Cebu City to host Cinema Rehiyon 2015

CEBU, Philippines - The Cebu City government will host the seventh Cinema Rehiyon Film Festival February next year, in time for the National Arts Month.

“It is with both pride and privilege to inform you that Cebu is officially the host of the National Commission for Culture and the Arts-Cinema Committee’s flagship event,” said Maria Victoria Beltran, Executive Commitee Member representing Visayas of the National Committee on Cinema.

Cinema Rehiyon is a prestigious film festival participated by different programmers, producers, distributors and filmmakers from the entire country and even from other countries.

“The event also seeks to educate audiences on regional works that persists outside of mainstream cinema, encourage regional filmmakers as well as engage both our audiences and filmmakers to celebrate the diverse, native expressions and explorations of Filipino life through cinema,” said Beltran, who is also the festival director of Lilas Binisaya 2014 and Cinema Rehiyon Cebu 2015. Lilas Binisaya is a local festival of Visayan cinema which will be held this coming November.

With the slogan “At the Crossroads of the Seventh Art,” Cinema Rehiyon 7 aims to “contribute to the development of strategic direction for nurturing the local film industry and establishing Cebu’s position amongst the national and international film community.”

It also aspires to promote the spirit of unity and collaboration among filmmakers from all over the country drawing interest from the international community.

The Executive Committee of the event is banking on the participation of the Province of Cebu for the event’s success.

According to the National Commission for Culture and the Arts website, the said festival began in 2009 “when filmmaking Alternativo sense was the focus.”

It continued on the following year gaining attention from the film industry. The first and second festival was held in the Cultural Center of the Philippines in Roxas Boulevard, Pasay City, Metro Manila.

The other Cinema Rehiyon Film Festivals were held in Davao City, Bacolod City, Los Baños and Cagayan de Oro, respectively.

Beltran added that presently, the committee is having regular meetings to develop assignments and agendas as part of its initial strategic planning.  (FREEMAN)