AS PART of the thrust of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) to build regional cinemas nationwide, the Cinematheque in the Municipality of Nabunturan will hold its groundbreaking on August 25 during the Cinema Rehiyon 9 celebration.
Lawyer Karen Malaki, festival director of Nabunturan Independent Film Exhibition (Nabifilmex), an annual regional film festival, said the budget was approved but the bidding is still ongoing. They hope that the construction will start this year.
The FDCP will fund the construction of the building. This will be the third Cinematheque in Mindanao following those built in Davao City and Zamboanga City.
The Cinematheque in Nabunturan will be the first cinema establishment sponsored by FDCP that started from scratch as the two others were built on an existing building and just underwent renovation.
The Nabifilmex, for the past five years, have gathered filmmaking enthusiasts in Nabunturan and their community is growing.
Malaki lauded the support of FDCP chair Liza Diño for selecting their municipality to put up the Cinematheque which, she said, will pave way to further develop the local filmmaking industry.
There is no theater in Nabunturan but despite that, a filmmaker community was formed.
"Of course, the existence of Cinematheque will help boost the organization of the cinema community in Nabunturan," she said.
They are conducting several workshops and more filmmakers have joined in their movement not only from Nabunturan but also from neighboring cities and municipalities like from Monkayo, Maragusan and Tagum City.
She said their efforts paid off because Diño saw their projects and programs that aim to widen the filmmaking industry in their town and encourage creative film enthusiasts to showcase their talents through producing films.
"I think she was fascinated by the fact that not having a formal cinema did not hinder us in our quest for building a film community in Nabunturan," she said.
The local government unit also provided the 800-square meter lot for the building.
According to FDCP, a Cinematheque is designed and is destined to be an alternative and accessible venue for classic and contemporary Filipino films, both mainstream and independent, for state-of-the-art foreign films sourced through the FDCP's Film Cultural Exchange Program with other countries.
It will also serve as a hub for workshops and symposiums on directing, scriptwriting, editing, cinematography and all other aspects of filmmaking.