It’s not every day your 5-minute video could win you $30,000 or about P1.4 million. Globe Telecom, through its film-production arm Globe Studios, gives you and other amateur filmmakers the opportunity to showcase your work and make money at the same time, as it kicked off its call for entries to the Globe Independent Film Festival’s 5-minute video challenge.

GIFF is the first film fest of its kind in the Philippines, with digital being its main platform to reach a wider audience. Imagine your original content based on the theme “connecting lives” being shown to over 600 million people.

If your work is one of the two video entries to get the nod of film director Antoinette Jadaone, TV personality Bianca Gonzalez, film critic Philbert Dy, and TV commercial director Sid Maderazo — who comprise the panel of judges — you get P350,000 or about $7,500. You will also automatically qualify for the regional level of the challenge. At that point, your work will be pitted against winning entries from other territories where Singtel Group and its telco associates Singtel, Optus, AIS, Airtel, and Telkomsel operate.

The winner of the grand finals that will be held in Bangkok, Thailand, on November 21, 2016, will get a $30,000 cash prize. The runner-up will take home $15,000 or approximately P700,000. And they will have the chance to promote their videos on each associate’s mobile and video platforms. We’re talking markets across Asia, Africa, and Australia.

How to join

Joining the 5-minute video challenge is easy. Just follow these steps:

1) Create a video of no more than 5 minutes based on the theme “connecting lives.”

2) Upload it to YouTube, Vimeo, or Dropbox. Take note that if you’re uploading to YouTube, the clip should be unlisted, and if to Vimeo or Dropbox, password-protected.

3) Submit your video by filling out this form. Remember to choose “Singtel Video” as the category you’re joining.

That’s it! Wait for someone from the GIFF team to call or email you.

Other GIFF categories

You may have noticed there are other categories listed in GIFF’s submission form. There’s Narrative, Documentary, Animated, Experimental, Music Video, and Webisode. You may choose to join any of those instead. You will still have a chance to take home cash, as winners per category get up to P200,000 or roughly $4,300.

More details can be found on this page. There, you’ll likewise find short films created by Filipino directors Quark Henares, who now happens to be Globe Studios’ head; Paul Soriano; Dan Villegas; Sigrid Andrea Bernardo; and Bb. Joyce Bernal.

GIFF kicks off with 5 short films — this one included — created by esteemed Filipino directors like Quark Henares, head of Globe Studios

In the course of the film festival, short-listed videos will be shown to the public at Globe Studios’ website and YouTube channel; at the telco’s Iconic Store at Bonifacio High Street in Taguig City, which we learn is opening in the fourth quarter of 2016; and even at select cinemas.

Time to let those creative juices flow. Share your story.

My take: I like what film director Dan Villegas’ answer to the cliche question, “What’s your advice to budding filmmakers or storytellers?” He said, “Gawa lang nang gawa. Naka-apat na submissions ako sa Cinemalaya bago ako nakapasok … Nung una, self-funded. Talagang walang pera. Puro utang. ‘Jusko, Dan, ano bang ginagawa mo sa buhay mo? [Never stop creating content. I had submitted four entries to the Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival before I was able to get in … At first, my projects were sulf-funded. I had no money. It was all borrowed. ‘My goodness, Dan, what are you doing with your life?'” So guys, stop daydreaming. If you have a passion, go do something about it. Now.

My partner Ramon Lopez’s take: *Busy shooting his entry. Or not.*

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