BUSAN??There were lots of talks about financial incentives,? said Film Development Council of the Philippines chair Rolando S. Atienza of the two-day Asian Film Policy Forum that concluded on Wednesday night in a ceremony held at the Novotel Ambassador Hotel here.

A total of 19 film-related commissions attended the forum, in which the current state of the Asian film industry was discussed, as well as possible solutions to industry-related problems.

Organized by the Busan Film Commission, the forum was intended to ?solidify Asian countries and organize them into a more cohesive group,? Atienza explained. It aims to promote the region as an alternative location for future film and television productions.

?[During the meeting], I said that if we keep talking about incentives, it would be difficult for the poorer countries to compete with the richer countries. We should not concentrate too much on incentives but more on, let?s say, skilled but cheaper workforce,? he told Inquirer Entertainment.

Also at the forum, Atienza suggested coming up with a catalogue that will show the cost of producing a film in the different Asian countries. ?The catalogue should contain, for example, the cost of hiring a director, cinematographer or a scriptwriter,? he pointed out. ?One of the ways to attract production is if you are able to produce a movie with the cheapest budget. I think that?s one of our strongest points.?

He added: ?If we can project to the world that there is a strong, progressive industry in the Philippines with very talented and knowledgeable workers, then we should be able to attract producers.?

Film fest victories

Atienza said the Philippines should compete on the basis of skills: ?These are recognized by the fact that we are winning all these awards in international film festivals more than any other country ... In terms of Asian cinema, we?re the leader in filmmaking.?

Atienza cited the victories of Brillante Mendoza (Best Director, ?Kinatay?) at the Cannes International Film Festival in France last May and Pepe Diokno (Best Feature Film, ?Enkwentro?) at the Venice International Film Festival in Italy last September. He also noted that the Philippines is this year?s ?country of honor? at the 14th Pusan International Film Festival.
Reminder
Asked to comment on the observation of the Pinoy audience at the PIFF that majority of Filipino films depict only poverty, crime and squalor, Atienza reminded them ?not to get lost in the films? content and theme.?

This year, 20 Filipino films were screened at the PIFF, which concluded its week-long run on last Friday. Alfonso ?Borgy? Torre III?s short film, ?Bonsai,? competed in the Wide Angle Section.

?Bonsai? is the story of Romy, an obese and shy security guard who attempts to capture the attention of his neighbor Daisy, an ambitious laundry woman. It won for Torre the Best Short Film Award in the 5th Cinemalaya Independent Film Festival in July.

?Overwhelming?

?My experience here in Busan was overwhelming. I haven?t gotten the chance to watch a lot of films, but the parties every night were so much fun,? Torre told Inquirer Entertainment on Wednesday night. ?I got to meet a lot of interesting people, different filmmakers from different countries with different backgrounds. Now I know why Filipino filmmakers are always excited to go to festivals.?

Torre said he plans to make two more short films similar to ?Bonsai? and release them in a DVD compilation. He also plans to join next year?s Cinemalaya full-length competition with his script ?Christmas Light on the 14th Hole.?

?It?s a romantic story between a golfer and her caddie,? said Torre.

Raymond Red, whose film ?Sakay? was included in the Retrospective Section, was also part of a forum called ?Talk to Talk.?

?I still get excited whenever I join festivals even though I?ve been doing this for almost 25 years,? Red said. ?I still consider film forums the best opportunity to explain to my audience the purpose of my films and share my ideas about Philippine cinema as a whole.?

Red is scheduled to fly to Japan next week to attend the Tokyo International Film Festival where his new film ?Himpapawid? will be competing.

E-mail: mcruz@inquirer.com.ph