use their professional camera or smartphone as long as it is in High Definition quality 1080p. Submit entries through our official BSFF email address: ​bangsamoroshortfilmfestival@gmail.com​ or drop final copies ​at our satellite office at The Office of MP Maisara C. Dandamun-Latiph, 2nd floor, IPDM Building​, Mindanao​ State University (MSU)​, Marawi​ City, Lanao del Sur province.

The filmmaker should be self-identified as Moro or at least one member of the production team should have roots in the Bangsamoro. The deadline for submission of entries is 11:59 PM of July 25, 2020.

The screening and the awarding ceremony will be held online through Facebook and YouTube live streaming from August 5 to 12 for the online screening while the awarding will be on August 15. The winners will receive cash prizes and a chance to screen their works internationally and to physically re-exhibit their works at the Philippines’ biggest independent art festival FRINGE MNL early next year.

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This event is in partnership with the ​Czech Embassy in Manila, British Council Philippines, FRINGE MNL, Para Sa Sining, Save The Children, and Bureau of Cultural Heritage-BARMM and​ Asia Pacific Film Institute.