Image: Facebook/Ogie Diaz
Comedian Ogie Diaz has one suggestion for the Metropolitan Manila Development Authority (MMDA) which might encourage local film patronage: sell a booklet that contains all the eight entries for the Metro Manila Film Festival (MMFF) for a much lower price.
“Mahina ang Filmfest 2018, aminin natin yan. Kumpara last year (Filmfest 2018 is weak compared to last year, let’s admit it),” Diaz stated via Facebook today. He then outlined the possible various reasons behind the weakening support for the local film industry.
First among his reasons is the price increase of the tickets for the film festival — a ticket for a single movie costs around P110 to P400 depending on where you are in the Philippines and whether or not the cinema is a regular or a VIP one. He also noted that the advent of streaming services and ABS-CBN’s iWant made people choose the comfort of their homes rather than face traffic or spend extra money on transportation or snacks.
He said that some people would rather watch the films after a few months at Kapamilya Box Office, a free-to-air television channel. Others, meanwhile, have grown weary of the low-quality local films they have previously seen, so they opted to find other sources of entertainment this year.
“May suggestion lang ako sa pamunuan ng MMDA kung saan under ang MMFF,” Diaz stated. “Bakit di nyo ibenta ang festival pass sa murang halaga? Tulad sa Metro Manila, NCR, ibenta nyo sa halagang P1,500 ang isang booklet na makakapasok sa walong entries ang isang bibili.”
(I have a suggestion for the leaders of the MMDA whom the MMFF is under. Why don’t you sell the festival pass at a lower price? For example, you can sell a booklet consisting of tickets for the eight entries at P1,500 in Metro Manila, NCR.)
“Sa ganitong scheme, ine-encourage natin na panoorin ng isang moviegoer ang lahat ng nasa booklet. Or ipamigay niya yung ibang coupons kung di niya type ang panonoorin,” he added. “Whether di ginamit yung ibang coupon sa booklet, otomatik na pantay-pantay pa rin ang share ng walong pelikula.”
(With this scheme, we are encouraging a moviegoer to watch all the films in the booklet. Or to give away the coupons to other people if s/he doesn’t want to watch a particular film. Whether or not the other coupons were used, the profit share of the eight films are all equal.)
Diaz explained that the method can help producers make more films in the future, which in turn ensures the jobs of the celebrities as well as the film’s staff and crew. If, however, his suggestion is not possible, Diaz is calling on the government to lower down the entertainment tax imposed on films. JB
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