MANILA, Philippines?Last Dec. 3, we were invited to speak at the Salida film festival of the Maryhill School of Theology, which focuses on movies that promote Gospel values and social transformation. We began with a short talk, which was followed by a lively Q and A session. Our talk:

I congratulate you for holding your film festival and aspiring to appreciate how Filipino films are or are not presenting the true reality of our people in a cinematic way.

Movement

So, what?s the verdict? In general, some 10 years ago, before the local alternative film movement got underway, the mainstream Filipino movie industry didn?t do a good job in presenting reality on the silver screen. The mere fact that the movie screen is described as ?silver? indicates how escapist, idealized and unreal the films projected on it are.

Why are mainstream movies so unreal? Basically, because producers believe that most Filipino viewers watch movies to escape from their problems, not to confront them. Through the decades, box-office figures show that they aren?t wrong in this belief: Most big film hits are of the glossy, escapist and idealized sort, transporting viewers to a Never-Never Land where people are beautiful, love and happiness are reassuringly attainable at film?s end, and you can get a taxi instantly, just by waving your hand.

But, we all know that life isn?t as comfortable and predictably reassuring as that. So, most movies don?t reflect our real lives and issues, only a wish-fulfillment version of them.

In choosing to be escapist, filmmakers end up repeating their beautiful lies so many times that they fall into the traps of laziness and boredom.

Worse, they also end up numbing their viewers? minds, sensibilities and expectations, providing the moviegoing masses with the cinematic version of opium, under the spell of which, no original thought or yearning is possible?much less, action and reform.

That?s why, a decade ago, the alternative digital or indie film movement started to change the film landscape in the Philippines. At first, the going was tough, because making movies was expensive. Then, as the digital technology became more readily available, it became possible to spend, not millions, but only hundreds of thousands of pesos to produce a film.

This in effect democratized the local filmmaking process, enabling scores of new writer-directors to express themselves on the movie screen. Since they didn?t need to get an established production company to back them up, their movies were less commercially escapist and reflected real situations, characters and issues more often than ever before.

With the help of grants from festivals like Cinemalaya, the country?s new crop of indie filmmakers have been able to reflect Philippine realities on the silver screen, with standout films like ?Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros,? ?Endo? and ?Brutus? leading the way.

Despite these gains, however, the indie film movement still experiences financial constraints, because it has a hard time reaching the big mainstream audience with its products. Clearly, an alternative film circuit for indie movies has to be created, and I hope that the people here today who belong to educational institutions realize their great potential for helping our new filmmakers in this regard.

Now, for the other question regarding Filipino movies? impact on the renewal of Gospel values and social transformation: Due to the proliferation of indie films these days, local movies are faring better in this regard.

But, if you really want Gospel values and social transformation to be reflected and vivified on the movie screen, you must realize that you need to train yourselves to become good filmmakers, and make those transformative movies yourselves.

This is the way that the Church must go?to stop criticizing or being afraid to get involved in the mass media, and to dynamically and consciously use it as the new pulpit of today?s times.

But, its media efforts should go beyond good intentions. Those worthy intentions have to be supported by inspired art and solid craft, which take time and hard work to acquire. But, it?s essential to do so, because the mass media increase the reach and effectivity of values-oriented productions exponentially.

One good and well-motivated film or TV show could reach thousands, tens of thousands, even hundreds of thousands of viewers, and you can?t get a bigger pulpit than that. So, huwag matakot, maki-indie!

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During the Q and A session that followed, the religious present expressed their wish to learn more about filmmaking, so they could graduate from being ?appreciators? of good movies to actually making films to promote and propagate the faith. We promised to come up with workshops to help them realize their laudable objective.