(First of two parts)
MANILA, Philippines - The first Philippine Independent Film Summit allowed stakeholders to tackle diverse issues, particularly the challenge of finding an audience in an increasingly competitive market.
Convened by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) and the Cultural Center of the Philippines (CCP), the summit was held at the Silangan Hall of the CCP on Nov. 8 and attracted 53 participants from the government, media and indie community.
During the day-long conference, a number of vital issues were raised.
Rolando S. Atienza, chair and CEO of the FDCP, noted, ?It?s bothersome that ? although the artistic excellence of indie films has been recognized internationally, [they] haven?t quite made it economically.?
Nestor O. Jardin, president of the CCP, recalled that during the Paris Cinema Festival (which had a special showcase on Philippine cinema) earlier this year, several indie filmmakers told him about their problems in distributing their movies locally. ?That?s the reason we thought of mounting this summit?to discuss their concerns and, hopefully, find solutions.?
Oversupply
The road ahead is paved with obstacles, participants asserted.
In his speech, Doy del Mundo, chair of the Independent Filmmakers? Cooperative (IFC), pointed out that the top five box-office performers in Robinson Galleria?s IndieSine (which programs indie features) are: ?Daybreak,? ?Rome and Juliet,? ?Moreno,? ?Roxxxane? and ?Sikil.?
All these titles, shown in 2007 up to the first quarter of this year, are ?adult, gay movies,? Del Mundo said.
?That?s the power of niche marketing,? filmmaker Nick Deocampo explained. ?Gay films cater to a specific and loyal audience.?
Del Mundo conceded, however, that the earnings of the No. 1 film, ?Daybreak,? throughout its three-week run (P1,053,450) ?are miniscule in mainstream standards.?
Another issue raised was a surplus in quantity. As filmmaker Paolo Villaluna put it, ?There?s an oversupply ... [though] demand is not that high.?
Central booking agency
Filmmaker Chris Martinez said there?s a need to put up a ?distribution clearing house or central booking agency? that will facilitate the smooth traffic of indie films into the market.
?Problem is, two indie films sometimes open in the same week. We end up canceling each other out,? Martinez said.
For example, this week, starting Wednesday, Paul Morales? ?Concerto? is competing with Arnold Argaño?s ?Sapi.? And the two of them are up against GMA Films? ?One True Love.?
Week before last, there were Ronaldo Bertubin?s ?Kurap? and another gay film, Joel Lamangan?s ?Walang Kawala.?
Still, indie filmmakers seek commercial runs, possible only by going through the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB).
Villaluna pointed out that the P8,000 fee needed to secure a permit from the MTRCB is too steep for indie producers.
?We hope a lower rate could be required of indies,? Villaluna said. ?But the MTRCB told us that mainstream producers might complain. ?
Discounted rates are not totally out of the question, though. According to MTRCB chair Marissa Laguardia, ?Films that are part of a festival pay P4,000 as review fee.?
(Tomorrow: Solutions and action points)
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