Cinema of the Philippines (Filipino:Pelikulang Pilipino or Sine Pilipino) started with the introduction of the first moving pictures

to the country on January 1, 1897 at the Saln de Pertierra in Manila. The following year, local scenes were shot on film for the first time by a Spaniard, Antonio Ramos, using the Lumiere Cinematograph. Early filmmakers and producers in the country were mostly wealthy enterprising foreigners and expatriates, but on September 12, 1919, a silent feature film broke the grounds for Filipino filmmakers. Dalagang Bukid (Country Maiden), a movie based on a popular musical play, was the first movie made and shown by Filipino filmmaker Jos Nepomuceno.[1] Dubbed as the "Father of Philippine Cinema", his work marked the start of cinema as an art form in the Philippines.[2] Even with the problems currently facing motion pictures around the world, movies are still considered as one of the popular forms of entertainment among the Filipinos, directly employing some 260 000 Filipinos and generating around PHP 2000 million revenues annually.[3] The Philippines was the last country to establish a national film archive, when one opened in October 2011.[4] 2011 was one of the most successful years in Philippine Cinema history as 3 of its films (all from Star Cinema) landed in the top 3 of the highest grossing Filipino Film of All-Time.[5] The Unkabogable Praybeyt Benjamin grossed Php331.6Million in box office and currently the highest grossing local films in the Philippines.[6] No Other Woman grossed Php278.39Million while 2011 MMFF entry Enteng Ng Ina Mo, has a gross income of Php237.89Million (as of January 7, 2012)and considered as the highest grossing MMFF entry of all time.[7] The formative years of Philippine cinema, starting from the 1930s, were a time of discovering the film genre as a new medium of art. Scripts and characterisations in films came from popular theatre and familiar local literature. Nationalistic films were also quite popular, although they were labeled as being too subversive The 1940s and the war brought to the Philippine cinema the consciousness of reality. Movie themes consisting primarily of war and heroism had proven to be a huge hit among local audience. The 1950s saw the first golden age of Philippine cinema,[8][9] with the emergence of more artistic and mature films, and significant improvement in cinematic techniques among filmmakers. The studio system produced frenetic activity in the local film industry as many films were made annually and several local talents started to earn recognition abroad. Award-giving bodies were first instituted during this period. When the decade was drawing to a close, the studio system monopoly came under siege as a result of labor-management conflicts, and by the 1960s, the artistry established in the previous years was already on a decline. This era can be characterized by rampant commercialism, fan movies, soft porn films, action flicks, and western spin-offs. The 1970s and 1980s were considered as turbulent years of the industry, bringing both positive and negative changes. The films in this period now dealt with more serious topics following the Martial Law era. In addition, action and sex films developed further introducing more explicit

