Something new from FDCP

Leave it to Briccio Santos, chairman of the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), to dream up yet another innovation that would bring government closer to the people. Last March 7 at the Asian Institute of Management (AIM) Conference Center, we attended the Genre Script Presentation and Awarding, and came away exceedingly impressed despite the incredibly early call of 10 a.m. to far-off Makati. 

The event was to lay the groundwork for the Sineng Pambansa National Film Festival coming in June. A call for entries last year resulted in over a hundred script submissions whittled down to nine winners, which were introduced to us at the AIM.

The FDCP has held about 10 regional festivals around the country in the past. We attended the 1st Sineng Pambansa National Film Festival launched in Davao City as a joint effort of FDCP, the Davao City government, SM Davao and Brillante Mendoza’s Centerstage Productions.

The language of the locality represented was used in the dialogue or narration, underscoring the vitality of the country’s indigenous cultural heritage through film. We recalled the efforts made to have Luzon, Visayas and Mindanao represented. Eighteen finalists were awarded seed money to finish their projects. We also recalled the presence of lecturers from Manila and from abroad sharing their expertise in the new technology, acting, research and writing in order to be accepted internationally.

Then FDCP launched the Master Directors festival which featured the works of 10 filmmaking masters screened in Baguio, Davao, Iloilo and the National Capital Region (NCR). This ambitious project involved screenings in Makati, Pasig, Manila, San Juan and Quezon City, resulting in some films arriving late, or not at all, with audiences and the directors losing their tempers. Nevertheless, the 10 films screened came from Gil Portes, Jose Javier Reyes, Chito Roño, Maryo J. de los Reyes, Mel Chionglo, Joel Lamangan, Elwood Perez, and the partnership of Peque Gallaga and Lore Reyes.

At the AIM Conference Center, it was down to business as soon as all nine winners had arrived. It was explained that this was the first time the competition would be selected according to genre, which could be everything from formula, to idealist, to social conventions. Otherwise, there was no limitation as to the age, experience and number of times to have joined an FDCP competition.

There were three first prizes at P200,000 seed money each (won by Reuben Canoy, Agustin Sugatan Jr. and Jose Alejandro Eduarte) and six second prizes at P100,000 each. Most of the winners were new to us, except for Edgardo Vinarao who confessed this was his nth time of submitting an entry, and Canoy who is proudly 85 years of age and still actively writing. He told us that it was because he’s been living in Mindanao, away from the turbulence of Metro Manila (funny, we thought it was Mindanao that was dangerous and violent). We associated his name with that of Eddie Romero, his director in those early sex-blood-guts Phil-Am co-productions like Passionate Strangers and Mad Doctor of Blood Island. We asked which period in his life was his favorite, and he answered when he was Mayor of Cagayan de Oro.

Canoy’s first prize-winning entry The Unbelievers in the genre of a techno-thriller is a throwback in time when Muslim terrorists kidnap foreign tourists, except that it is actually still happening today. Jeepney, Jeprox, A Pinoy Rak by Sugatan presents one day in the life of three actors prior to People Power in the musical comedy genre. Third of the first prizewinners is Wakasan by Eduarte in the thriller genre written in the tradition of a film noir, depicting gang land in Metro Manila where the killer is humanized.

The six second prizewinners are Habagat by Ed Lejano, As One by Juvy Galamiton, Bacao by Edgardo Vinarao, Frat War by Hector Fernandez, Maligamgam by Jerome Zamora and Misteryoklas The Beki Files by Mario Mendez Jr. Sarge Lacuesta from FDCP was the biggest help in providing short reviews on the entries.

Then, the floor was open for pitching which local producers quickly got a hang of, and that foreigners will need some acclimatizing. Remember, it’s March, and the finished films will be shown in June, three months away. See you all at the movies in June.

(E-mail your reactions to [email protected] or text 0917-8991835.)