The Department of Science and Technology-Science Education Institute has moved the deadline of submission of entries to the 9th Indie-Siyensya Filmmaking Competition to June 29, 2025.

DOST-SEI established Indie-Siyensya, one of the pioneering science filmmaking competitions in the Philippines, to promote science and technology culture through film. This year’s competition theme is “Halik sa Lupa” (Kiss the Earth), which explores the multifaceted significance of soil.

Indie-Siyensya features two categories: the Open Category for college students, teachers, and science and technology professionals (at least 19 years old on the last day of submission), and the Youth Category for other students and out-of-school youth (aged 13-18 on the last day of submission). Winners in both will receive substantial prizes, with 200,000 pesos awarded to the Best Film, 150,000 pesos to the second placer, and 100,000 pesos for the third prize.

Participants in the Open Category can create films that delve into soil’s broader social, cultural, and economic impacts while the Youth Category encourages submissions on soil biodiversity, exploring beyond the surface and beneath the ground to explain its living and non-living components and processes, and how they sustain life on earth.

DOST-SEI, in partnership with the Film Development Council of the Philippines and University of Santo Tomas, launched the competition last March at the UST Central Laboratory Auditorium.

In addition to the competition, DOST-SEI participated in the UST Science Week celebration by hosting a three-day film screening of the top 10 finalists from its last cycle. These screenings highlighted the connection between science and Filipino culture, emphasizing the role of science in enhancing and preserving local and indigenous traditions.

Interested participants may submit their entries to indiesiyensya@sei.dost.gov.ph. For more information about the competition, visit https://bit.ly/IndieSiyensyaMechanics.