DepEd, film council eye subject for senior high school

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MANILA, Philippines — The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and the Department of Education (DepEd) have begun talks to launch a film curriculum tailored for senior high school students (SHS).

FDCP Chair Jose Javier Reyes and Education Secretary Sonny Angara recently discussed the plan to develop the subject for students interested in filmmaking and storytelling.

The FDCP officially announced last month expanded incentives and training programs aimed at revitalizing efforts to support local filmmakers and storytellers.

“We’re organizing a workshop to help actors create self-audition tapes and exploring a program with the Directors’ Guild of the Philippines Inc. (DGPI) to strengthen collaboration between actors and directors,” Reyes said at the time.

READ: DepEd eyes enforcement of reduced Senior High School subjects in 2025

In addition to expanding incentives, particularly for short films, documentaries and animated projects, the agency is also focusing on enhancing international collaborations.

Teary eyes at Cannes

Reyes shared that the FDCP seeks to finalize a co-production deal with France for the Cannes Film Festival in October.

“If we secure this agreement, Filipino films co-produced with France will receive the same benefits as French films,” he said.

The Department of Trade and Industry also announced last month that the government is providing grants of up to $180,000 (P10 million) to attract Hollywood filmmakers to set their movies in the Philippines.

In addition to the grant, the program is also expected to provide a cash rebate of up to 25 percent through the FDCP, which operates under the Office of the President. —Jessica Ann Evangelista