Get that indie feeling

MANILA, Philippines - Cinema mirrors life. And the list of Best Picture nominees for the 34th Gawad Urian reflects the interest in the growing trend of unconventional, cutting-edge independent movies, also called as indies.

Competing for the top plum are Amigo, Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria, Ang Mundo sa Panahon ng Yelo, Chassis, Halaw, Limbunan, Noy (distributed by Star Cinema), Sheika and Tsardyer. One can’t help but utter that indies rule Urian, the local equivalent of the New York Film Critics Circle, to be held tomorrow, May 17, at the Marriot Hotel. Butch Francisco and Ai-Ai de las Alas host the award presentation.

“It just so happened that there are indie projects on the list,” offers Dr. Gigi Javier Alfonso, Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino member and UP Open University Chancellor. “It probably says something that filmmaking now is being democratized and at the same time, we see more people who want to tell their stories — the way they want to tell their stories. In mainstream, you are carried away by the trend or current (agos) that your film should be molded this way and you should have big stars in it.”

She adds, “The no. 1 concern of these indie filmmakers is the story they want to tell (or they strongly believe in). Thus, they are not forced to follow a certain kind of formula. You’ll be surprised of the varied outputs they have come up with. The movies are not all predictable. They have taken up new things and problems the society faces. They (the filmmakers) have presented many ways of saying them.”

That’s why airing this year’s Gawad Urian on Cinema One, a movie channel, makes a fitting partnership. Cinema One is not just a TV partner that will broadcast the award-giving body’s annual presentation on May 22, but it is the venue that will showcase all year round Urian’s top picks for 2010. The Film Development Council of the Philippines is another partner for the event.   

“We are happy that they are collaborating with us to bring to the public the Urian for this year. Because in a way, we share the same view about having quality films,” says Gigi of working with Cinema One. “The idea is for us to get to the public and to be able to translate this or popularize appreciating films that say something. Not everybody will put in money for this. You know there has to be a bigger goal. And the bigger goal is to help our audiences develop critical thinking when they watch films.”

“This year is also a good timing for us, Cinema One aligning with Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino because they are awarding the 10 Best Films of the Decade,” says channel head Ronald Arguelles. “In a way, it is also a celebration of Filipino movies and the movie industry’s achievements for the last decade.”

Does the shift to digital filmmaking affect the way Manunuri members look into the merits of movies? According to Gigi, the shift has affected the technical aspects of filmmaking, but the language remains the same. It means that a shot is a word, a sequence is a sentence, a scene is a paragraph and the characters move the narrative.

Guided with a set of criteria, the critics look at the film’s social relevance, realism and truth. These are the reasons why this year’s choices made to the final cut.

Aside from giving trophies, the Manunuri members conduct studies on the cinema, publish books like the Urian Anthology, create blogs and explore the new media (Facebook) to express what they think about today’s films. These discourses will educate film enthusiasts and encourage people to get interested into the changing face of movie making.

“It is like a moment,” says Gigi of indie filmmaking. “Everybody can be part of it. It is a growing community. It is not just a national, regional experience but also a world experience. Our particularity becomes global and people see how we solve our own problems. Everybody can join the community of people who are watching films.”