CineFilipino partners with Cignal Entertainment
From out of almost 150 entries submitted, CineFilipino Film Festival has announced eight original and innovative feature-length films that have made its prestigious roster for 2017.
“Every year, the entries just get more and more engaging to the Filipino viewer,” says head of competition, director Joey Reyes.
“Kwento ang hari dito. And the story should always be increasingly appealing to its audiences, very original Filipino. It is also very heartening to note that most of the eight feature films that made it to the list are products of newcomers,” Reyes adds.
CineFilipino Film Festival also announces its partnership with Cignal Entertainment. Cignal TV’s brand of original content catering to Filipinos’ evolving and upgrading tastes. This is welcome news to every filmmaker as per Unitel Productions CEO and festival director, Madonna Tarrayo. “Cignal is a distribution platform. There are many opportunities for people to watch all the movies we will select — maraming avenues, that is very important for any filmmaker,” Tarrayo said. “CineFilipino has always been envisioned to be a gateway for brilliant filmmakers, and knowing that there is a ready avenue for their films to be shown will certain- ly be inspiring. Organized and led by Unitel and partnered with the MVP Group including Cignal Entertainment, the CineFilipino Film Festival is how we truly celebrate Filipino films and their creators.”
Jane Jimenez Basas, president of Cignal Entertainment, says that providing avenues for Filipino filmmakers to showcase their artistry is very much in keeping with the vision of Cignal. “We are in the business of providing premium content for our viewers’ discriminating taste. Conversely, we also want to be the venue for more filmmakers to show their groundbreaking masterpieces. Cignal Entertainment and CineFilipino feature films are very much in sync in that pursuit,” Basas said.
Guido Zaballero, Cignal marketing head, stressed that Cignal Entertainment is focusing on edgier themes to cater to a growing clamor from a large chunk of its audiences. “We provide seed money to these daring filmmakers because their content is pushing the envelope of what our audiences appreciate. It is
an investment that has returns for the film industry and the Filipino audience,” said Zaballero.
The eight full-length feature films that comprise CineFilipino Film Festival 2017 are: Delia & Sammy, Mata Tapang, The Eternity Between Seconds, Excuse Me Po, Poon, Hitboy, Kahit Man Lamang Kung
Maaari and Mga Mister ni Rosaryo. The films were selected based on the following criteria: Originality of material and freshness of approach; an authentic reflection of Filipino culture and human experience; strong potential for audience engagement — should be mass audience-friendly without compromising quality and should be commercially viable. They have the potential for a wide theatrical release.
The task of selecting the films for the festival fell on industry stalwarts that formed the selection committee including Tarrayo, Reyes, Bayani San Diego, Hanna Espia, Joel Ruiz, Lilit Reyes and Manet Dayrit.
The festival will be held in March 2018.
CineFilipino also reminded all that it is still accepting entries for the Short Film and Digital Content Categories until Sept. 30. For details, visit www.cinefilipino.com.