The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
by Alvin I. Dacanay
Filipinos shall have more high-quality movies in accessible venues to look forward to next year after the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) announced that it shall have control of select SM theaters in Metro Manila and beyond, as well as build at least two more cinematheques outside Luzon in the next 12 months.
During her agency’s “Handog sa Press” media thanksgiving event at the Cinematheque Center Manila on December 14, FDCP Chairman Liza Diño said the leading shopping-mall chain shall provide her with eight cinemas, where the council would determine the features to be screened there.
These cinemas include those in SM Megamall in Mandaluyong City, SM City North Edsa and SM City Fairview in Quezon City, SM City Southmall in Las Piñas City, SM City Cebu, SM City Davao, and SM City Iloilo.
“Permanent screens po ito na FDCP ang magpo-program [These are permanent screens that the FDCP will be responsible for their programming],” Diño said.
“Yung mga independent films na naghahanap ng venue—we’re always looking for alternative venues for them—[ay] maii-screen na po sila na hindi mapu-pull out, kasi FDCP po ito [The independent films that are looking for a venue—we’re always looking for alternative venues for them—will be screened there and not be pulled out, because the FDCP will be handling them],” she added.
“We’re very excited, kasi part po ito ng aming audience development program [because this is part of our audience development program],” the agency chief said.
Asked about how she managed to convince SM Lifestyle Entertainment Inc., led by President Edgar Tejerero, to agree to this partnership, Diño said her sincerity to seek its help may have something to do with it.
“Hindi dapat natin sila nakikita bilang kalaban. Marami kasing nagkakaroon ng mga misconception sa ginagawa ng mga theaters natin, dahil sa mga nangyayaring pullout [We shouldn’t view them as the enemy. There have been misconceptions about what theaters are doing because of the (film) pullouts that (have) occurred],” Diño said in an interview after the event.
“But I think [that], if we all engage them to be part of this whole [film] community…they will take part, and I think that’s the reason they agreed,” she added, nothing that, as stakeholders, theaters have a crucial role in developing an audience.
“Siguro nakita nila ‘yung importansya [They probably saw its importance],” Diño said.
The FDCP chairman also said the council is “also building and expanding our cinematheques in remote places, such as Antique [province in Western Visayas] and Compostela Valley [province in the Davao region].”
“We fought for a budget increase para po magkaroon kami ng cinematheque sa Compostela Valley, dahil kailangan po nila ng theater,” Diño said, adding that the budget for the construction of the cinematheques in those two provinces has been approved and will begin next year.
Asked about other places where the FDCP is looking to build cinematheques, Diño said she had meetings with interested parties in Cebu and Pangasinan provinces, and those in Vigan City in Ilocos Sur province and Pampanga province have written to the agency and expressed their interest to have their own cinematheques.
“It’s a matter of finalizing our partnership with them, and hopefully, next year, we could include them in our 2018 budget,” she added in Taglish.
When asked if she would consider Dumaguete City in Negros Oriental province and Bacolod City in Negros Occidental province, Diño said she would “love to reach out to them and see what we can do together, because Dumaguete and Bacolod are two of the really thriving [cities] in the Visayas region.”