De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde (DLS-CSB) film educator and advocacy filmmaker Seymour Sanchez recently led a Science Communication Workshop in Palawan, equipping students and teachers with storytelling tools to make scientific research more engaging and accessible to the public.
Held on August 18 at Palawan State University (PalSU), the workshop was part of the Department of Science and Technology-MIMAROPA Regional Science, Technology, and Innovation Week. The initiative aimed to help participants translate complex scientific concepts into compelling narratives using visual media.
PalSU President Dr. Venzon L. Limpiada delivered the welcome remarks, followed by lectures from Sanchez and Dr. Aimee Lynn Barrion-Dupo, an entomologist, spider expert, and Professor 12 at the University of the Philippines Los Baños.
Barrion-Dupo discussed the importance of human-centered science storytelling, emphasizing the difference between simply presenting academic data and creating narratives that audiences can understand and relate to.
Sanchez, meanwhile, introduced participants to practical techniques for communicating scientific topics through documentary filmmaking. Drawing from his experience in visual storytelling, he discussed various cinematic approaches and narrative structures that can be adapted to different educational and social messages.
Both Sanchez and Barrion-Dupo also serve as members of the Board of Judges for the 10th Indie-Siyensya Film Festival, the country’s premier science filmmaking festival.
Following the sessions, Juan Antonio Tuazon, Supervising Science Research Specialist at the DOST-Science Education Institute, presented the guidelines for the Indie-Siyensya competition, which seeks to encourage young people and filmmakers to use cinema in promoting greater public appreciation of science.
Sanchez brings more than two decades of experience in film production, journalism, and academia to his educational and advocacy work. His contributions to film advocacy were recently recognized through his election as Secretary of the National Committee on Cinema under the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, representing the Education Sector.
Through initiatives such as the PalSU workshop and his continuing work in the cultural sector, Sanchez continues to mentor emerging filmmakers and promote the use of Philippine cinema as a platform for meaningful science communication and public education.
