Many know Tarzeer Pictures as that one gallery pushing the boundaries of photography in the country. But now, they are expanding their repertoire to support not just still images, but moving ones, too.
Running from Oct. 1 to Nov. 15, 2025, the Tarzeer Grant for Short Films opens applications to Filipino directors and producers with original narratives and experimental films. Each grantee will receive P500,000 in funding to help their vision come to light.
Who can qualify?
If you have an idea still waiting to be shot, here’s what you need to know before sending in your application. Applicants must also be Filipino and at least 18 years old. Even if you’re based abroad, you’re still eligible, so long as production happens in the Philippines.
For eligible films, the grant covers original narrative and experimental films only. That means no adaptations or documentaries are allowed for this round
Regarding who can apply, the grant is designed for a director and producer team. Either one can apply on behalf of the project, but only one entry per director will be accepted. Directors should have made at least one short film in the past, but not more than one feature film. This keeps the focus on emerging voices ready to take their next big step. Producers, however, are welcome to apply with multiple projects.
For eligible films, the grant covers original narrative and experimental films only. That means no adaptations or documentaries are allowed for this round. Projects must still be in the development stage, too, meaning shooting should not have started yet. ‘Nothing Happens Twice’ at Orange Project, Bacolod | Photo courtesy of Tarzeer Pictures
Your film should run no longer than 20 minutes (including credits), and it can be in English or any Philippine dialect, but with English subtitles.
Collaborative but transparent
Tarzeer also strongly supports collaboration with fellow creatives. Using original music or licensing tracks from independent Filipino musicians is highly encouraged. But most importantly, the applicant must have full ownership of the project’s intellectual property rights, ensuring that the vision remains firmly in the hands of the filmmaker.
And of course, Tarzeer has always been a champion of the artists themselves, so full ownership of the film remains with the recipient of the short film grant
Application requirements are online, on Tarzeer Pictures’ website, with the link to the application portal. These include the application form and the film project dossier, such as loglines, synopsis, visual treatment, biographies, cast and crew, budget, breakdown, financing plan, and production timeline. Statements from the director, writer, and producer must outline the vision and artistic intent, too.
Narrative films must be submitted with scripts in screenwriting format, with translations to Filipino or English if in another language. For experimental films, write-ups on the treatment and approach are required. Recipients of the grant must also complete the project one year after the signing of the contract, while consistent, transparent updates to Tarzeer Pictures are expected. All completed films are required to credit Tarzeer Pictures as the executive producer, as well.
And of course, Tarzeer has always been a champion of the artists themselves, so full ownership of the film remains with the recipient of the short film grant.
Ongoing projections at Tarzeer Picture The announcement of Tarzeer Pictures’ film grant arrives amid a packed season for the gallery.
As they develop image-based work into support for moving images through these grants, they are also currently exhibiting work that exemplifies their commitment to experimenting and expanding video-based mediums.
From Sep. 11 to Oct. 30, Derek Tumala exhibits ‘Phantom Limb’ in their Chino Roces. Ave. gallery, through a network of 11 video objects that ‘create a mystic setting for loss and regeneration,’ and composes ‘a deconstructed film of one-act tales in perfect loops,’ according to the gallery newsletter.
Meanwhile, at the sprawling property of Orange Project in Bacolod, ‘Nothing Happens Twice’ runs from Sep. 13 to Oct. 29, with six works by Timothy Axibal, Nice Buenaventura, Lesley-Anne Cao, Jed Gregorio, and JT Trinidad. The selection of short films and video works will be spread across the projection rooms of Orange Project from Tarzeer Pictures’ collection and archive.
A natural evolution
For Tarzeer Pictures, which has built a reputation for curating bold exhibitions and supporting cross-disciplinary artists, this marks a natural evolution. Their programming has long blurred the lines between media through unconventional photography exhibitions and now, video installations, all of which open up new ways of seeing.
The grant signals a larger investment in the future of Philippine cinema at a time when independent filmmaking often struggles for resources, facing dual challenges of limited funding and scarce institutional support
The grant signals a larger investment in the future of Philippine cinema at a time when independent filmmaking often struggles for resources, facing dual challenges of limited funding and scarce institutional support. By backing both narrative and experimental projects, Tarzeer opens the door not only for filmmakers aiming for festival circuits but also for those pushing the boundaries of what a short film can be.
With applications set to close in just a few weeks, Filipino directors and producers with bold visions are invited to step forward.
And as they extend their ethos of the avant-garde, Tarzeer Pictures is helping build momentum for the next wave of cinematic voices in the country, waiting for the chance to be seen and heard through cinematic forms.
The deadline for the Tarzeer Pictures short film grant is on Nov. 15, 11:59 p.m., Philippine standard time, while shortlisted projects will be pitched live to a selection committee in January 2026. Grant awardees will be announced by February.