Cine Lokal: Giving struggling indie film industry a push

First, it was just a dream. Now it’s a reality.

Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) chair Liza Diño-Seguerra is giving the fast-rising, but struggling indie film industry a push as head of a body in charge of helping local cinema via a project called Cine Lokal.

Under the project, SM Lifestyle Entertainment, Inc. president Edgar Tejerero and Liza inked a three-year contract last March 25 that will see screenings of foreign and local indie films in eight SM Cinemas starting this month.

FDCP is on top of programing and will choose films for screening at SM Megamall, SM North EDSA, SM Fairview, SM Iloilo, SM Southmall, SM Cebu, SM Bacoor and SM Mall of Asia.

SM will not only screen the movies. It will tap its huge resources as a chain of cinemas to help market the films, which will be shown for a week in the said malls. Films that bring in the crowd and fare well at the tills will enjoy extended playdates.

The guaranteed playdates will make indie filmmakers and directors worry less about the prospect of their films getting pulled out of cinemas a few days after opening day. They can focus instead on promoting their films and earning more.

As long as the film isn’t rated R-18 (restricted to those below 18 years old), FDCP’s chosen films enjoy guaranteed exposure in the eight SM malls.

Why the name Cine Lokal?

“Lokal means a place for discussion or discourse where we can support each other and chart the film industry’s direction,” explains Liza.

She’ll see to it that the project lives up to its name by holding workshops and seminars on how to market and distribute films so producers can recoup their investments and profit from them.

This early, feedback is inspiring.

Baby Go, whose BG Productions came up with several internationally-acclaimed films, is resuming filmmaking after three to four months of laying low.

“Nabuhay ang loob ko,” she explains.

FDCP will announce monthly themes for Cine Lokal ahead of time, so Go and her peers can prepare their films and promote them in advance. They can prepare their trailers earlier and generate buzz earlier.

This is important in bringing people to the theaters.

“In all our studies, the audience said that if they like the trailer, there’s a 78 percent chance that they’ll watch the movie,” says Tejerero.

He himself wants to start promoting films three months in advance, or even nine months ahead once the filmmakers get the hang of it.

So far, so good.

The line leading to FDCP’s programming division, which is in charge of choosing films for Cine Lokal, is long. Liza is happy to report that they have enough films for Cine Lokal until June.

Cine Lokal films will be screened the whole month of April starting on the 17th.

There’s Oscar-winning Spotlight, National Artist for Film Ishmael Bernal’s Himala, Iadya Mo Kami, Of Sinners and Saints, Honor Thy Father, Seklusyon, Oscar-nominated German film Blue Ribbon and the religious film Ignacio de Loyola.

Admission price is P120 per person.