ASK US anything under the entertainment sun (jtvalle2008 @gmail.com), and we?ll get your answers. This week?s Q&A:
What was the first Filipino movie submitted to the Oscars for consideration in the Best Foreign Language category??Lally Serafica, Pangasinan
A year after it was acclaimed at the 1952 Venice International Film Festival, Manuel Conde?s ?Genghis Khan? vied for the special or honorary award for foreign-language films that the Oscars were handing out irregularly between 1947 and 1955. When the category was formally introduced in 1956, Lamberto V. Avellana?s ?Anak Dalita? was fielded, but lost to Federico Fellini?s ?La Strada.?
Only three films??The Moises Padilla Story,? ?Dahil sa Isang Bulaklak? and ?Ganito Kami Noon, Paano Kayo Ngayon???were submitted before 1982, when the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP), the local counterpart of the US Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Ampas), which honors movie workers through the Oscar Awards, was created. It was only in 1995 that the Philippines began submitting an entry annually.
The FAP organizes a committee made up of seven artists and/or craftsmen whose names are submitted to Ampas for official accreditation. National Artist Eddie Romero heads the committee tasked to determine which local films qualify for screening based on Ampas? criteria:
The committee also assists the producer in the submission of the actual print, which must be subtitled in English.
Offers
Has director Brillante Mendoza received offers from European and Hollywood productions? What are the chances of a local digital indie being nominated for a Best Foreign Language Oscar? ?Francis Rex Alger, Taguig City
Yes, the Cannes-winning director of ?Kinatay? has gotten offers to work in Europe, particularly in France and Italy. But, Mendoza would rather stick with the producer who?s been helping him since 2005?s ?Masahista,? his directorial debut.
?Ayoko s?yang iwan kasi utang na loob ko sa kanya na nag-invest s?ya sa akin nung hindi pa ako kilala. And, he respects me. Hanggang ngayon, I have full creative freedom,? he points out, adding that he?ll reconsider his decision after he?s given his producer his return on investment.
Then, if Hollywood beckons, direk Dante shares that he?s open to possibilities: ?You can go mainstream without compromising your vision as a director.? Mendoza?s Abu Sayyaf project with French actress, Isabelle Huppert, starts grinding in January.
His take on Philippine cinema?s chances at the Oscars: ?If a movie makes an impact outside the country, ?yun dapat ang ipi-field mo, kasi nag-mark na sa world cinema community?lalo na ngayong nasa mapa na ng global film community ang Pilipinas. This is our chance, so we have to grab the opportunity!?
