Student filmmakers shine at 4th Refugee Film Festival

The 4th Refugee Film Festival, hosted by the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees Philippines at De La Salle University Manila, placed a powerful spotlight on the next generation of storytellers.

This year’s short film competition challenged Filipino filmmakers aged 18 to 25 to create impactful three-to-seven-minute films centered on the theme “Solutions in Motion: Rebuilding Futures Together.”

Out of an inspiring lineup of submissions, three standout films captured the top honors for their compelling narratives on displacement, resilience, and hope.

The festival’s highest recognition was awarded to TR3S Productions with members Kharl Angelo Manaloto, Kissy Pingol, and Angel Gabrielle Rico, who are all students of Tarlac State University.

Their film, “Tambol,” follows Ikil, a 19-year-old Badjao navigating forced displacement, systemic discrimination, and urban isolation.

Securing the second prize, “First” was born from a unique collaboration among architecture majors (Dokumentaryo ni Apo) and social work students (Junior Social Workers’ Association of the Philippines) of Columban College, Inc., in collaboration with Rohingya Youth United-PH.

The documentary tracks the historic journey of Zaid M. Toyub and Abdullah Abdul Salam, the very first Rohingya refugee scholars to graduate from higher education in the Philippines via the Complementary Pathways Program.

Third place went to “Langit Lupa,” a thesis film directed by University of Makati multimedia arts students Lester Casia, Angeline Alayon, JM Navalta, Clia Micarte, and Rence Velez, guided by their adviser Atty. Eduard M. Riparip.

The film focuses on a daughter and father facing the realities of chronic inundation in Pampanga, highlighting how environmental and social impacts intersect with a community’s fierce dedication to education.

The winning entries were evaluated by an esteemed panel of judges, including Atom Araullo, UNHCR National Goodwill Ambassador and award-winning broadcast journalist; Gerg Cahiles, DLSU lecturer, news anchor, and correspondent; Rosalie Robles-Cumla, State Counsel, Department of Justice-Refugees and Stateless Persons Protection Unit; Dr. Laurence Marvin Castillo, member of the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino and UPLB Associate Professor; and Maria Ermina Valdeavilla-Gallardo, UNHCR Philippines Head of National Office.

By shifting the lens toward agency and solidarity, these young Filipino filmmakers successfully demonstrated the enduring power of cinema to foster empathy, drive legal recognition, and inspire systemic social change.