19/05/2026
Student filmmakers, DAR Ilocos Region prep for PelikulAgraryo 2026 with film laboratory
Student filmmakers geared up for PelikulAgraryo 2026: DAR Central and Regional Film Festival with a three-day film laboratory hosted by the Department of Agrarian Reform Ilocos Region, held on May 12-14.
Through a hybrid online and onsite set-up, student production teams from the provinces of Ilocos Norte, Ilocos Sur, La Union, and Pangasinan expanded their comprehension on the programs and projects of DAR as well as honed their skills in filmmaking through talks and workshops led by Regional Director Maria Ana Francisco and award-winning filmmaker Zig Dulay.
RD Francisco opened the film laboratory by highlighting the importance of the youth in revitalizing the agricultural sector through creative media. She then introduced the various services of DAR for its agrarian reform beneficiaries and beneficiary organizations to supplement the studentsโ knowledge as they craft their entries for the film festival.
Meanwhile, Zig Dulay talked film conceptualization, writing, and ex*****on, emphasizing on the power of the film to shape society, and the power of society to shape the film, especially in relation to agrarian matters.
โAng pelikula ay hindi lamang siningโ ito ay paninindigan (The film is not only an art formโ itโs a way to make a stand),โ he stated.
Dulay also held breakout room sessions with the production teams to help them flesh out their short film ideas for PelikulAgraryo.
To round out the film laboratory experience, the students also participated in various activities such as an interactive quiz game about DAR, group discussions with DAR community development officers, and screenings of PelikulAgraryo 2025 short film entries.
Now on its sophomore year, the PelikulAgraryo: DAR Central and Regional Film Festival celebrates the success stories of ARBs and ARBOs, youth engagement, and the power of creative expression, with the current theme of โTinig ng Lupang Malaya: Kwento at Aral-Agraryo, Butil na Pamana sa Kabataan (Voices of the Liberated Land: Agrarian Stories and Lessons, Seeds of Legacy for the Youth).โ