Chairman of the hour
Jose Javier Reyes bares his first 100 days in FDCP
There is no doubt that the next chairman and CEO of the Film Development Council of the Philippines would be director Jose Javier Reyes. He was Tirso Cruz III’S technical consultant and has been in the entertainment industry for four decades.
He would rather be called Direk Joey than “Chairman” because the position is Ĺeeting. He was on his way home when he received the call for his appointment. “So all the while I was in my car, I was numb,” he shares. “That was the perfect moment to describeɯ ambivalence—i was happy while at the same time snapping into consciousness that now is the start of a period of challenge and sacrifices that I have agreed to accept.”
Down the road from his house is a chapel. He just stood there and said a simple prayer that went: “OK. Tell me what to do. This is not about me…this is about a lot of people I love,” he whispered. “So help me go through this, Your will be done.”
For Direk Joey’s ĸrst 100 days in oķce, he laid out his plans. “First things ĸrst, link up with the various government departments and agencies for partnership and cooperation in order to fulfill the short- and long-term goals that I hope I can achieve within the term that I have been appointed into this position,” relates the Oro, Plata, Mata screenwriter.
His second battle cry is to continue with the implementation of projects already set by the previous administration of Cruz. “To give emphasis on education, working on the sustainability of the local film industry as well expose Filipino films and filmmakers to the international market,” says the 69-year-old De La Salle University Literature graduate .ɯ
He added, “This can only be achieved through the third point: recalibrating our interest in the tradition of Filipino cinema through the appreciation of the past.”
Restoration of classic Filipino ĸlms are also in order with the help of the Philippine Film Archive (PFA). “Restoration and archiving go beyond more than the preservation of artefacts but rather a celebration of history that should deĸne the Filipino through his cinematic timeline,” he muses.
What kind of leadership will he emulate? “I do not want to dictate but rather collaborate,” remarks the lyricist of the Christmas song, Kumukutikutitap. “Leadership is not merely giving instructions but showing directions that others may learn from the process and see the value of decisions being made.”
“When they believe in your vision and realize how integral they are to the fulfillment of such a goal, then the leader and his followers become one,” says the Bakit Labis Kitang Mahal director.
If his parentsɯ could see him now, what will Direk Joey tellɯ them? “Although I did not follow the path that my father wanted me to take, he later admitted that he was wrong for wanting me to want what he desired rather than acknowledge what I chose to do,” he confesses
The DLSU senior professional lecturer surprised his father when he became a teacher instead of taking up law. He even surprised him further when he became a writer, and then eventually a director. “At the end of his life, he did not need to verbalize what he thought about what I did with my life,” the Gawad Urian winner reminisces. “He and my Mom were proud of me and to this day, I still want to make them more proud not because of what I have done with my life but how I am affecting the lives of others.”
His words of wisdom for the local ĸlm industry: “It is about time we realize that we need a Filipino cinema for Filipinos, by Filipinos and embraced by the world.”
‘Leadership is not merely giving instructions but showing directions that others may learn from the process and see the value of decisions being made.’