Filipino film industry is changing, Showbiz update: Options

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Viewfinder : Filipino film industry is changing

Updated 05:13am (Mla time) Oct 21, 2004
By Nestor Torre
Inquirer News Service



Editor's Note: Published on Page A26 of the October 21, 2004 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer


THESE days, it's cynically fashionable to moan and groan that the Filipino movie industry is dying, if not already dead, buried or cremated. As usual, we resist such facile and trendy cynicism.

When we meet the doom-and-gloomers, we point out to them that, way back in the 1950s, a famous film icon was already grieving over the "death" of local movies.

As subsequent events turned out, he was way off-mark. Our "dead" movie industry went on to experience a new Golden Age in the '70s, before falling prey once more to the usual suspects-excessive taxation, unenlightened censorship, colonial mentality, lack of creativity, audience-alienating sex and violence, and the pervasive pall of commercialism.

In fact, the famous griever was himself outlived by the industry whose "passing" he had been mourning. And so it could also be with today's moaners and groaners.

No doubt, Filipino movies are in very dire straits. From an annual production high of some 200 films to last year's 80 or so is a huge drop, causing many film workers to go jobless and scrounge around for other means of making money (for instance, quite a number of our movie stuntmen are now driving cabs).

But the film industry is neither dying nor dead, so let's stop this pointless ululation. It would be much more useful for all of us if we could focus on the often ignored or misunderstood fact that the Filipino film industry is changing-so we'd better keep up with the rapidly evolving times.

The big change is from a moviehouse-based mass audience to a less general and theater-sited viewership. So, niche audiences are being created, which should be serviced with niche-specific movies.

In addition, filmmaking itself has been changing. With digital movies fast coming into vogue, it's now less expensive to shoot a film, so many more filmmakers aside from the major studios are entering the film production scene.

Yes, the process of converting digital movies to 35 mm is expensive. But some theater circuits are investing in digital projection equipment, so this extra cost will be cancelled out.

The local film landscape will be much more varied than it's ever been. So, instead of feeling disheartened, our film people should get challenged and even excited by the filmmaking prospects that are unfolding.

Feedback

FROM Alwyn R. Romago of Pasay City: "Your efforts to remind the TV networks of their responsibilities to viewers are well-appreciated. I especially learned a lot from your comment that the airwaves belong not to the TV companies but to the Filipino people. Thus, the TV networks are required by their franchise to provide responsible and balanced programming.

"It's obvious, of course, that what we see on our TV screens falls far short of this. So, it's time for viewers to complain, and to pressure government to require the TV companies to live up to their pledge, otherwise the franchises should be given to more responsible broadcasters..."

Open house at CCP

"IKATLONG Tagpo: The 2004 National Theater Festival," starts on Nov. 7 with an open house from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at the Cultural Center of the Philippines. The open house offers live previews of the 35 productions in the musical-theater festival.

At 11 a.m. at Tanghalang Nicanor Abelardo, there will be production numbers from the festival's gala events.

At the Tanghalang Aurelio Tolentino at 1 p.m., "Hans Christian Andersen Must Be Filipino"; at 2 p.m., "Hibik at Himagsik nina Victoria Lactaw; at 3 p.m., "Nang Mabasag ang Banga"; and at 4 p.m., "Himala."

At the Tanghalang Huseng Batute at 1 p.m., "Si Maria at si Kiling"; at 2 p.m., "Tipik sa Panahon"; at 3 p.m., "Saranggola ni Pepe"; and at 4 p.m., "Isko, Iska."

At the Bulwagang Amado Hernandez at 1 p.m., "Calenda de Loboc"; at 2 p.m., "Prinsipe ng Buwan"; at 3 p.m., "Uyayi ni Chin Chin"; and at 4 p.m., "Biringan."

At the Bulwagang Francisca Reyes-Aquino at 1 p.m., "Sita & Rama"; at 2 p.m., "Hudhud: Ifugao Epic Chant"; at 3 p.m., "Titser ng Bayan"; and at 4 p.m., "Oya Arakan/ Salima."

At the Silangan hall, a preview of the cabaret shows is slated at noon, and the Silly People's Invitational Theater preview is at 6 p.m.