ARE you a cinephile?
If you do not know what the word means then that simply refers to a movie buff or someone who has passionate interest about films. The word is taken from Cinephilia, a portmanteau of the term cinema and philia (greek word for love), according to Wikipedia.
If the answer to the question is yes, then I know a good place where you can relish cinephilic moment and that is the Cinematheque.
Cinematheque is one of the programs of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) that aims “to bring Filipino films to Filipinos.”
They screen classic and contemporary Filipino films, including “state-of-the-art foreign films sourced through the FDCP’s Film Cultural Exchange,” according to their website. You will see that this is true once you go there to watch the films that they screen.
So why should you go to the Cinematheque? Here are just few of the reasons I have come up with based on my experience in going there.
Cinematheque does not exist in all parts of the country. We are so lucky that we have it here in Davao City.
Movie enthusiasts can visit the Cinematheque which is just situated at the Palma Gil Street in Davao City.
It is just a walking distance from People’s Park. Not every part of the country has this so Dabawenyos are just among the few fortunate people who are blessed to have it.
In a Mindanao Film Forum with the new FDCP Chairperson Liza Diño at the Cinematheque Davao which was held just last August 27, it was bared that the new leadership aimed to establish the program in various parts of the country as it is part of Diño’s advocacy to empower regional films in the communities.
Mainstream films vacation
Tired of mainstream films? The cliché story plot? Duh! You can take a break from them through the Cinematheque.
To quote FDCP chairperson Liza Diño in an interview with the Davao media, “We need to let them (well, that refers to you, the audience) realize that there are other themes that they can watch or other option of films available for them and that includes the story of the region, our indie films, and documentaries and short films,” she said.
It’s a good place to chill and meet unexpected people. It may not be a big movie house but granting the few people who frequented the place, it became quite spacious.
If you want to skew away from crowded places and just watch films to satisfy your ceniphilic needs, then this is the right spot for you.
It has good seats and the room is air-conditioned. Another amazing thing is you will never know who you will stumble upon when you visit the place.
Just recently, Joey Ayala (Yep, the ang-lahat-ng-bagay-ay-magkaugnay singer) just visited the place to watch the screening of Ang Babaeng Humayo by Filipino Director Lav Diaz.
Famous local artists and people with unique interest (yep, those cool people!) sometimes get lost in the place. Trust me, I have experienced it myself and it was great.
Free Films for the broke
Yes! You can watch films there for free. But these are good movies and materials to help expand your film appreciation.
Though, it may not be all the time that they screen films for free but when they do, it is just very affordable.
If you want to know the movie schedules that they are going to screen and whether it is for free, you can just check their Facebook page, Cinematheque Davao. They are very up-to-date in posting their schedules and they even respond to your inquiries.
And the fifth reason why you should go there?
There is none. This place could be for those people who do not figure out their lives yet (hahaha, drama? I’m just kidding, actually). But this place could be for you who don’t have any clue where to go and how to spend your day. It is a good place to get lost to because it could become an avenue that will help you expand your horizon and gain a new perspective through the films they are showing.
There are actually a lot of reasons why you should visit the place. If you are an aspiring moviemaker or film-director, it sure is a nice place to go because the office will help you and might even lead you to many opportunities that will make you develop your interest and skills in filmmaking since they hold workshops and other trainings surrounding the field.
The best thing to do is to simply take the first step in going there. Who knows? It could perhaps become your favorite place.
See you there then!