In the Philippines, Christmas is the biggest and most important season. People meet up to bond and fill each other's love tanks which have diminished during the year. And one of the most memorable bonding activities during this season is going to the cinemas.

With the annual Metro Manila Film Festival that opens every December 25, cinemas get filled on Christmas Day with families and friends eager to watch the festival's slate of local films.

This year, as cinemas reopen after a devastating pandemic, everyone is excited and eager to rekindle this tradition.

Jump starting at QCinema

Just last week, I was fortunate enough to attend the activities of the QCinema International Film Festival. This festival adapted a hybrid format this year, with online streaming and onsite screenings held at the Gateway Cinema. I represented the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), the annual partner of the festival for its executions and promotions.

After having attended foreign film festivals this year in Cannes and Venice, I have to say that nothing beats experiencing a film festival in the country and meeting our filmmakers, producers, and artists. It's a different experience to see the same passion and fire that they had before the pandemic hit the industry. Among the best parts is also experiencing films as part of a collective inside the cinema, with emotions palpable inside the room.

After watching films with my fellow audiences in QCinema, I couldn't help but wish that the same energy and support would continue on and that more Filipinos would experience the same feeling as cinemas around the country fully open in the following weeks.

A spotlight on Filipino films

The reopening of cinemas also means the revival of livelihood, especially for our Filipino film workers in the industry who were among the most brutally affected by the pandemic. More Filipino films can be made and produced which also mean film outfits can hire more film workers. Moreover, production companies will be assured that the film they make can have a venue and the ecosystem of the Philippine film industry can restart once more.

We hope the Metro Manila Film Festival is just the beginning of more Filipino films accommodated and featured at our cinemas, so they may be given a space even after the festival season. Because as much as we are excited to see our favorite foreign franchises and Hollywood blockbuster hits, we are also yearning to see our own Filipino titles at our movie screens.

As such, FDCP enjoins families, barkadas, film enthusiasts — everyone — please include Filipino movies in your cinema dates. Please choose Filipino movies. We appeal to the generosity of our dear partners, our local cinema operators, to make room for Filipino movies in their screenings beyond the festival season.

As the FDCP's campaign goes, "Nood Tayo ng Sine!" To fully support our industry and the continued creation of films and narratives that we can call our own, we need the help of everyone. As we rise again, we ask for your support. Let us all choose Filipino films.

Hope at the end of the year

There is so much to be proud of this year in terms of accolades and recognitions of our films which graced international festivals and won many of international awards. They have brought pride and attention to the Philippines.

With these victories, I believe that bringing these Filipino films home and into our cinemas is truly fitting at the end of this year. For our filmmakers, there is no bigger pride than knowing that they are supported and their films are shown in their own country. And in cinemas is where we start.

It takes a village to keep the Filipino film industry thriving. But it takes a community to keep it alive. Let's all see each other again in cinemas real soon.

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.