Digital films will change the movie landscape

With so many digital films flooding the market today, the local movie scene will soon change – if it hasn’t yet.

Based on the success of Cinemalaya (which – from the CCP now has moved over engagements at the UP), there is obviously an audience for digital films, which don‘t really cost much to produce (from half a million to a million pesos).

The wonderful thing about digital films is that filmmakers do not have to stick to tried-and-tested formula plotlines to ensure the box-office success of their projects. Now we can be more daring and experimental with our films.

Of course, there is also a downside to this. Rich kids who have this illusion that they know how to direct and put a film together can very well finance (or can ask their parents to finance) their projects. And then they’ll dump their amateurish movies on us and we’ll be their guinea pigs.

On the whole, however, digital films offer more advantages and, in fact, I have a feeling that this new form of filmmaking will eventually offer solutions and cures to some of the many problems and ills plaguing the local movie industry.

One is that it may eventually kill the star system since the budget of most digital film projects would not allow the hiring of really big name stars to begin with. Early last summer, Viva Films released Jon Red’s Boso, starring Jeffrey Quizon. The young Quizon – early in his career – earned the respect of the critics and the movie-going public for winning a long string of awards for his performance in Gil Portes‘ Markova. Any film or television project with Jeffrey Quizon in it is assured of a fine and inspired performance from this intense and passionate actor. But Jeffrey, let’s admit it, doesn’t have the box-office clout of his revered father, the great comedian Dolphy. Thanks to digital films, however, Jeffrey Quizon is now very visible and if his father is King of Comedy, he may as well be declared King of Digital Films.

If there is a king, there surely must be a queen and the Queen of Digital Films is undeniably Irma Adlawan.

I know that Irma is a respected name in the world of theater.

Unfortunately, I‘m not much of a theater buff and I am basically unfamiliar with her works on stage.

She’s also supposed to have done television, but strangely enough, even if I watch TV a lot, all that I remember of her in that little box is her 30-seconder ad where she endorses a consumer product I no longer recall (was it Tide?).

But I admire her on the big screen and adore her in Jeffrey Jeturian’s Tuhog where she and her daughter (Ina Raymundo) are both victims of incest. For their respective roles in that movie, she and Ina became top contenders for Best Actress in the 2000 Gawad Urian.

In 2002, Irma Adlawan was a riot in Gil Portes’ Mga Munting Tinig, where she plays an English teacher who has difficulty expressing herself in the King‘s language. For that, she received an Urian Best Supporting Actress nomination.

To be shown soon are two digital film projects that star Irma Adlawan: Sa North Diversion and Mga Pusang Gala. Both films use materials that originated on stage.

Sa North Diversion – the play –featured Mario O’Hara and Celeste Legaspi. In the digital film version directed by Irma’s husband, Dennis Marasigan, she plays opposite John Arcilla. With more than 90 percent of the film shot inside a cramped vehicle, the tandem play physically demanding and emotionally-draining roles. But both are wonderful. in the movie, they don’t only display their talent, but also the kind of discipline they have as artists.

It is Ellen Ongkeko-Marfil’s Mga Pusang Gala that may be the turning point in Irma Adlawan’s career. The movie is showing on Aug. 17 yet, but it will have its premiere showing tonight at Greenbelt 3’s Cinema 2.

Irma co-stars with Ricky Davao in this movie, where she is cast as a successful advertising executive having problems with her romantic relationship with a younger man (played by Reggie Curley). It is a difficult role and she attacks it like she’s portraying a Tennessee Williams character.

I don’t know exactly how she will fare in next year’s awards derbies, but her performance in Mga Pusang Gala will surely be hailed as one of the best in 2005.

One reason why I can’t predict Irma’s chances in next year’s awards race is that there are so many digital films that would be competing. And this would bring about more changes – mainly in the way the members of the various award-giving bodies would be viewing the entries. Oh, this would be murder on our schedules. But the only way – and the proper way – to do it is to watch each and every film and I’m determined to do that from my end.

It would also be interesting to find out how next year’s red carpet would look like prior to the main awards ceremonies. Big name stars may have to take a backseat to little known, but not necessarily less talented brothers and sisters from theater – all driven into the frontline, thanks to the advent of low-budget digital films.

Oh, fashion designers would have their hands full making formal clothes for Irma Adlawan.