IN HOLLYWOOD, there is a move to shift from 35mm film to full digital and, eventually, all-3D cinemas. This technological migration will soon be implemented in the local scene, according to movie industry leaders.

This was confirmed by Ric Camaligan of SM Malls, president of the Motion Picture Anti-Film Piracy Council and a member of the executive committee of the Metro Manila Film Festival. ?As early as five years ago, when I attended the ShoWest convention in Las Vegas, I already heard of this development,? Camaligan recounted.

After ShoWest, he learned more about the digital shift at another trade fair, this time in Hong Kong. As a result, Camaligan said, SM Cinemas ?brought in three digital projectors for Megamall, North Edsa and Mall of Asia.?

From an initial three digital cinemas, SM now has 55 digital and 3D cinemas (including three Imax theaters) all over the country. Other malls have at least 30 digital cinemas, for a total of over 80 digital cinemas nationwide. (SM has at least 230 regular cinemas. The national total is 720.)

Briccio Santos, head of the Film Development Council of the Philippines, gathered the same information at the CineAsia in Hong Kong recently. ?The proliferation of 3D cinemas reflects the fast-paced progression of [Hollywood?s] filmmaking technology ? something [Hollywood producers] would like their audiences to embrace quickly.?

How will this affect local movies ? specifically, the annual Metro Manila Film Festival?

Camaligan noted that local movie producers will have to ?adapt and invest in new digital equipment.?

Even content will be affected, Nonoy Lauzon, UP Film Institute programmer, pointed out. ?Only action, animated, fantasy and horror movies will be perfectly suited for 3D cinemas,? he said. ?For the MMFF, only the likes of ?Enteng,? ?Shake? and ?Agimat? will thrive. After all, drama and romantic comedies don?t need 3D technology in their story-telling.?

Camaligan concurred that 3D technology will favor specific genres. But Hollywood hopes it will curb piracy, he said. ?If pirates try cam-cording (recording with a cell phone or digital camera) inside a 3D cinema, they will get blurred images. Going fully digital will decrease costs, too. No need to print and ship film reels. Movies can be beamed via satellite from a central location.?

Is the local market ready for 3D? Santos cautioned, ?The local film industry is a long way from producing viable 3D releases.?

As a first step worth noting, this year?s MMFF features the country?s first full-length 3D animated film, ?RPG: Metanoia.?

?3D is definitely the trend,? said Camaligan. Also, Lauzon said, special-effects spectacles will bring audiences back to the theaters.

So how will the 3D explosion affect small indie or art films? Lauzon is hopeful that it will lead to the revival of the art-house circuit or specialized cinemas for specific sectors.

This is where the FDCP?s Cinematheque project comes in. Santos said, ?Cinematheque is working [to build, set up or acquire] state-of-the-art digital-projection venues because these are clearly what will benefit and best exhibit the gems of Philippine cinema.?