Feeling down and lonely and need someone to talk to? Watch this
“Companion” gives hope in 40 seconds
NGF also known as the Natasha Goulbourn Foundation recently held a short animation contest wherein students had to submit a 40 second animation video showing the struggle and that there is hope out there. Among all the contestants.. “Companion” was 1st place beating 20 other competitors in the contest.
In just 40 seconds, 21-year old digital artist Vince Serrano aims to provide encouragement to emotionally-burdened people through the help of his animated digital video “Companion”, a story of a lonely boy who almost succumbed to the lure of death but received a second chance at life from a beacon of hope.
The awarding ceremonies were held on October 6 in observance of the National Mental Health Awareness Month.
“Although I heard a lot of suicide cases when I was still in college, I didn’t put much thought on them until I decided to take on the challenge of doing an animation for NGF. I had to research about mental health and that was when I realized that it is actually a hidden epidemic, a real issue which needs our attention. This further inspired me to do my best so that in my own little way, I would be able to help other people,” Serrano said.
Dont lose hope… there is always hope… if you are suffereing from depression, call and seek guidance from HOPELINE, NGF’s free 24/7 suicide hotline which can be reached via the following numbers: 804-HOPE(4673), 0917-558HOPE(4673), and 2919 (toll free for TM and Globe).
“We received a number of exceptional submissions but Companion stood out among them with its very clear message of desperation and hope. Through this video which will be distributed via social media and select Ayala Cinemas, we are confident that we can reach out to more people and provide proper intervention to those who need assistance,” said Jean Goulbourn, President of NGF.
At present, a life is lost to suicide every 40 seconds, making it the second leading cause of death among 15-29 year-olds globally, according to the World Health Organization. To add, depression is the predominant cause of illness and disability for both boys and girls aged 10 to 19.
The campaign is being supported by leading telecommunications company Globe Telecom, the Department of Health, and the UP JMA, a university-wide student organization which adopted the campaign as an organization project called SPARK: The Movement to promote healthy lifestyle and to spread hope among the country’s youth.
“Globe is a long-time partner of NGF in providing the information and communications technology infrastructure for HOPELINE. Being an ICT company, Globe also believes that it is its duty to protect and educate the people on the impact of technology. Through the video, we hope that we can also prevent young people from taking their lives due to cyber bullying which causes a lot of pressure and stress,” said Fernando Esguerra, Globe Director for Citizenship. Globe currently runs the Digital Thumbprint Program workshops for students to guide them on responsible online behaviour and has also forged a partnership with the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Philippines and the Ateneo Human Rights Center for the protection of children against online exploitation.
Companion not only won the the grand prize but was also the recipient of the People’s Choice Award.
Its closest competitors are Catch of Hope created by Chih-Chiang “Jason” Wei
The entries were chosen based on the following criteria: Originality – 15%, Storyline/Concept – 20%, Relevance to the Theme – 15%; Technical Skills – 15%; Creativity – 15%, Visual Impact – 20%.
