Working on Making the Impossible, Possible
Risks, education, a steady ground, and the spirit of venturing beyond borders can save and revolutionise the Filipino film industry
A staple at film festivals, FDCP has now made ATF a necessity, in its continued commitment in strengthening the ties of various countries in the region in the promotion of Asian Cinema, not only in name, but to underline both the unity and diversity of Asian cultures, as they are embodied in cinematic expressions.
Shifting Views: Getting Cinema’s Groove Back
With the calibre of Jose Javier Reyes, who took the helm of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) as Chairman and CEO last year, the almost impossible task of shifting attitudes and convictions across the ecosystem, seems more probable than not.
"The uphill battle starts with the need to change the mindset of stakeholders; not only the audience, but also the producers,” Jose noted,
From the point of view of the audience, it is the need to encourage the perception that cinema is not as an individual, but a collective community experience. “Somewhere along the way, movies became ‘smaller’, diminished to entertainment seen on computer and mobile screens.
“FDCP needs to create programs to help bring back the excitement in cinema, not only through technologically advanced films utilizing special effects, but also with the most intimate movie works that require community validation,” explained Jose, who further underscored that the same holds true for both filmmakers and producers.
Expanding on this subject, Jose expounded that creators of content must realise that globalisation is a necessity.
Jose Javier Reyes
Chairman and CEO
Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP)
“Collaboration, inclusiveness, as well as innovation are needed because one cannot depend on local resources alone. There is a need to think and create beyond the borders (and tastes) of a mother culture and aspire for universality, showing the common denominator that exists over and beyond the borders of native culture.”
Giving in to parochialism—a term Jose pinned as being the threat to progress—annuls the advantage of high-calibre creatives that Filipinos are known to be. “Seldom do producers (or even filmmakers) think out-of-the-box and go beyond what is tried, tested and familiar,” revealed Jose, highlighting that one must aspire for regional, if not international acceptance.
Indeed, insisting on going back to standards of 2018 is cataclysmic, expecting the same audience, the same ecology of entertainment that existed in the pre-pandemic scenario. For Jose, the gradual loss of interest in moviegoing through cinema houses was already in the offing, but the pandemic further emphasised the economic and physical practicality of reverting to streaming platforms,
“To insist on producing the same content as what was sellable and viable in the pre-pandemic world is a gross miscalculation if not a fatal error,” warned Jose.
Ground Zero: Starting Anew with Perceptive Agendas
As a modern-world benchmark, the entire ecology of entertainment changed drastically at the pinnacle of the pandemic. The post-COVID scenario demanded certain realignments of priorities and recalibration of effort to address specific problems.
For Jose, these included a) The drastic collapse of cinema patronage as changes of entertainment habits emerged from the lock-in situation of the pandemic period; b) Assessing the effects of the growth of streaming platforms as viable alternatives to moviegoing habits; c) The change in the priorities of producers in their distribution strategies with the waning of movie theatre patronage; and d) The direct impact of economics involving the price of movie tickets, sustainability of the operation of movie houses and the rising cost of film productions vis-a-vis the amount of money brought in by the audience, as they veer away from watching movies in cinemas.
“FDCP has redesigned its programs to address these glaring, if not urgent, issues that affect all stakeholders of the film industry. Constant conversations, and attempts at recalibrating costs, as well as creating accessible activities to remind the audience of the importance of film viewing as a community activity, have become the life blood of the agency,” admitted Jose.
More Than Money: Cultivating a Viable Ecosystem
More than monetary investments, the emphasis of FDCP is to show alternatives, widen the arena of media—that it’s not limited to cinema—by validating the proper appreciation and production of all forms of content whether in conservative of alternative media.
This means investing in skills-training and infrastructure that can solidify the tradition of Filipino cinema, fortifying education, professionalisation and globalisation.
“One can offer as many incentives as possible, including tax rebates to attract foreign talent and productions to the shores of the islands, but what is more vital is the experience this provides, the track record of efficient and highly professional engagements in various ventures that took a gamble to do production in the archipelago,” Javier expounded.
Continuing to build a strong foundation, Javier spoke of various programs set in motion to raise the bar of service. This includes a joint project with FDCP and the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP) to layout plans towards a systematic and effective way of professionalising workers both in front and behind the camera.
“Crew members, post-production staff, and other film workers will be made to obtain a duly recognised, authorised license before they can work on a film set,” Javier explained, ultimately to ensure the quality and integrity of the film worker, formally recognising her/his skillsets.
Celebrating Milestones
Since the assumption of Tirso Cruz III in 2022, where Javier served as his Technical Consultant, as well as his own appointment as Chair in 2024, a number of successful projects have been launched.
Javier listed five significant ones that has the greatest impact so far:
The establishment of the Academic Film Society (AFS), an organization of more than 70 schools in the Philippines that offer courses in Mass Communications, and Communication Arts and Film, in order to facilitate and share resources to upgrade the quality of film education in the republic. A recent progeny was the Film Educators Training Program for the next generation of Filipino filmmakers. Co-sponsored with the Communication Educators Association of the Philippines, the training focused on both aesthetic and technical instructional techniques.
The organisation of assorted workshops from foreign establishments, such as PAS and FEST, which included training in various skills, as well as documentary filmmaking.
The reinforcement of the archival program. Through the help of the Philippine government, efforts to restore Filipino films have doubled, supported by the construction of the Philippine Film Heritage Building, which plans to house not only a much larger film vault, but also the offices of the agency and the new Cinematheque Manila.
The finalisation of the co-production treaty with France that was 10 years in the making, with an ongoing review of the production treaties of both Spain and Canada.
The participation in the eight-member Asian Film Alliance Network (AFAN), comprising film councils and agencies of Singapore, Korea, Thailand, Indonesia, Malaysia, Mongolia, Taiwan and the Philippines, to set the implementation of various policies affecting the region.