September is Philippine Film Industry Month
Mandated by President duterte, the country will officially celebrate and commemorate the heritage, significance and legacy of Philippine Cinema through the Philippine Film Industry Month this entire September. Through Presidential Proclamation 1085 signed on February 3, 2021, President Duterte declared September as Philippine Film Industry Month, acknowledging the need to recognize the “invaluable contribution and sacrifices of all stakeholders and sectors of the film industry, as well as provide avenues to showcase and celebrate the achievements and progress of the discipline of film and filmmaking.”
The Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) will serve as the lead agency in observing this month-long celebration, and it has firmed up a wide array of events and programs for the inaugural celebration, with the theme “Ngayon ang Bagong Sinemula!”
But because of the ongoing pandemic, all activities will be done online on the social-media pages of FDCP for the Opening and Closing events and screenings of carefully selected films will be hosted exclusively on the FDCP Channel virtual platform (www.fdcpchannel.ph).
The grand opening on September 1 will be streamed on FDCP’S Facebook page and Youtube channel, and it will feature the launch of the “Nood Tayo ng Sine” campaign plus important announcements from the International Film Industry Conference (IFIC), First Cut Lab Philippines (FCL PH), FDCP Filmphilippines Incentives Program, and Mit Out Sound: International Silent Film Lab.
The agency’s flagship program, Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (PPP), now on its 5th edition, returns to the FDCP Channel with its first leg, featuring free screenings from the Sine Kabataan Short Film Competition and Sine Isla: Luzviminda Short Film Competition from September 17 to 26.
Also screening for free on the FDCP Channel are eight heritage films restored or enhanced by the FDCP Philippine Film Archive, such as awardwinning classics of National Artists Lino Brocka (Insiang) and Ishmael Bernal (Manila by Night). There will also be a special Elwood Perez Retrospective from September 25 to 30.
There will only be one special live event, the Philippine Film Industry Gala at restored The Manila Metropolitan Theater (MET) on September 12, featuring the by-invitation screening of Dalagang Ilocana by Olive La Torre, and the book launch of Ang Daigdig ng mga Api by Clodualdo “Doy” del Mundo Jr., film professor and screenwriter who also directed a few movies.
September 12 has been earmarked a special day in Philippine cinema history because it was when Dalagang Bukid by Jose Nepomuceno, the first Filipinoproduced and -directed feature film, was shown in 1919.
The Closing of Philippine Film Industry Month on September 30 will feature the awarding of Sine Kabataan and Sine Isla winners, the launch of the revamped FDCP web site, and special announcements from the FDCP Channel and Createphfilms.
“Ngayon ang Bagong Sinemula! is the declaration of hopeful survival of the first-ever Philippine Film Industry Month amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. It speaks of a new beginning, a chance to restart and rebuild a system that would be more inclusive and sustainable for all stakeholders, allowing Philippine cinema to push forth with its heritage and legacy toward a brighter and more prosperous future for the industry,” said FDCP chairman Liza Diño. n