Industry insiders’ hopes for the new administration

WE SAT down recently with some television and film people and asked them what they think of industry prospects under the coming administration. Some of their answers:

Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) chair Eugenio “Toto” Villareal was delivering a talk about intelligent viewing when we met him. He has a tip for the new MTRCB leadership: “Know where the people are coming from. The board should not be seen as an ogre. Rather, it should be an empowering agency. We rediscovered its two mandates—regulatory and developmental.”

Filmmaker Sari Dalena stresses, “Throughout history, we have seen what happened to some nations when strong men came into power—human rights abuses, censorship. I’m also from Mindanao, so I’m open to changes, but we should remain vigilant.”

Quark Henares believes that, as a director, he has “to voice out people’s sentiments.” He adds, “Compared to other art forms, film is the most affected by politics. Two of the biggest issues the past year had to do with the government—the Metro Manila Film Festival and the way entries were chosen, and the industry’s sometimes onerous working hours. There were big steps made in relation to the festival. The role of the director is always to keep an eye out for himself, his art, his audience and the people he works with.”

Richard Somes shares his personal experience working on television. “I quit a prestigious show on primetime because I got burned out. TV is a different world—it’s a 24-hour job. After you pack up, you sleep for three hours, and you’re back on the set to continue working. I’m not saying it’s wrong. But, can you live with that?”