MANILA, Philippines — The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and the National Commission for Culture & the Arts (NCCA) signed a memorandum of understanding on August 31 to relaunch "Mga Hiyas ng Sineng Filipino" which will screen restored Philippine cinema classics for free at the Metropolitan Theater in Manila.
According to FDCP chairman and chief executive officer Tirso Cruz III, the movies that will be screened every third Sunday of each month will be picked according to a monthly theme.
“The archives are very dear to me, because alam kong this is very important, especially for the generations to come, ‘di ba?” he said.
“It would be nice if we could let them watch these movies and ma-realize nila na ‘Wow, ano pala tayo, we can really compete worldwide kung sa talent and talent alone,’” he added.
The first movie to be shown is “Himala,” which features the work of three National Artists, on September 25. It is written by National Artist Ricky Lee and directed by award-winning National Artist Ishmael Bernal. It stars National Artist for Film Nora Aunor in the role of Elsa, a barrio lass who purports to be a seer and later influences a large number of people to believe in her gift as she engages in faith healing.
"Himala" won the Viewer's Choice Award for the Best Film of All Time from the Asia-Pacific Region in the 2008 CNN Asia Pacific Screen Awards.
The screening will also include a talkback session with Aunor and Lee.
The first leg of the film screenings last February featured “Dalagang Ilocana” by Olive La Torre, “Pagdating sa Dulo” by Ishmael Bernal, and “Sana Maulit Muli” by Olivia Lamasan.
The MOU was signed a day before the start of the Philippine Film Industry Month, celebrated every September, as stated in the Presidential Proclamation 1085, s. 2021. FDCP's flagship film festival Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino also makes a comeback at the theaters this September with classic films from National Artists for Film and new short films from Sine Kabataan and Sine Isla: Luzvinminda.
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