Cinemanila 2001: Business...as usual?

The fast-paced soap series debuted quietly but has become so addictive that glaring headlines and dramatic developments have created another monster hit. Unfortunately, Nida Blanca, Maria Teresa Carlson and Vandolph aren’t following the dictates of a director. This is real life.

If recent events were all part of a feature film, what would the critics say? Would they call our filmmaker a genius for inserting a baffling murder (of no less than a well-respected movie queen) as a subplot? And what about the fear spreading among showbiz personalities about a curse plaguing their ranks? Would the audience get the point? Without having to bring it out in the dialogue, the movie industry is depicted as dying many deaths – succumbing to natural illnesses; suffering at the hands of merciless killers or a staging a dramatic ending to an otherwise lonely existence.

The plight of the Philippine movies is not unknown to Director Tikoy Aguiluz. He laments that, in international film festivals, we lag behind our Asian neighbors. "We’re not even in the top five. Now, Thailand is leaving us behind by becoming an emerging favorite in Southeast Asia. So why are we not living up to our potential? I don’t know. Like in many other fields, we Filipinos are not performing well. The sad thing about this is that, in filmmaking, it’s not just a lack of hi-tech devices. Our films are also lacking in creativity," he says calmly – having accepted the bitter truth.

Tikoy has every right to criticize local cinema. His own films have showcased the potential of the Filipino artist. In 1985, Boatman won the Outstanding Film of the Year at the London Film Festival. Rizal sa Dapitan earned the Grand Jury Prize at the 1998 Brussels International Film Festival. Other films like Bagong Bayani, OCW; Father Balweg, Rebel Priest and Segurista have been screened in various venues and filmfests abroad.

But he doesn’t stop at merely going against the tide. As the festival director of Cinemanila, Tikoy is trying to change the system.

The annual event has proclaimed itself an aspiring Sundance of Asia (trying to follow in the footsteps of Robert Redford’s now prestigious film festival). Launched in 1999, Cinemanila aims "to provide local and international filmmakers with a means to present their short and full-length feature films in an internationally recognized film festival; to inspire filmmakers, especially the young generation, to produce more independent films; to create an annual film event that will encourage cultural cooperation among nations through cinema; to restore the Philippines’ stature as a center of filmmaking and film festivals in the region by showcasing Asian Cinema and World Cinema in general and to bring in critically-acclaimed foreign films which are not normally screened in Philippine cinemas. (This will help in improving the quality of local films by the production of world-class Filipino films which can be globally competitive and promote the appreciation of international film creations.)"

The 3rd Annual Cinemanila International Film Festival will be held from Dec. 7 to 16 at the Glorietta and Greenbelt Cinemas in Ayala Center, Makati. To be screened are 50 features and 30 shorts. These will be presented under four categories: World Cinema, Asian Cinema, Philippine Cinema and Young Cinema (Digital Program).

President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo and Makati Mayor Jejomar Binay will grace the festival’s opening on Dec. 6 at the Onstage Theater in Greenbelt. New Zealand’s Danielle Cormack (best known as the sidekick in the TV series Xena: The Warrior Princess) and Thai filmmaker Nonzee Nimibutr are only some of the big names expected to attend the event. International film experts will be conducting workshops, lectures and symposia regarding film production, co-production, new trends in cinema and criticism.

Featured countries are Belgium (for World Cinema) and Thailand (for Asian Cinema). Other participants include the Czech Republic, France, Germany, Netherlands, Norway, Singapore, Korea, Mexico, Turkey, Slovinia, New Zealand, USA, Iran, Israel, Malaysia, Hong Kong, and Japan.

Cinemanila sets the limelight on Asian-American filmmakers such as Abraham Lim whose Road and Bridges won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Film at the 2001 Toronto Reelworld International Film Festival. The said film, to be screened in Manila, was produced by Robert Altman. This year’s Digital Film Program will likewise focus on the 63 Collective, a circle of Filipino-American filmmakers. Most popular among these relatively unknown (at least to local audiences) directors are Raissa Lluch Dalena who has won several local awards (including the Gawad Urian and CCP) and Christopher Ad Castillo who not only has name recall because of his famous father Celso Kid but has also made his mark by setting up Cinemafest (a filmfest solely for Fil-Am directors staged in Los Angeles).

Up for grabs are the Lino Brocka Award (the Grand Prize named after the first internationally acclaimed Filipino filmmaker), Best Actor, Best Actress, NETPAC/FIPRESCI Award (Critics Prize), Best Short, Best Documentary and the Ishmael Bernal Award (Best Filipino Short Film named after one of Philippine Cinema’s great directors).

Official schedule of film screenings for Cinemanila will be announced at a later date. A total of 20 films will be shown per day – five per theater starting 2 p.m. and lasting till 10 p.m. from Dec. 7 to 16.

Arrangement of films will depend on the film’s classification and total running time. Tikoy says audiences should take special notice of those scheduled for primetime screenings.

Requiring some careful planning is the showing of Lav Diaz’s Batang Westside which runs a staggering five hours. "As a director, he wants to keep the film at that length. That’s his prerogative. Actually, theater owners were the ones who decided that films should generally be two hours. That allowed them to earn more. It wasn’t really directors who decided on such limitations," Tikoy explains. "Because Batang Westside runs five hours, people are talking about it. I suggest you watch it because it may surprise you. A film festival like this may just be the perfect venue to test how audiences will take to it. Then, Lav can decide to either keep it as is or edit it for commercial release. Actually, we’re toying with the idea of showing it midnight of Dec. 15 so that viewers can attend misa de gallo after."

Like any international film festival, Cinemanila will also have its share of controversial films. Direk Tikoy admits he expects some eyebrow-raising with Erotic Tales (a series of erotic short films by directors from around the world), Happy End and Jan Dara (a passionate tale based on a famous novel).

That’s probably why, as a security policy, some movies will be shown at the UP Film Center where other "notorious" movies have been shown to a smaller and more discerning audience. It’s no big secret that the festival director is relieved he no longer has to deal with former MTRCB chief Armida Siguion Reyna. A year ago, the two locked heads on the issue of video screenings.

"It’s a good thing that now video screenings are allowed," he reports happily.

The new MTRCB under Chief Alejandro Roces is not without problems. The bulk of Cinemanila films caught the board surviving the tragic loss of Nida Blanca; breaking in several new members (supposedly quite conservative according to some sectors) and moving to new offices just when news spread that Maria Teresa Carlson (in the building nearby) jumped to her death. With so many films still to be viewed and approved (some of them, says Tikoy apologetically, are still being screened in other filmfests), Cinemanila challenges MTRCB to prove that it’s business as usual.