BUSAN, South Korea??The Philippines is currently a hotbed of talents,? according to a news article on The Hollywood Reporter published on October 12, which coincided with the opening of this year?s Busan International Film Commission (BIFCOM) and Industry Showcase being held at the Paradise Hotel here.

Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) chairperson Rolando ?Jacky? Atienza couldn?t agree more: ?It is clear that the country is the fastest-growing area in filmmaking. More and more, the world is realizing that a lot of awards in international film festivals are being garnered by Filipino artists. The local film industry is looking good. Each year, a larger percentage of awards in festivals are being won by Filipino films.?

The article, a two-page special report on Philippine cinema by writer Patrick Frater, also said a lot of Filipino filmmakers are ?getting the kind of attention that is putting the Philippines back on the international movie map ? Indeed, Busan has picked an apt moment to turn the spotlight on Filipino cinema.?

Country of honor

The Philippines is the ?country of honor? in this year?s Pusan International Film Festival. A total of 20 Filipino films will be showcased in the week-long event that began on October 8. Atienza said the country?s participation here ?is really a testament to the excellence of Filipino films. It is another statement that the Filipino films are being recognized around the world.?

The BIFCOM opening rites featured 24 industry leaders from around the globe. Atienza is the Philippine representative. The other participants were Cho Hee-moon, Park Kwang-soo, Bae Young-gil, Grame Solloway, Lee Yong-kwan, Ken Terawaki, Xu Ping-an, Tetsuji Maezan, Susan Ord, Rah So-won, Oh Jung-wan, Lee Seung-moo, Han Zhijun, Bill Lindstorm, Wanasiri Morakul, Kim Sa-gyum, Kim Eui-suk, Kim Sung-su and Lee Yong-gi.

Location site

The country?s BIFCOM booth, manned by Philippine Film Export Services Office executive director Digna Santiago, also formally opened today and will receive visitors until Oct. 14. It aims to promote the country as an alternative location site for foreign-produced TV and movie productions, said Santiago.

?Good sign?

?Already, there are a number of filmmakers and film enthusiasts who showed interest,? said Manet Dayrit, of the post-production outfit Roadrunner Network Inc. ?This includes Gillian Gordon of the TischAsia School of Arts in Singapore. She said there are a lot of students interested in making their thesis films in the Philippines. This is a good sign.?

Trade show

The BIFCOM, a multi-market group handling anything from filmmaking to photographic equipment, from location to human infrastructure, is featuring 57 teams from 16 countries in this year?s trade show, according to Hur Nam-sik, Busan Metropolitan City mayor. This year?s theme, said Hur, is: ?Make your dreams and hopes for [the] film business come true in Busan.?

At the PIFF Pavilion, Pinoy filmmakers Raymond Red and Nick Deocampo were speakers in a forum called ?Talk to Talk,? where Koreans asked them about the history of Philippine cinema, censorship, independent filmmaking, as well as the country?s ?diverse and complicated? culture.

?Philippine Night?

?While a lot of Filipino filmmakers get invited to different festivals around the world, what we ultimately want is for our films to be seen by Filipinos, whom we consider our most important audience,? said Red.

Scheduled in the evening is Philippine Night, a gathering of Filipino and Korean industry leaders to mark the 60th anniversary of the Philippine-Korean diplomatic relations.

E-mail mcruz@inquirer.com.ph