Creating opportunities for the Filipino youth is a key advocacy of Puregold. With their latest endeavor, Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival, the company looks to help student filmmakers fulfill their aspirations and get a jump-start in their careers.

Vincent Co, President of Puregold Price Club, Inc., affirms the company’s intention to reach out to the youth through Puregold CinePanalo. “Education, complemented with hands-on experience, opens doors for our youth,” he says. “We are proud to extend this support to students seeking to tell their stories. And we anticipate seeing their works at the upcoming Puregold CinePanalo Film Festival.”

Puregold is currently on the lookout for 25 talented and motivated student directors to become a part of the inaugural festival. The select few will each be given a grant of P100,000 to fund their short film production.

Filmmaking remains one of the most financially challenging among all creative pursuits. The costs can be daunting: location and equipment rentals, plus the professional fees of the cast and crew. It’s money that can be hard to find. Even seasoned professional directors speak of the difficulty in securing funding for their projects.

It is thus a struggle for aspiring filmmakers to raise the resources they need for their art. Lack of funds likewise deter many film students from completing their final thesis projects. 

It is a matter that Vincent totally understands. He discloses that most filmfest applicants cite their final thesis as their main motivation for taking on the challenge. “There’s a whole host of potential talents out there just waiting for a break,” he says. “It is our hope that Puregold CinePanalo will provide a platform for these budding filmmakers to show their craft, and acquire the means to finish their studies.”

The completed student shorts will be screened alongside five feature-length films at Gateway Cinemas from March 8 to 10, 2024. The shorts will also be posted across Puregold’s official social media pages such as YouTube and TikTok.

Interested participants may email [email protected] to receive the materials needed to apply. All applications and requirements must be emailed back by Oct. 27, 2023. A shortlist of selected directors is expected to drop by Nov. 6, 2023.