Quezon City hopes to host Cinemalaya 2015

AT THE QUEZON City festival awards rites: (from left) Willie Nepomuceno as Erap, best actor Menggie Cobarrubias, Mayor Herbert Bautista and best picture “Nick and Chai” directors Wena Sanchez and Cha Escala. Photos by Romy Homillada

Negotiations are ongoing for Quezon City to host the 2015 Cinemalaya Philippine Independent Film Festival, Quezon City Mayor Herbert Bautista announced on Sunday night during the awards rites for the 2014 QCinema International Film Festival held at TriNoma.

Bautista said he had tasked the Quezon City Film Development Commission (QCFDC) to lead the talks with Cinemalaya officials.

A few kinks

He said he earlier received a letter about next year’s event from businessman Tonyboy Cojuangco, one of Cinemalaya’s founding members, and filmmaker-actress Laurice Guillen, competition director.

“There are still kinks to iron out,” Bautista said. “I leave it up to the commission to create synergy among the groups.” The QCFDC was formed in 2006, with University of the Philippines film professor Ed Lejano as executive director and Quezon City Vice Mayor Joy Belmonte as cochair with Bautista.

Bautista said he had suggested to the QCFDC an ordinance that would require movie houses to show only official entries during festivals. “We have over a hundred theaters in Quezon City,” he said. “If the plan with Cinemalaya pushes through, we will host three major festivals next year.” (The annual Quezon City International Pink Film Festival is slated for December.)

Belmonte said: “The mayor is very much interested in hosting [all three] next year. While we talk with Cinemalaya, we also want to protect our own festivals.”

Lejano noted a few other considerations: “Cinemalaya has its own executive committee and set of rules and regulations. If [Quezon City] hosts it next year, the commission would like to have inputs, for example, as to the grants the filmmakers should get.”

No talks yet

In a phone interview on Monday, Cinemalaya official and filmmaker Mel Chionglo said Bautista started the ball rolling by sending feelers expressing interest in hosting the festival, which presented its 10th edition in August this year. “He spoke with me and [fellow director] Joel Lamangan about it, and I told Laurice,” Chionglo recounted. “A few weeks later, Laurice sent the mayor a proposal letter that she and Tonyboy signed.”

Chionglo said the parties concerned had yet to sit down but he was “glad that Bautista seems excited about working with Cinemalaya.”

Amusement tax

Bautista also announced on Sunday the resumption in 2015 of the 10-percent amusement tax on movie ticket sales in Quezon City. The collection was discontinued in 2006. “Unfortunately, the government failed to indicate where the savings would go,” he said. “It was mostly theater owners who benefited from it. We will make sure to define how much of the collection will go to the recipient agencies.”

In her welcome speech, Belmonte pointed out: “We are one of the few local government units with heavy public investment in the arts.”

The winners

Cha Escala and Wena Sanchez’s “Nick and Chai” won the best picture award and a cash prize of P300,000.

“Are you sure about this?” Escala said as she accepted the award. “Quezon City supported us before international groups took notice of our film. We are truly grateful.” She thanked her film’s subjects, Nick and Chai Quieta, who lost four children to Supertyphoon “Yolanda,” “for welcoming us into their lives.”

The Network for the Promotion of Asian Cinema (Netpac) jury prize for a feature film was given to Carl Joseph Papa’s “Ang Di Paglimot sa mga Alaala.” Lem Lorca’s “Mauban: Ang Resiko” won the best actor and best actress awards for Menggie Cobarrubias and Alessandra de Rossi, respectively.

Victor Villanueva’s comedy, “Ang Nanay ni Justin Barber,” copped the Netpac prize for a short film; Real Florido’s “1st Ko Si 3rd” bagged the award for gender sensitivity.

The audience choice award and a cash prize of P100,000 was given to the omnibus film, “QCX,” or “Quezon City Experience.”