I take a pause from straight column-writing today to give way to a statement of support from the Executive Committee on Cinema of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts (NCCA).
We are all in Naga as I write this part of my column. The Committee on Cinema has been here in this old, quaint city to meet for the last time this year. Some of the members are bidding good-bye as this is their last term, while some are staying but with new members next year when they meet.
As we evaluated the programs that we endorsed and executed, we started talking about the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF). In particular, we discussed the change that has taken place: the films that are slated to be shown do not carry the usual names. Every year the MMFF has always blazed through the season with films starred in by actors noted for making films raking in millions at the box office. It appears that the majority of the entries this year have no known actors.
We do not know what will the effect be of a film festival that, as some people say, has taken in films that would make people think. Perhaps, that is an exaggeration. Perhaps, there are films that do make people laugh and smile and yet cause them to ponder ideas, as well.
Right now, we do not have any clear ideas—just conjectures—about what these films will teach us. What the members of the committee came up with is a statement of support for an institution that embraces all kinds of human interaction, and of a technological form that fuses all art forms.
Hereunder follows the manifesto, for lack of a better term, crafted by the Cinema Committee:
The Cinema Committee of the NCCA supports the move of the MMFF Executive Committee and the selection of a new breed of films for the MMFF. We enjoin all government and non-governmental cultural agencies and organizations, including exhibitors, mass media and the educational sector, to support the MMFF and make it a success. We hope that all eight films should be accorded their 10-day run nationwide as they do not have the same promotional and marketing machineries as previous MMFF films.
The success of the MMFF this year will not be a matter of the success of “indie” or “mainstream” films but of one Philippine cinema. The triumph of this historic move by the MMFF will enlarge Philippine cinema in general and will benefit audiences, producers, artists and workers alike not just this year, but in the long run. It will help expose audiences to new styles, genres and perspectives in film. It will encourage producers to be bolder in the kinds of films that they produce. It will help enable artists and film workers to widen their social discourses and subject matters and take part in a greater variety of film production.
Tangkilikin natin ang pelikulang Pilipino! Mabuhay!
E-mail: titovaliente@yahoo.com.
Image credits: Jimbo Albano
