CAN THE MOVIE INDUSTRY BE SAVED?

Rising costs, low audience turnout and lack of originality are issues affecting Philippine cinema today. We ask director and Film Development Council of the Philippines Chairman Jose Javier Reyes what needs to be done to ensure its survival

-  Franz Sorilla IV

At one of the popular cinemas in Metro Manila, queues to the surefire blockbuster hit Rewind ran for loops all the way to the stores outside. It was the Christmas season, and for many Filipino families, it was the time of the year to watch Filipino movies together. One reason is that the 2023 Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) entries have been trending all over social media. Moreover, the awards have already been given, assuring that some of these films were worth spending hard-earned money on. Yes, pesos and centavos were a factor, especially in dire economic times.

Coming out from a two-and-a-half-year hiatus brought upon by the pandemic, cinemas saw an influx of moviegoers during the recent MMFF. People may have already grown tired of watching from their tiny mobile screens or home television. In January 2024, the Metro Manila Development Authority, the agency behind MMFF, reported that Rewind garnered a record-breaking PhP1.2 billion in gross receipts. Netizens quickly dubbed the season as the return of Philippine cinema's vigour. However, Jose Javier Reyes, Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) Chairman and CEO, thinks otherwise.

He believes that Rewind, the collaborative blockbuster hit of erstwhile rival entertainment and media corporations ABS-CBN and GMA for the MMFF, is unique in many ways. He calls the movie, which stars reallife couple and two big names in the local entertainment scene, Dingdong Dantes and Marian Rivera, a "perfect storm". His reasons: "It's not the most original movie in terms of screenwriting, but you have Dingdong and Marian who haven't done a movie for a long time. It tackled themes about family, love and God, which are all apropos for the Christmas season. And lastly, it may not be Oscars-worthy, but it was a well-made melodrama."

Now that it is mid-year, Filipino films are hanging by a thread again. Has Philippine cinema really gotten back on track?