Student filmmakers James Francis Conda and Kyle Robert Vergara of San Beda College Alabang brought home the 2nd Place Minister of Foreign Affairs Award at the Asian International Children’s Film Festival held in Awaji, Japan.

Their three-minute short film entitled Footbridge, bested films from Brunei, Cambodia, South Korea, Laos, Malaysia, Mongolia, Myanmar, Chinese Taipei, Thailand and Vietnam. Japan came in first prize with the Ryotaro Sugi Award, named after the founder and chairman of the film festival.

The Asian International Children’s Film Festival was founded by Ryotaro Sugi, famous Enka singer and actor, as well as Japan’s Goodwill Ambassador to Vietnam.

The competition has been bringing together students with passion in story telling through film making for the past six years. This year marks the first time the Philippines participated in the festival, through the Kizuna Project. The word kizuna means “bonds,” invites more than 10,000 youths from the Asian/Oceanian regions, including 285 Filipinos, to participate in specially designed programs.