Out of 45 pitch deck submissions from various regions of the country, 15 passed the preliminary screening and qualified for Mga Kwento ng Klima (MKK) Short Films 2023 powered by Samsung.

Mga Kwento ng Klima Short Films is a filmmaking competition that aims to capture the unique Filipino experience of climate change and convey the need for urgent climate action through films produced using mobile phones. The OML Center holds this year’s MKK Shorts in collaboration with Samsung and iWant TFC, with the support of FDCP and NCCA.

The top-scored pitches (in no particular order) are: 

• ‘Alien’ by Drexler Jaramel 
  
  In a dystopian Philippines where people breathe through bio-helmets, an oxygen concentrator that takes air from plants, a boy must complete his one last mission that leads him to a journey of hope and change.

• ‘Ang Mag-uuma (The Farmer)’ by Frankie James Balos
  
  A Filipino farmer faces the aftermath of a destructive typhoon and struggles to cope with the effects of climate change that has deeply affected his ability to provide for his family, leading to a haunting twist that blurs the line between reality and imagination.

• ‘Ang Nahuli sa Huli’ by Jose Carlos L. Soliongco 
  
  Despite the high demand for his services, an aircon repairman struggles to provide for his family, as yet another record-breaking heatwave pummels through Metro Manila.

• ‘Bata. Bata, Alam Mo Ba?’ by Serdrick S. Mariano
  
  A curious young woman deciphers a passed-down saying from her mother only to find out that the fear-inducing creature that she was set to believe is much larger than a mere ghost figure.

• ‘Dragon’s Breath’ by Christia Isabelle C. Lucindo 
  
  The heat brings waves of hate and sleeplessness to Juan.

• ‘Fish be with you’ by Eljay Castro Deldoc
  
  Wanting to satisfy his pregnant sister’s craving for sarsiadong duhay, Baste goes through an arduous journey through the market, port, and even the sea, in search of a specific fish that was once of abundance in their town.

• ‘Fried Chicken’ by Roland Cartagena 
  
  One intensely hot afternoon, a small-scale poultry farmer encounters a dead, heat-stroked chicken in his enclosure and realizes that he needs to relocate all his chickens to a cooler area fast or risk losing them all.

• ‘Mga Salamangka sa Batang Siyensya’ by Lenard Christian Apao
  
  A Grade 3 science champ abandons science and starts learning extreme magical tricks in the hopes of surviving the future.

• ‘Old Times’ by Chaela Tordillo 
  
  Mang Ronnie, a 65-year-old grandfather brings his teenage grandson, Patrick, to their old house in Taliptip Bulacan to show him the life he had lived there while Patrick cuts Mang Ronnie’s hair, and to find an old friend of Ronnie’s.

• ‘Scavenger’s Hunt’ by O’Neil Delos Santos Cerdeña
  
  In the year 2099, 2 decades after the great flood. Enzo (21), a scavenger thriving in a technological junkyard called Manila, finds an old piece of tech that contains a series of video messages that helps him connect with the family he lost by discovering the beauty of the planet that was.

• ‘Stepping Stones’ by Allyssa Mae Flores 
  
  Boyet and Junior figured that they could make money by helping people cross flooded sidewalks, so they set up rocks that would act as stepping stones for the people and charged them ten pesos to get across; however, the source of their income would soon lead to their demise.

• ‘Tumba-Balay’ by Charise Colleen Bogtae 
  
  A group of friends embarks on a quest to play traditional Filipino games on the streets and shores of Sipalay City, discovering unexpected connections between their gameplay and the resilience they find in the face of Typhoon Odette’s fury at the city.

• ‘Tuyong Luha’ by Hannah Praise C. Calacar
  
  The story is about a kid named Jenny who was affected by climate change that impacts her studies due to heat waves, floods, brownouts, and a decrease in the water supply.

• ‘Uwan Init’ by Faith Aragon
  
  Two women – a vegetable vendor and a virtual assistant working from home – go through their own day and survive the changing weather.

• ‘Worrier’ by Raphael Njoku-Andie
  
  Lucy grew up in a green lush world, around the suburbs of Molo, in Iloilo City. Iloilo City is a direct contrast to the concrete metropolis that is Manila. Iloilo City has always married development and green spaces. But of late, the city’s urbanization efforts have taken a different turn.

General assembly of the official participants will take place on May 24. Joining the General Assembly are Save Philippine Seas’ Project Manager Harvey Perello; Agam Agenda’s Strategist for Creative Communication Carissa Pobre; and Samsung’s Product Marketing Team Representative Wesley Samson.

To help strengthen their stories as they produce their film concepts, teams will participate in the Climate Film Labs (CFL) from May 25 to June 2. The CFL is composed of synchronous and asynchronous sessions that will allow filmmakers to be guided by climate and film experts through the production process.

Modules on climate change terms and concepts and top climate risks and impacts in the Philippines will be discussed during the CFL. The one-week session will also feature content creators who will share their experiences in content creation and provide pointers on ongoing trends and streaming markets.

Participants will also be given a chance to talk with storytellers and filmmakers and exchange experiences on telling science-based climate stories and the challenges, and best practices and techniques for low-budget production and guerrilla filming.

The Film Development Council of the Philippines will also provide an overview of resources and support it can provide to participating filmmakers and all independent filmmakers, in general. 

Using the Galaxy S23 Ultra phones provided by Samsung, all 15 teams are expected to submit their 3-5 minute live-action film entries by June 23.

The top ten film entries will advance to the Awards Night happening in July. Winning entries will receive cash prizes and Samsung products. 

The Best Film will win P50,000 + up to Php 130,000 worth of Samsung products, including the latest Samsung Galaxy S23 Ultra, while the second and third placers will win Php 30,000 + Php 30,000 worth of Samsung products and Php 20,000 + Php 11,000 worth of Samsung products, respectively. 

The MKK Shorts 2023 will also present a Special Jury Award with Php 20,000 cash prize. The remaining finalists will get Php 10,000 each.

All 10 finalists will be streamed through iWant TFC for free. iWant TFC is the official media partner for MKK Shorts 2023.

For more information about the competition, visit https://www.omlopezcenter.org/MKKSF2023/.