LAST year, the Philippine Cinema celebrated its centennial anniversary.
The Film Development Council of the Philippines and the National Commission for Culture and the Arts, through the National Committee on Cinema, is spearheading the Sandaan: Philippine Cinema Centennial Conference - The Filipino Film Centenary Expedition. As part of the three-year celebration, this project is intended to last until 2019.
This year, the expedition’s national coordinating team from De La Salle University - Dasmariñas (DLSU) sought partnership with Xavier University - Ateneo de Cagayan through the Xavier Center for Culture and the Arts for the PCCC-TFFCE’s Mindanao expedition. As DLSU - Dasmariñas has been granted with resources to make this initiative possible, Xavier Ateneo will provide the venue.
The two-day conference will take place at Xavier University’s Little Theater from November 16 to 17. It will involve a series of lectures about the history, culture, narratives, trends, and legacy of Philippine cinema over its first 100 years. The anticipated event is supported by ABS-CBN and Cinema One Originals.
Tribute to the classics
Looking back to where it began, the industry initially emerged with Filipino filmmaker Don Jose Nepomuceno in 1917 when he founded the production company, Malayan Movies. This was followed by the first full-length Filipino silent feature, “Dalagang Bukid (Maiden from the Province)” in 1919.
Today, initiatives to digitally restore historical films are set in motion. But just as the Philippine cinema flourishes, the PCCC-TFFCE project aims to encourage local filmmakers in Luzon, Visayas, and Mindanao to pursue their crafts in the vibrant field of motion picture and the innovative art of filmmaking.
This is why the conference will be conducted in the three major island groups in the Philippines, with Cagayan de Oro City being the venue for the Mindanao expedition.
Notable speakers for the two-day event will include University of the Philippines Film Institute director Dr. Patrick F. Campos, Cebu-based filmmaker Ara Chawdhury, NCCA - Executive Committee for Cinema’s Journalism Group head and film critic Tito Valiente, and XCCA director Hobart Savior.
The conference will also present full-length Filipino films that have defined national issues at the time of their premiere. These will be showcased between lectures.
The event will stream classics such as Eduardo de Castro’s 1937 cinematic achievement, “Zamboanga”, which was starred by Fernando Poe Sr. and Rosa del Rosario; the iconic 1975 film directed by Lino Brocka based on the novel by Edgardo M. Reyes, “Maynila sa Kuko ng Liwanag” which starred Bembol Rocco (originally credited as Rafael Rocco Jr.) in his debut role; and the 2010 Cinema One Originals finalist, “Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria” by Remton Siega Zuasola.
Last year’s celebration covered two conferences at the University of the Philippines and the College of St. Benilde in Manila. These topics tackled about films released in their time periods - from pre-Second World War to war years and then to the post war era all the way to the Martial Law period where films’ significance equated to the people’s aspirations. Lectures also discussed about regional and diasporic film cinema, digital and new cinema, subaltern and activist subjects, and film for education.
NCCA and DLSU will collaborate with XCCA for the upcoming event. The participating culture and arts organizations hope for the Filipino community to appreciate the value of the country’s film industry by inviting filmmakers, film enthusiasts, students, and teachers to attend and participate in the conference.
Admission is free and open for anyone interested to take part in celebrating the legacy of the Filipino cinema.