Key personalities in the local film industry have downplayed the absence of a representative at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival in France last month, saying it “didn’t have much impact” on the community and that “Filipino artists would do better next year.”
Last year’s contingent to the prestigious event, led by production team members from three full-length features, was the largest ever. Erik Matti’s “On the Job” was showcased in the Directors’ Fortnight section, Adolfo Alix Jr.’s “Death March” and Lav Diaz’s “Norte, Hangganan ng Kasaysayan” competed in the Un Certain Regard category. Featured among Cannes Classics selections was a restored version of Lino Brocka’s 1975 masterpiece, “Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag.”
No guarantee
“The fact that a lot of our films were showcased last year was no guarantee that it would happen again this year,” said 2009 Cannes Best Director Brillante Mendoza. “Not all local filmmakers are able to make movies every year. Even Europeans and Americans take two, three years to do follow-ups.”
BRILLANTE Mendoza. PHOTO BY JILSON SECKLER TIU
Mendoza won in Cannes for his movie “Kinatay.” In 2008, his film “Serbis” was nominated for the Golden Palm Award.
He said what happened at the festival this year should encourage local artists to work harder. “People out there already know how good Filipino filmmakers are. Festival programmers and organizers prioritize us. Let’s do better next year,” he told colleagues through the Inquirer.
Mendoza was a special guest at the opening ceremony for the 19th French Film Festival at Greenbelt Mall in Makati City last week. The event was organized by the Embassy of France to the Philippines, the Alliance Française de Manille and Institut Français.
The filmmaker said local artists should not be blamed for what happened. “Maybe the entries we sent didn’t meet jurors’ criteria this year. We shouldn’t be disheartened. There are other festivals this year that are equally important, like Venice and Berlin.”
Actress Mercedes Cabral said this did not mean Filipinos had lapsed, artistically. “Other countries’ entries could have been submitted ahead of ours and were picked earlier. Cabral has been to the Cannes event twice—first for “Serbis” in 2008, and then for “Kinatay” in 2009.
“This year’s Asian presence was quite weak,” observed filmmaker and professor Ed Lejano Jr. “Sometimes, this depends on the programmer. While 2013 was a watershed year for Philippine cinema, we can’t expect every year to be like that. [Organizers] wouldn’t give preferential treatment to one country. This year is not an Asian year.”
Lejano hopes 2015 will be different. “What we achieved in 2013 is kind of hard to sustain,” he said.
Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) executive director Ted Granados pointed out: “In spite of the absence of Filipino films there this year, many people still visited the Philippine pavilion (in previous years, the country was allotted only a booth). This was because the whole world has come to recognize the talent of Filipino filmmakers. We already have a good reputation there.”
Granados said more guests came this year than the last. “And they stayed longer, unlike last year, when they just dropped by to get materials. They didn’t even ask questions. This year, many asked about film distribution and coproduction. A few actors offered to work in any Filipino film project.”
Auspicious
Said FDCP chair Briccio Santos: “Hosting a pavilion was an auspicious first for the country. We got to talk to a lot of filmmakers and commissions. We invited their films to the first World Premieres Film Festival (WPFF).”
Set from June 29 to July 8, the WPFF will feature films that have not been previously screened anywhere. It coincides with another FDCP event, the 2014 International Film Expo, at SMX Convention Center in Pasay City.
Briccio Santos. PHOTO BY JILSON SECKLER TIU
Santos said another highlight at the Cannes film fest was the signing of a film cooperation agreement between FDCP and its French counterpart, Centre National du Cinema et de L’image Animee.
“This [covers] many things—coproduction, archiving, training, education and other forms of assistance that the French institution may provide us. We are very grateful for this agreement with them. We consider being an ally of France in the realm of cinema an honor,” the FDCP chief said.
“The future is really in coproduction—we share in the distribution, we share the risks,” Santos added. “This will be a nice coming together of different film institutions.”
The Philippines and France worked on the deal for three years, Santos said. “At last, we found the right convergence. We will soon send a first batch to take masteral programs in France.”