EDITORIAL - Film development

As the annual Metro Manila Film Festival got underway, President Marcos urged the public to support the event and watch the entries, if possible all of them.

Much as Filipinos would like to heed his call and watch local films and their show biz idols on the big screen, the cost of watching a movie in a regular cinema these days can be prohibitive for millions of Filipinos. Even people with the financial means may think twice about spending more to watch one movie than they would pay for an entire month’s Netflix subscription.

Theater owners pitch the unique experience of watching movies on the big screen, which streaming services cannot offer. But if movie producers and cinema owners want to drum up business, they may have to adjust their pricing to attract more moviegoers. Especially in the face of top-quality competition posed by foreign movies offered by streaming services.

The popularity of those foreign movies, particularly Korean drama, should spur the government to provide more support for the development of the Philippine film industry. It has been said that Filipinos spent 300 years in the convent and 50 years in Hollywood. Filipinos’ love for movies has even pushed show biz stars into politics, all the way to the presidency. Film development in the country, however, has been slow in adapting to the globalization of the entertainment industry.

The success of K-drama both in the Philippines and globally along with the massive global popularity of K-pop groups highlighted the potentials of the entertainment industry for national branding and revenue generation. South Korea has poured significant resources into supporting its entertainers, and the investment has paid off. The industry has become one of the biggest contributors to Korean GDP and has allowed the country to project soft power. And the Koreans used their own language for their cultural projection.

Filipinos are not lacking in creativity and talent in filmmaking. With sufficient support from the government and concerned sectors, the industry can become globally competitive, creating meaningful jobs and livelihoods and generating revenue for the country.

As the annual Metro Manila Film Festival got underway, President Marcos urged the public to support the event and watch the entries, if possible all of themMuch as Filipinos would like to heed his call and watch local films and their show biz idols on the big screen, the cost of watching a movie in a regular cinema these days can be prohibitive for millions of Filipinos. Even people with the financial means may think twice about spending more to watch one movie than they would pay for an entire month’s Netflix subscription.

Theater owners pitch the unique experience of watching movies on the big screen, which streaming services cannot offer. But if movie producers and cinema owners want to drum up business, they may have to adjust their pricing to attract more moviegoers. Especially in the face of top-quality competition posed by foreign movies offered by streaming services.

The popularity of those foreign movies, particularly Korean drama, should spur the government to provide more support for the development of the Philippine film industry. It has been said that Filipinos spent 300 years in the convent and 50 years in Hollywood. Filipinos’ love for movies has even pushed show biz stars into politics, all the way to the presidency. Film development in the country, however, has been slow in adapting to the globalization of the entertainment industry.

The success of K-drama both in the Philippines and globally along with the massive global popularity of K-pop groups highlighted the potentials of the entertainment industry for national branding and revenue generation. South Korea has poured significant resources into supporting its entertainers, and the investment has paid off. The industry has become one of the biggest contributors to Korean GDP and has allowed the country to project soft power. And the Koreans used their own language for their cultural projection.

Filipinos are not lacking in creativity and talent in filmmaking. With sufficient support from the government and concerned sectors, the industry can become globally competitive, creating meaningful jobs and livelihoods and generating revenue for the country.