The Market Monitor Minding the Nation's Business
by Boy Villasanta
No less than the editor of the film projects of big Hollywood stars and a director has been tapped by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) to speak on effective and cutting edge editing to select participants among established, young and emerging Filipino editors.
Alex Rodriguez, perennial editor of director Alfonso Cuaron and editor of the films of Gael Garcia Bernal, Diego Luna, Maribel Verdu in “Y tu mama tambien” (2001); Julianne Moore, Clive Owen, Michael Caine, among others in “Children of Men” (2006), both helmed by Mexican Cuaron; Adam Bessa etc. in “Mosul” (2019); Chris Hemsworth etc. in “Extraction 2” (2023), among other projects, talks about Editing during the FDCP’s FEST Film Lab 2025 from July 12 and 17, 2025 at the Seda Hotel in Paranaque City.
Cuaron and Rodriguez were nominated for Best Editing in “Children of Men” at the 79th Academy Awards in 2007. Cuaron is also known for his works like “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkahan” (2004), “Gravity” (2014) and “Roma” (2018).
Rodriguez, a French-Mexican film artist, has been sharing to the film lab participants and observers the current trends in film editing he set in his film assignments.
“I am sharing with you the differences between the first cut and the final cut,” he said.
Today, Rodriguez is slated to discuss the unique editing styles of “Extraction 2,” a hit at Netflix during the pandemic.
Renowned for his precision, versatility, and emotional storytelling, Alex is one of Mexico’s most distinguished film editors.
Being a central figure in the resurgence of Latin American cinema, he is also known as a master in creating immersive pacing and tension through breathtaking long takes.
Other speakers in the film lab include Nancy Bishop on Auditioning for Film and TV (July 13 and 14, 2025); Andrew Mcalpine and Gemma Jackson on Production Design with workshops by Nancy Bishop (July 14 and 15, 2025), Mark Ulano and Patrushka Mierzwa on Telling the Story with Sound (July 15 and 16, 2025), and Paul Miller on Film Financing (July 16 and 17, 2025).
FEST Film Lab is coordinated and organized by world renowned film artist Filipe Pereira in partnership with the FDCP.
During the opening of the seminar-workshop, FDCP Chairman and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jose Javier Reyes underscored the importance of education in the development of the local film industry.