As Ilocos Norte marks its 206th founding anniversary on Feb. 2, the provincial tourism office on Tuesday called on homegrown filmmakers to document the locals’ daily lives.

“We are calling for narratives that celebrate our heritage, highlight untold stories, and captivate audiences with the magic of cinema,” Ilocos Norte Tourism Office officer-in-charge Xavier Ruiz said in an interview Tuesday.

Ruiz said interested participants may submit their story concepts through https://forms.gle/7uXnZA78u1hwr35b9 not later than Jan. 27.

The documentary film genre is one of the highlights of the Tan-ok ni Ilokano Film Festival this year, which aims to preserve and showcase the traditional agriculture practices, artisanal crafts, fishing, and even modern professions that collectively define the vibrant Ilokano culture.

The provincial government continues to promote the annual film festival not only to discover new talents in the industry but to also promote various sites in the province for film tourism.

Under the program mechanics, the concept must be at least 15 minutes and not more than 20 minutes running time.

Once the story concepts are shortlisted by Jan. 29, the finalists will be given seed production grant of still undisclosed amount.

The full documentary film must be submitted on or before Feb. 23.

All entries must be original and the dialogue should be primarily in Ilokano or Filipino with appropriate English subtitles. (PNA)