FAP, NCCA set up program to adapt Philippine literary gems into film
‘Sine Panitik’ will mine Philippine literature to enrich cinema
FOR CINEMAS of numerous countries, literature is a rich source of stories and inspirations. In fact, many of those considered great films are adaptations of great literary works. However, in the Philippines, which has a vibrant filmmaking history, its own literature is rarely mined, despite its richness.
To fill the dearth, the Film Academy of the Philippines ( FAP), headed by its directorgeneral Leo G. Martinez, in cooperation with the National Commission for Culture and the Arts ( NCCA), headed by its chair Felipe de Leon Jr. and executive director Emelita V. Almosara, and the National Committee on Cinema led by Mike Rapatan, initiated the project Pelikulang Pampanitikan, literally “literary film,” or Sine Panitik.
Sine Panitik will award financial grants to digital- film projects based on literary works. The finished works will then be shown in theaters around the country as well as toured in schools, forming a visual resource of literary works for students.
Sine Panitik will be primarily educational. It is “intended to showcase published literary works by Filipino authors… literature that is being taught in our elementary, high- school and college levels.”
Also, it “hopes to generate better understanding of and a deeper appreciation for our Filipino literature and the minds that created them. It seeks to give due recognition to Filipino literature, authors and writers, and at the same time provide our schools with a video library of literature materials for the students.”
FAP hopes this will be an annual endeavor. In this maiden effort, it aims to produce three full- length digital films composed of a collection of short films based on seven short stories.
A list of literary works to be translated into films will be pre- selected by a committee. Examples include “How My Brother Leon Brought Home a Wife” by Manuel Arguilla; “Dead Stars” by Paz Marquez Benitez; “Children of the AshCovered Loam” by NVM Gonzales; “Bangkang Papel” by Genoveva Edroza- Matute; and “Tata Selo” By Rogelio Sicat. These can be grouped into threes for a trilogy- style feature film.
FAP will open a competition for screenwriters, who will choose a selected literary work to develop into a screenplay. With financial grant, the best screenplays will be assigned to groups of filmmakers for production.
Finished works will be shown in Metro Manila and key cities around the country for a year. In cooperation with the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA), FAP intends to premiere the films at the indie section of the Metro Manila Film Festival in December.
FAP will also be partnering with the Department of Education for the films to be shown in select schools around the country. These films will also be produced in DVDs to be made available to the public.
For more information, contact NCCA Public Affairs and Information Office ( PAIO) head Rene Sanchez Napenas at 5272192 or 0928- 5081057; or Mylene N. Urriza, project development officer at 5222084; log on to www. ncca. gov. ph; email ncca. paio@ gmail. com.