Charlie Garcia Vitug

Charlie Garcia Vitug (age 22) is a Filipino film and television producer, Director, screenwriter, and former journalist. She is currently a Producer for Gushcloud International, a global talent management and intellectual property licensing company based in Singapore. She produced and directed the films Ballad of a Blind Man (2024) and Through the Viewfinder (2023)].

In 2023, Vitug founded Charlie Vitug Productions, Inc. (alternatively known as CVP), an audiovisual production company offering line production and equipment rental services in the Philippines.

From 2024 to 2025, she wrote as a film critic for SINEGANG.ph, an entertainment publication in the Philippines.

Personal Life

At age 10, Vitug was diagnosed with bilateral optic neuropathy, the permanent loss of vision on both eyes. She has publicly spoken about her medical condition on media publications such as Rappler, Daily Tribune, and Manila Standard among others, discussing how it inspires her advocacy of using filmmaking as a platform to gain more accurate representation for persons with disabilities (PWDs) in the media.

During a press conference in Manila City Hall while promoting The Manila Film Festival 2024, Vitug was asked in front of a live audience if she was related to the late cinematographer Romy Vitug, to which she responded that the cinematographer was her uncle. This press conference took place shortly after the late cinematographer's death earlier that year.

Education

By 2025, Vitug earned her Bachelor of Arts degree in Film with Specialization in Writing from De La Salle-College of Saint Benilde, graduating with Latin honors as Magna [...] Laude. In the same year, a public announcement from the team of Ricky Lee, National Artist for Film and Broadcast Arts, showcased the list of selected participants for the Ricky Lee Screenwriting Workshop (the longest-running screenwriting workshop in the Philippines), which listed Vitug as part of Batch 30 alongside public figures such as Kara David, Cristine Reyes, Dodo Dayao, and Wanggo Gallaga (son of Peque Gallaga).

Filmography

Romuelda (2022)

Vitug first made rounds in the news in 2022 after winning Best Screenplay for her debut film Romuelda (2022) at the 2022 Hong Kong SUPER Short Film Festival.

Love Again (2023)

In 2023, Vitug produced, directed, and wrote Love Again, a hybrid of a film and music video for the song 'Love Again' by Komii, which premiered in cities such as New York, Sydney, Melbourne, Bengal, Manila, and Cebu. The film bagged multiple awards in festivals including Best Romantic Short, Best Original Soundtrack (for Komii), and Best Debut Filmmaker (for Vitug) at the 2023 Black Swan International Film Festival, and Best Music Video and Best Song in a Film at the 2023 Top Shorts Film Festival (the world's biggest online film festival).

Through the Viewfinder (2023)

Through the Viewfinder (2023), where Vitug was credited as producer and director, premiered at the historical five-star Manila Hotel in the Philippines as a Finalist of the 2023 Gawad Sining Film Festival. A monochromatic director's cut of the film was eventually released in 2025, receiving a nomination from the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (the oldest award-giving body in the Philippines) for Best Advocacy Film at the 1st FAMAS Short Film Festival 2025.

Ballad of a Blind Man (2024)

Ballad of a Blind Man (2024), where Vitug was credited as director and writer, first premiered in June 2024 at the grand re-opening of the Manila Metropolitan Theater. Veteran Filipino actor and former journalist Joel Saracho starred in the film, portraying the role of 'Claudio (The Dad),' described as an overbearing father who is gradually losing his sight. The film was 1 of 8 recipients of a production grant for one hundred thousand Philippine Pesos from the local government unit of Manila, becoming a finalist of The Manila Film Festival 2024, where it was also nominated for Best Cinematography (for Paolo Ariola, Director of Photography). Later that year, Vitug's directorial work in the film earned her an Honorable Mention for Best Director at the 2024 Los Angeles Film and Documentary Awards in Los Angeles, California. In 2025, the film was named Best Asian Film at the 2025 Cannes Film Awards in France.

Publications

SINEGANG.ph (2024-2025)

In January 2024, Vitug began writing film reviews and feature articles for SINEGANG.ph. During her time with the publication, she covered local and international film festivals such as the Spanish Film Festival, Japanese Film Festival, Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival, and Metro Manila Film Festival.

Vitug's most notable contributions to the publication are her reviews for Lolo and the Kid (2024) and Sunshine (2024), and her feature interview with Visayan filmmaker Victor Villanueva for I Am Not Big Bird (2024). Upon publication of her review for Habang Nilalamon ng Hydra ang Kasaysayan (2025), she announced her departure from the publication in a social media post, explaining the review was her final piece as a film critic.

Rappler

As of date, Vitug has contributed two Opinion articles available for viewing online via the Rappler website. These articles include her 2020 piece 'Being [...] in an all-girl Catholic school' and her 2023 piece 'Being blind in film school.'