What an exciting month this is for Philippine cinema! The 13th Cinemalaya Film Festival, which featured full-length indies as well as short films, just had a successful run from August 5 to 13. And now, the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino (PPP) brings 12 top-rated, locally-produced full-length films to 790 theaters nationwide from August 16 to 22.
Some cast members from the 12 PPP films with Head of Globe Studios Quark Henares, FDCP Chairperson Liza Dino, and National Youth Commission Chairperson Aiza Seguerra
The entries for the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino, which is spearheaded by the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP) in partnership with Globe Telecom, covers several genres and were hand-picked by the FDCP from a multitude of submissions. Included in the lineup are romantic films 100 Tula Para Kay Stella and Paglipay. There are narratives that touch the heart such as the gritty Hamog, the romance drama Pauwi Na, the film tackling Down Syndrome Star na si Van Damme Stallone, and Triptiko. For those who want it light, be ready to laugh out loud while watching Bar Boys and the dark comedy Patay na Si Hesus. Moviegoers who prefer action can watch AWOL and Birdshot while horror fans may choose between Ang Manananggal sa Unit 23B and the thriller Salvage.
The film festival aims to make it easier for Filipinos to access quality Pinoy films, most of which have already received critical acclaim from both local and foreign award-giving bodies. Globe Telecom partnered with FDCP and supported the festival as part of its #PlayItRight advocacy, which aims to encourage the public to play content from legitimate sources as well as provide an opportunity for local movies and filmmakers to grow their business and expand to more audiences.
“Our purpose is to make sure to treat people right by creating a Globe of Good. And one of the programs that we have launched is #PlayItRight – an anti-piracy campaign aimed to make sure that what we watch is legitimate. A lot of hard work goes into the making of each movie – filmmakers, their cast and crew who passionately deliver this product to us. Piracy impacts their jobs and lives. Every movie that is pirated endangers their livelihoods. We want to protect and safeguard our filmmakers so that they can continue to passionately work on their movies and produce content they feel passionately about without fearing that it is going to be pirated,” said Globe Head of Content Nikko Acosta.
The Pinoy film industry has long been plagued by relentless piracy, with filmmakers losing millions for every movie. It has progressed from pirated CDs and DVDs to online streaming on sites like Facebook and YouTube as well as downloading from torrent sites.
For most of us, it’s easy to dismiss the issue as something that does not affect ordinary people; we say that it’s only the big shot producers, directors, and celebrities who are losing money, that they don’t need it anyway because they’re already successful. This is an oversight. There are a lot of people involved in making movies, and a lot of them are just like most of us: hardworking individuals trying to make an honest living. There are a lot of camera, lighting, and sounds crew, make-up and costume design artists, and other workers whose livelihood are also negatively affected by piracy.
This is the situation that #PlayItRight wants to remedy. By making movies, music, and other aspects of the performing arts more accessible to the public, Globe Telecom hopes that the campaign will be able to combat piracy.
“There’s a boundless supply of talent in the Philippines which may bring great movies, awe-inspiring theater productions, and exciting content but it also entails educating consumers to patronize these movies, shows, and content only through legitimate means,” said Globe Chief Commercial Officer Albert De Larrazabal.
“By supporting the #PlayItRight campaign, everyone will get the opportunity to experience quality and safe entertainment wherever they are and in whichever form they want –whether film, digital, or theater,” he added.
Globe has also made purchasing movie tickets easier through their GMovies app, where you can book seats and buy tickets for the complete roster of this year’s Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino. There’s a P50 off promo for first-time users of the app when they purchase a ticket to any of the PPP entries by using the promo code PELIKULA. GMovies is available for download at the Google Play Store and the App Store.
“Through accessibility of tickets on the GMovies app, we hope to encourage moviegoers to catch all PPP films, and movies in general, through legitimate sources whether in movie houses or in authorized streaming platforms,” says Glenn Estrella, Vice President for Digital Ventures, the innovator of GMovies.
There are a lot of very promising Pinoy filmmakers that are still only starting out on their careers. It would be a shame if the world never gets to see their talent merely because their countrymen failed to patronize their creations. By supporting the Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino and the #PlayItRight campaign, we are also ensuring that the people who worked long hours to make our favorite films will be able to continue to do what they are doing. So, make August the month you turn your back on being implicit accomplices in film piracy. It’s high time that we patronize the homegrown talents working in our film industry.
Still unsure of what movie to watch? Here are the trailers of the 12 entries to the festival to help you decide:
Birdshot directed by Mikhail Red
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7k8h_X3GjgM
Patay Na Si Hesus directed by Victor Villanueva
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3EKfUH9QQVQ
Pauwi Na directed by Paolo Villaluna
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FKQNuLqj2IQ
Triptiko directed by Mico Michelina
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EpPxGXQUPNE&t=5s
Star na si Van Damme Stallone directed by Randolph Longjas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9gp6u71QChs
Hamog directed by Ralston Jover
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0c9PWv0qiqw
Paglipay directed by Zig Madamba Dulay
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RKYeKhNJ8hU
Salvage directed by Sherad Anthony Sanchez
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r7aCy3HcdVs
AWOL directed by Enzo Williams
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=erQ_SAT1FEM
100 Tula Para Kay Stella directed by Jason Paul Laxamana
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_XFO82jW63M
Bar Boys directed by Kip Oebanda
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YoIZu4MsUoU
Ang Manananggal sa Unit 32B directed by Prime Cruz
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JvcZhrGWq5k
For screening schedules, you can visit the Facebook page for Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino here, or you can check the dates via the GMovies app https://www.gmovies.ph/.