The Cinefilipino festival is now showing.
At Shangri-La, Resorts World, Gateway, Megaworld and Lucky Chinatown. The full Cinefilipino schedule is here.
We love that there are lots of new Filipino movies showing in theatres. We have not seen so many Filipino movies since the 1980s. The film festival model must work because everyone’s using it. Outside of a film festival, these movies would not have the wherewithal to open at the malls.
Did three film festivals (Cinemalaya, Sineng Pambansa, Cinefilipino) have to be crammed into the last seven weeks, though? Even those of us with the time and the flexible schedules to catch all the movies are knackered. (Opportunity to use ‘knackered’!) We do have stories to write, bills to pay, groceries to get, cats to leash-train.
We’re guessing that the dates of Filipino film festivals are decided by Hollywood schedules—movie theatres are booked way in advance, and if a blockbuster is slated to open, those theatres will not be available. So the festivals take advantage of the brief breathing room between big-budget superhero movies. And though we enjoy big-budget superhero movies, something has to be done.
Ideas?
* * * * *
We had just ordered lunch at the Korean restaurant in Power Plant when whom should we spot crossing our field of vision but director Tikoy Aguiluz. Naturally we could not resist heckling him.
“Aba, narito pala ang magaling na direktor ng Eman!” (Look who’s here, the famed director of Eman.) You will recall that Eman was supposed to screen at Sineng Pambansa, but was not finished on time.
“Ang malas ko naman,” Aguiluz laughed. “Pumunta ako rito para magtago, tapos ikaw pa ang nakakita sa akin.” (Just my luck. I came here to hide, then you spot me.)
“Napakagaling! Sa lahat ng pagtataguan, dito pa sa tambayan namin. Iba-blog namin ‘to.” (Brilliant! Of all the hiding places, you picked the place where we hang out. We’re blogging this.)
“Long time, no see!” he said.
“Hoy kailan ipapalabas ang Eman?” (When will Eman be shown?) Eman being the biopic of the late revolutionary Emmanuel Lacaba.
“Sa Cinemanila,” he announced, “November 26 to December 2. We will show all the Sineng Pambansa movies.”
“Tapos na?” (Is the movie finished?)
“Thirty percent done. I need a lead actor. Derek Ramsay is too busy.”
“You don’t need a Derek Ramsay to play Eman Lacaba.”
“No one will watch it without a big name star.”
“Whom are you considering for the lead?”
“Piolo Pascual.”
“Piolo??”
“I’ll have to talk to Star Magic.”
“Piolo? Si Joey Marquez na lang. Oh right, too old.”
“He’s in the movie.”
Answers to questions you might be asking, unless you wandered onto this site purely by accident >>>
September 19th, 2013 at 18:04
I find the Cine Filipino screenings in these four malls a hit-and-miss thing. A film is screened once a day. Unlike in Sineng Pambansa that one movie had 3-6 screenings a day in SM cinemas. Pano kung gusto mo talaga panoorin yun pelikula e hindi naman magkakatabi ang apat na malls/cinemas – If you missed the film’s only screening in Gateway, Cubao paano kung nasa New Port, Resorts World yung nag iisa pang screening? Paano yan bale eto ang ruta – NAIA ->Cubao -> Divisoria at isama pa ang EDSA Shaw this coming 21-22 Sep.
It’s not practical even to us who have time to spare. Nakakapagod maghabol. It defeats the purpose of targeting and encouraging everyday ordinary Filipinos to enjoy worthy Filipino films.
What if Cine Filipino for example be hosted by Shangri-La’s Cineplex or Robinsons? But not many ordinary Filipinos flock to Shangri-La and Robinsons. Gawin na lang sigurong film showing na nakikita natin tuwing Mahal na Araw ang mga festival na ito. Puwede ring sa mga sementeryo. I’m just wondering how these well-meaning film festivals be just like ECP and the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) of the 70s and 80s. I’ve never been to a Bong Revilla or Vic Sotto starrers in MMFF. Di ko rin panahon ang ECP ni Imee sa Film Center.
September 19th, 2013 at 23:39
Some of the festivals can be moved to the January-March period when nothing really worthwhile is being shown.
September 20th, 2013 at 10:55
I read somewhere that PNoy “revived” the bill requiring radio stations to play at least one OPM song every hour. The enforcement, if at all (hehe, Chiz), is another story. I will not be able to verify this as I no longer listen to the radio.
Perhaps our lawmakers should pass a similar bill for our film industry. Say, a bill requiring theater owners/operators to screen Pinoy films every Saturday, or dedicate a certain number of theaters for Pinoy films following a strict schedule. Theater owners should be given tax holidays in return.
Or… this crossed my mind when OTJ did not get a 2nd week booking at our local cinema… one can save money or team up with like-minded people to pool resources and build a non-profit theater exclusively screening Pinoy films. Only reruns will be screened so as not to burn too much cash.
September 20th, 2013 at 18:19
silentfollower: “non-profit theater exclusively screening Pinoy films” 0.0 nice idea!
September 23rd, 2013 at 13:43
theradioman: You are cordially invited to the opening night of my 15-seater theater where I will be screening Ishmael Bernal’s Bakit May Pag-ibig Pa. Save the date! September 23, 2043.