i-Speak: Stories of Social Truths Documentary Film Festival

The Ateneo Peace and Culture Institute (APCI) is hosting the third i-Speak: Stories of Social Truths, a documentary film festival, in celebration of the National Arts Month and the World Day of Social Justice on February 20. The i-Speak docufilms, which were produced by First-year Formation Program (FFP) students as a deliverable for their “Self and Society” module, seeks to immerse the Atenean in different social realities, to facilitate a deeper understanding of the complexity of these realities, and to serve as catalyst for reflection and future action in the service of the society: a voice for the voiceless.

An Awards Ceremony will be held on February 15 at the CDCH to recognize exemplary efforts in the following areas: Peace Advocacy, Narrative Flow, Editing, Direction, Cinematography, Storytelling, and Poster Design.

The docufilms may be viewed at the Carlos Dominguez Conference Hall (CDCH) from February 6 to 7 and at the Campion Lecture Hall on February 8.

The i-Speak Awards

• For Peace Advocacy goes to the documentary film that best captures the essence of being an advocate of peace and development in the city. The film suggests a clear and tangible solution to the social issue/problem focused on, thus giving essence of hope to the audience.
• For Narrative Flow goes to the writer of the documentary film that has been able to inscribe the social issue/problem featured through the use of effective words. The story is presented has an organized structure and follows the basic rules of story writing.
• For Editing goes to the documentary film with the clearest editing. The documentary is visually engaging. The music score chosen portrays the scenes appropriately and renders a successful blend of visual and sound effect.
• For Directing goes to the director of the documentary film that best captures the chosen issue/problem. Through the documentary, the director has been able to deliver clearly the message to the audience with the aid of shots taken to reinforce it. The combination of all the elements in the documentary produced a harmonious outcome free of nuisance parts and scenes.
• For Cinematography goes to the documentary whose cinematographer has been able to translate how the camera captures the photographic impression of the director’s vision. Cinematography is the heart of a motion picture. Although the director determines the action and blocking of a given scene, it is the cinematographer who looks through the camera to catch the moment of the film; which includes the lighting effects and camera choices during the production. The I-Speak Award for Cinematography
• For Storytelling goes to the narrator or storyteller in the documentary which is most successful in narrating the pertinent information in the documentary. He/she has exhibited sincerity and excellent articulation in the process of storytelling. The host has been able to engage the subjects and audience through effective verbal and non-verbal communication strategies in the documentary.
• for Poster Design goes to the layout artist who has been able to creatively represent the essence of the documentary film through a poster. The poster should not only be catchy but also gives a sense of intrigue to the target audience to watch the film.