Anak TV Returns to Timor-Leste as Young Storytellers Create Videos for 2027 Southeast Asia Festival

By Anak TV

Just months after welcoming Timor-Leste to the Southeast Asia Video Festival for Children (SEAVFC), Anak TV returned to the country as Timor-Leste-based media groups and international schools it connected with during its initial visit came together to hold a three-day video workshop for young storytellers. The workshop, held at the Novo Turismo Resort and Spa in Dili, brought together students from St. Jude Thaddeus International School, Ekola De Gracia Y Verdad International School, and St. Mary’s International School to create short videos under the theme “Hear My Voice.”

The students learned video storytelling, production techniques, and editing from the professionals of Casa de Produção Audiovisual (CPA) led by Rui Muakandala and GMN TV’s Francez Suni. They then put their new skills into practice by producing their own short videos during the three-day workshop.

Anak TV President Elvira Yap Go, who returned to Timor-Leste for the workshop, thanked GMN TV, CPA, the participating schools, teachers, and other partners for turning the plans discussed during Anak TV’s first visit into an opportunity for young Timorese to tell their own stories through video. The best student works were recognized during an awarding ceremony attended by Philippine Ambassador to Timor-Leste Mary Anne Padua and GMN TV Director General Levi da Costa Serrano.

Anak TV Vice President and ABS-CBN Head of Corporate Communications Kane Errol Choa, Anak TV Executive Committee member Ambassador Minda Cruz, Anak TV Secretariat and Light TV Head of On-Air Programming and Production Ariane Luis, and Anak TV Secretariat Rechilda Estores were present.

Leading the participation of students were Mary Jane “Matet” Bayan of St. Mary’s International School, Jodel Balais of St. Jude Thaddeus International School, and Ciarra Amor Mazardo of Ekola De Gracia Y Verdad International School.

Yap Go expressed excitement over what the students were able to accomplish in just three days and said Anak TV looks forward to seeing Timor-Leste’s young storytellers submit their entries to the 6th Southeast Asia Video Festival for Children in Indonesia in November 2027. Timor-Leste was recently welcomed into the SEAVFC following the country’s entry into the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN). Launched by Anak TV in 2017, the SEAVFC celebrates stories about children through video and provides a platform for both professional creators and young video makers across Southeast Asia. The festival has been held in the Philippines, Cambodia, Malaysia, and most recently in Thailand in November 2025.

Preparations are now underway for the 6th SEAVFC in Indonesia in November 2027, where entries from across the region will once again showcase stories reflecting the lives, hopes, and experiences of children in Southeast Asia.