No PH entry to 2022 Oscars: Irked filmmakers want FAP to explain why

“That’s actually the easiest part of the job,” said award-winning indie filmmaker Brillante Ma Mendoza when Inquirer Entertainment sought his reaction to the news that the Film Academy of the Philippines (FAP), the government agency tasked to choose a film to represent the country to the Oscars, failed to come up with one for 2022.

Two of Mendoza’s films, “Ma’ Rosa” (chosen in 2016) and “Mindanao” (2020), as well as Raymund Ribay Gutierrez’s “Verdict” (2019), which the former produced, were the Philippine representatives in the best international feature film category of the Oscars.

“The work doesn’t stop there, though. To be honest, the hardest part is when you start campaigning for your film. The process is complicated, tiring, and super expensive,” Mendoza pointed out.

“Honestly, I think it was so irresponsible of FAP to blame the pandemic for this,” said film and TV director Mark Meily. “’Yan nga lang ang gagawin n’yo. There weren’t many FAP activities this year. You could’ve at least chosen a good film representative. Obviously, somebody is not doing his job.”

Meily’s comedy “Crying Ladies” represented the country to the Oscars in 2004.

“I hope somebody will come forward to explain why this happened,” said Adolfo Alix Jr., whose dramatic piece, “Donsol,” was the Philippine entry in 2007. “More than the pandemic, we want to know if there were technicalities that were not met. We want to be informed to make sure that this will not happen again in the coming years,” Alix explained.

The FAP, established in 1981, is the Philippine counterpart of the United States’ Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (Ampas), which is known around the world for its annual Academy Awards, now officially known as the Oscars. The Ampas picks five nominees through secret balloting.

FAP’s reason

The FAP, on an irregular basis, has been submitting film entries since 1984. This year, for the Oscars that will be held on March 27, 2022, the FAP did not pick any. This was because “organizing and vetting an entry to the Oscars is not an inexpensive and simple process,” according to FAP deputy general Vivian Velez.

She explained that unlike other government agencies, the FAP “never had guaranteed funding, but solely relied on contributions from the MMDA (Metro Manila Development Authority).”

The FAP is one of the beneficiaries of funds collected through the MMDA-organized Metro Manila Film Festival. “The only funding stream dried up quickly in early 2020,” Velez said, adding that “the FAP is equally disappointed (with not being able to pick an Oscar representative), but had to deal with the realities of today.”

Disappointed

“I also got surprised by the news,” said Alix, adding that he learned about it only from the chat group of the Directors’ Guild of the Philippines (DGPI), of which he is a member. “I feel sad because this is one of the rare times when we failed to submit anything.”

The DGPI, headed by it president Paolo Villaluna, expressed “great disappointment” on the issue. The guild said it was “dismayed” given that the Oscar eligibility rules in this pandemic year “have accommodated streaming and online jury voting, making a push from our local producers more feasible.”

After citing a number of films directed by some of its members as those that “would have been eligible,” the DGPI then called for film workers to discuss the issue and create an industry-led initiative in resolving procedures for future Oscar entries. “As our industry struggles to rise above survival, some changes are necessary,” the guild declared.

‘Waste of effort’

Meanwhile, Meily pointed out that for the Philippines to get an Oscar nomination should be the main goal. “At this point, winning isn’t just a matter of having a beautiful film anymore,” he stressed. “If you’re not ready to go to war, then don’t pick a fight. If you’re making noise to make sure we have a film entry every year but then the Philippines isn’t ready to spend for the campaign, then this is useless. To complain that we don’t have a representative is a waste of effort.”

Mendoza then said that while he feels proud whenever his films get chosen to compete, he can’t help but feel neglected. “It’s like the responsibility to promote the film in the United States was handed to the producer and filmmaker. This is challenging because my company isn’t even a mainstream studio,” he said.

“For whom will I do this? For the director? For the country? Let’s do real talk. Will you do this for the country, especially while we’re in a pandemic? I’ve experienced this for ‘Ma’ Rosa.’ I used money from my own pocket for the campaign.”

Mendoza disclosed that he got monetary aid from the Film Development Council of the Philippines (FDCP), an arts-related government agency, “but this is different from actually getting financial support. If we’re really serious about submitting films to the Oscars and about them getting nominated, then we would really prepare. We’ve been submitting entries since the 1950s but nothing is happening.”

Government support needed

“I totally agree. I was one of those who went to the US for the campaign for ‘Heneral Luna.’ I’m telling now, it was really difficult,” said Daphne Chiu, EVP and general manager of TBA Studios, producer of the biopic “Heneral Luna.”

The Jerrold Tarog film was the country’s Oscar entry in 2015.

“The government should also focus its attention on how to support the film entry in whatever manner—by providing financial support or by securing sponsorships. That’s what people should be thinking about,” said Chiu. “However, we would also like to know why the FAP opted not to pick a representative this year.”

Meily then recalled a conversation he had with an Indian director while attending a film festival that featured “Crying Ladies” and other Oscar entries. “He asked how much our budget was for the campaign. When I said about $100,000, he laughed. He then said, ‘Do you know how much the government of India is spending for this? It’s 10 times your budget.’”