While mainstream movies continue their struggles to compete with foreign blockbuster hits being shown in local cinemas, independent filmmakers who put their innovative ideas and intriguing stories in their works are still lacking support from the industry. This kind of inequality is where the Film Development Council of the Philippines makes a stand and is staging a new festival that will solely be dedicated to Filipino-made movies - the Festival of Philippine Cinema (dubbed in Filipino as Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino).
Backed by the National Cinema Association of the Philippines and SM Lifestyle and Entertainment, the week-long nationwide event which will be held on August 16-22, 2017 is set to feature a dozen of Filipino movies to be shown in hundreds of theaters nationwide. The festival also aims to create equal footing for all participating outfits considering that the selection committee will only choose one among various entries submitted by these outfits. But there is more to the festival than just sustainability as it also aims to bring the festival to the Filipino people with the selected films being catered in various genres.
The Festival of Philippine Cinema is slated to be an audience-oriented festival as the FDCP will conduct a survey on which of the films shown throughout the duration of the festival are considered the best. The top three films will be given the Audience Choice Award on the awards night which will be held on August 19, 2017 which coincides with the birthday of former Philippine president Manuel L. Quezon, the Father of the Filipino Language. To make the festival more interesting and surprising, the Audience Choice Award is the only recognition that will be giving out before the conclusion of the event.
Anyway, the Festival of Philippine Cinema will be in line with the observance of National Language Month and I am hopeful that more Filipinos will appreciate the stories being told by the film makers through their stories while being proud of celebrating our own national language and culture.
