Let us get to the point, do you like watching Pinoy movies? Or not? Whatever your reasons are, let's dive in to our topic today.

By: Burnok / August 30, 2021

Status of Philippine Cinema as per Pepe Diokno's (2013) TEDxADMU talk entitled "Who Killed Philippine Cinema?"

Philippine Cinema was slowly killed by us. Yes, the government and we are the ones who are deliberately killing Philippine Cinema. Our country's movie industry can be seen as having a poor state because its economics pushes its citizens not to prioritize local movies. It may hurt, but its fall can also be ascertained by Filipinos' exposure to the films of other countries rather than to mainstream cinema, which somehow influences Filipinos to watch foreign movies more frequently.

One factor that affects it is that most movies in our country are predictable, and another reason is economics. In 1990, a tax code was passed that levy a 30% amusement tax on films, which means that if you have spent 1 million on your movie, you have to make approximately 3 million pesos from your movie just to break even.

That's what happened in the 1990s, and it became really tough for movie directors and producers to make and produce films, especially to take risks. However, when it was lowered down to 10 percent after Senator Bong Revilla changed it, there has only been at least a little, if none, improvement. Eventually, Filipinos are full of skills but do not have as many resources as foreign filmmakers, affecting editing techniques, cinematography, and even story concepts, plots, and twists.

Comparison between South Korean film industry the Philippines film industry.

The South Korean film industry is considered wealthy, abundant and continuously becoming more successful than the Philippines because there is a lot of support coming from their government. As a matter of fact, they have this so-called quota law wherein there is a certain number of Korean films to be played from their theaters.

Moreover, the Korean Film Council(KOFIC) invests about 8.9 million US dollars per year in supporting and stabilizing their local film industry, and from the video itself, it was stated that Korean filmmakers, especially the new ones in the industry, say that they couldn't have done their first films without government.

From that alone, it can be justified that their government is really giving massive support to it, unlike in the Philippines, where it is risky to invest in films, especially if you are just starting out. With all these benefits from their government, screenwriters, filmmakers, and producers are more encouraged to create high-quality and unique films. As a result, it blooms continuously and is being patronized by many individuals, not just in their country but to other parts of the world, including the Philippines. That is something that has been going downhill in our nation.

Reviving the Film Industry in the Country

Reviving the Filipino film industry extends in the hands of Filipinos and the government itself. One way is for screenwriters, filmmakers, directors, producers, among others, to create high-quality movies that portray our own culture, value, and history where the government has to provide support such as funding, technical assistance, among others.

Filipino filmmakers have to level up also when it comes to delivering stories and limit using predictable scenes because this is one reason Filipinos feel cringe. The extensive selling of pirated DVDs has to be taken priority also to stop it.

During the summer months where films are issued worldwide, there must also be tax incentives for local film producers whose films participated in this event. This is one way that can boost all these factors I have mentioned. For that various reasons, our own film industry will start to thrive more and become a global player too. Of course, our participation is also essential to achieve it.

Closing Ideas

The role of films in the preservation and enrichment of the Filipino Culture is very crucial. This is because they can be counted as the representation of our nation. Another reason is that it provides us with compelling information about our past, culture, values, attitudes, customs, and lifestyles. Many films also impart educational knowledge to young generations about the history of our country. So, let us do our roles to revive it.

The documentaries do their jobs well in preserving and enriching our culture, and this is one good example too that portrays the extent of its importance. With these things, the general public will be given an opportunity to experience and appreciate the films which could shape their developmental years. Thus, it is vital to conserve our culture through films, promote our integrity as a country rich in cultures and traditions, and to the rightful things to make it flourish.