CANNES, FRANCE: The 74th Cannes Film Festival has just wrapped up, and it's admirable how the world's largest international film festival resumed operations while ensuring everyone's safety amid the pandemic.

Despite having less fanfare, Cannes 2021 was a resounding success because it was able to revive the vigor of the global film community by bringing together international stakeholders in a hybrid format.

It was magical to finally be part of onsite film screenings, pitching sessions, meetings, and other events instead of attending them online. To be able to check on one another and learn about the latest in the industry was enriching.

'Philippine Cinema Night' in Cannes

Cannes showcased global cinema through its various programs, and Philippine Cinema made its presence felt in the prestigious A-List Film Festival of France. We celebrated the Filipinos in Cannes at the Philippine Cinema Night at Restaurant L'Entrecote on July 13. In true Pinoy fashion, it wasn't just an ordinary dinner but an enjoyable Karaoke Night.

As Variety Magazine's Naman Ramachandran put it, "Despite not having a film in official selection this year, there is a significant Philippines presence at Cannes." It's an honor for Variety - one of the most important trade publications in the global film industry - to report about the Philippine participation in Cannes.

The Variety article also mentioned the initiatives of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) such as the incentive funds from FilmPhilippines and CreatePHFilms and the opening of the 3rd Full Circle Lab Philippines.

"Dancing the Tides" was pitched by director Xeph Suarez and producer Alemberg Ang at La Fabrique Cinéma de l'Institut français.

"Telling the story of Dancing the Tides is very important for me as a gay Mindanaoan. I want to highlight the courage of the queer people in my hometown in expressing themselves and their love despite the circumstances they are in," Suarez said of his first feature film project supported by the FDCP through First Cut Lab Manila and Southern Voices Film Lab.

Also onsite was Berlinale Silver Bear Prize winner Rafael Manuel, whose projects were part of Cinéfondation La Residence du Festival de Cannes - short film "Patrimonio" and the feature film version of Berlinale awardee "Filipiñana." Shinji Manlangit, a participant of Deutsche Film, und Fernsehakademie Berlin GmbH Next Wave Programme, culminated his training as part of Cannes Next.

Completing the Philippine squad were Epicmedia Productions CEO and acclaimed producer Bianca Balbuena-Liew and award-winning filmmaker Isabel Sandoval of "Lingua Franca." Balbuena-Liew was in Cinefondation L'Atelier as one of the producers of "Việt And Nam" by Minh Quy Truong of Vietnam while Sandoval - who was among the female directors of Miu Miu's "Women's Tales" film series - was dressed by Miu Miu and Prada for the Cannes Red Carpet.

A productive Cannes online experience

The following day, the Marché du Film (Cannes Film Market) Closing Night for the Online Philippine Delegation took place, and Suarez, Ang, and I joined in the fun of the virtual event.

It was a culmination of our country's Marché du Film Online participation, which featured 37 individual delegates from 33 Filipino companies and organizations. "A is for Agustin" by Grace Simbulan and "Boundary" by Benito Bautista were in the Marché du Film online screenings while "Pabása kan Pasyón" by Hubert Tibi from Bicol was in the Short Film Corner of Cannes Court Métrage. Marché du Film's Cannes Docs also featured Daang Dokyu festival director Jewel Maranan as a guest speaker.

Our online delegates shared during the Closing Night that even though the Cannes version they attended was the virtual edition, they still made the most of the Cannes experience because their week was packed with online events, activities, meetings, conferences and screenings.

This is one of the advantages of virtual markets - we were able to bring more participants to Cannes this year and the presence of our Philippine delegates could not have come at a better time. With the drastically changing landscape of cinema and the disruption in the way audiences consume content, they all know that they have to keep up with the trends and understand how to sustain their business and be part of the global market.

The future is ASEAN

Collaborations are forged at the sidelines of Cannes, where I was able to have 30 meetings with officials of international film companies, organizations and commissions. This is what Cannes is about - the synergy of creativity, passion and solidarity on the world stage.

It is where indigenous stories are given the spotlight with opportunities for development and distribution, including projects and films from Southeast Asia. We may have been a minority in the 74th season, but Southeast Asian Cinema representatives made up for it with our energy, drive and commitment.

At Le Bangkok Restaurant, we had a taste of home while reconnecting and making plans. Joining the Filipino filmmakers for dinner were Indonesian director Yosep Anggi Noen and producer Yulia Evina Bhara ("Jilah and the Man with Two Names" at CineFondation L'Atelier) and Singaporean producer Jeremy Chua ("Rehana Maryam Noor," the first Bangladeshi film in competition in Cannes).

Also at the dinner were Cinematheque Passion Macau's Lorna Tee, Pek Jia Hao, Sam Chua (producer of feature film project "Pierce," supported by Full Circle Lab Philippines), and Variety Asia Bureau Chief and journalist Patrick Frater, a staunch supporter of Southeast Asian Cinema.

Since 2017, I have been representing the country in Cannes by holding meetings left and right. I never got to watch a film at the Grand Théâtre Lumière until this year. I wish my first film at the Lumière was a Filipino title, but I am still very proud that the first film I watched at the "Red Carpet Theatre" of the Cannes Palais was a Southeast Asian film in competition: Thai director Apichatpong Weerasethakul's "Memoria" starring Tilda Swinton. The Thai auteur ended the roaring 14-minute standing ovation for his bewildering drama with "Long live, Cinema!"

Cheers to Cannes

After a total of 26 hours of travel, I arrived in Cannes with eagerness and excitement, yet with a bit of worry because of the ongoing global health crisis. But with stringent protocols, including the Covid-19 RT-PCR test held every two days, I felt safe here. The Cannes Covid-19 guidelines and my vaccination put me at ease to interact with attendees.

Cannes may have had fewer pavilions, films, and participants this year, but it compensated for this with valuable intangible things. Cannes was full of optimism that yes, we can survive the pandemic. It gave me more understanding of where we are as an industry and taught me the importance of patience. Most importantly, Cannes gave me hope that cinema is just changing, not dying.

As I pack my bags and head back to the Philippines with great news on renewed partnerships and blossoming cooperations, I am glad to have experienced first-hand in Cannes the resilience of global cinema.

Thank you, Cannes, for pushing to hold the festival despite the odds and making us realize that Cinema wins. You can always count on the Philippines to support your endeavors. À ta santé! Cheers!

Notes from the Chair
The Sunday Times Magazine  - The Manila Times

Notes from the Chair is part of the Arts Awake section of The Sunday Times Magazine published by The Manila Times. Click HERE to view the article on The Manila Times website.