pictures. These years also brought the arrival of alternative or independent film in the Philippines. The 1990s saw the emerging popularity of massacre movies, teen-oriented romantic comedies, as well as anatomy-baring adult films, although slapsticks still draw a large audience. Genres of previous decades had been recycled with almost the same stories, and love teams, which had been popular in the past, had become reincarnated.[9] The Philippines, being one of Asia's earliest film industry, remains undisputed in terms of the highest level of theater admission in Southeast Asia. Over the years, however, the film industry has registered a steady decline in the movie viewership from 131 million in 1996 to 63 million in 2004.[10][11] From a high of 200 films a year during the 1980s, the country's film industry was down to making a total of new 56 films in 2006 and around 30 in 2007.[10][11] Although the industry has undergone turbulent times, the 21st century saw the rebirth of independent filmmaking through the use of digital technology, and a number of films have once again earned international recognition and prestige. On 1 January 1897, the first four movies namely, Un Homme Au Chapeau (Man with a Hat), Une scne de danse japonnaise (Scene from a Japanese Dance), Les Boxers (The Boxers), and La Place de L' Opra (The Place L' Opra), were shown via 60 mm Gaumont Chronophotograph projector at the Salon de Pertierra at No.12 Escolta in Manila. The venue was formerly known as the Phonograph Parlor on the ground floor of the Casino Espaol at Prez Street, off Escolta Street. Other countries, such as France, England, and Germany had their claims to the introduction of publicly projected motion picture in the Philippines, although Petierra was given the credit to this by most historians and critics.[12] Antonio Ramos, a Spanish soldier from Aragn, was able to import a Lumiere Cinematograph from Paris, including 30 film titles, out of his savings and the financial banking of two Swiss entrepreneurs Liebman and Peritz. By August 1897, Liebman and Peritz presented the first movies on the Lumiere Cinematograph in Manila. The cinema was set up at Escolta Street at the corner of San Jacinto Street. A test preview was presented to a limited number of guests on 28 August and the inaugural show was presented to the general public the next day, August 29, 1897.[12] Documentary films showing recent events as well as natural calamities in Europe were shown in Manila.[9] During the first three weeks, Ramos had a selection of ten different films to show, but by the fourth week, he was forced to shuffle the 30 films in various combinations to produce new programs. These were four viewing sessions, every hour on the hour, from 6:00 P.M. to 10:00 P.M. After three months, attendance began to slacken for failure to show any new feature. They transferred the viewing hall to a warehouse in Plaza Goiti and reduced the admission fees. By the end of November, the movie hall closed down.[12] The next year, to attract patronage, using the Lumiere as a camera, Ramos locally filmed Panorama de Manila (Manila landscape), Fiesta de Quiapo (Quiapo Fiesta), Puente de Espaa (Bridge of Spain), and Escenas Callejeras (Street scenes), making him the first movie producer

in the Philippines. Aside from Ramos, there were other foreigners who left documentary evidences of their visits to the Philippines. Burton Holmes, father of the Travelogue, who made the first of several visits in 1899, made the Battle of Baliwag; Kimwood Peters shot the Banawe Rice Terraces; and, Raymond Ackerman of American Biography and Mutoscope filmed Filipino Cockfight and the Battle of Mt. Arayat.[12]

[edit] Early American period

Film showing in the Philippines resumed in 1900 when a British entrepreneur named Walgrah opened the Cine Walgrah at No.60 Calle Santa Rosa in Intramuros. The second movie house was opened in 1902 by a Spanish entrepreneur, Samuel Rebarber, who called his building, Gran Cinematgrafo Parisino, located at No. 80 Calle Crespo in Quiapo. In 1903, Jos Jimnez, a stage backdrop painter, set up the first Filipino-owned movie theater, the Cinematograpo Rizal in Azcarraga Street (now C.M. Recto Ave.), in front of the Tutuban Railway Station.[12] In the same year, a movie market was formally created in the country along with the arrival of silent movies and American colonialism.[9] The silent films were always accompanied by gramophone, a piano, or a quartet, or when Caviria was shown at the Manila Grand Opera House, a 200-man choir.[12] In 1905, Herbert Wyndham, shot scenes at the Manila Fire Department; Albert Yearsly shot the Rizal Day Celebration in Luneta 1909; in 1910, the Manila Carnival; in 1911, the Eruption of Mayon Volcano; the first Airplane Flight Over Manila by Bud Mars and the Fires of Tondo, Pandacan and Paco; and, in 1912, the Departure of the Igorots to Barcelona and the Typhoon in Cebu.[12] These novelty films, however, did not capture the hearts of the audience because they were about the foreigners.[9] The Philippine Commission recognized early the potential of cinema as a tool of communication and information, so that in 1909, the Bureau of Science bought a complete filmmaking unit and laboratory from Path, and sent its chief photographer, the American, Charles Martin[disambiguation needed ] , to France to train for a year. When Martin completed his training, he resolved to document, in motion pictures, the varied aspects of the Philippines. In 1910, the first picture with sound reached Manila, using the Chronophone. A British film crew also visited the Philippines, and filmed, among other scenes, the Pagsanjan Falls (Oriental) in 1911 in kinemacolor.[12] In 1912, New York and Hollywood film companies started to establish their own agencies in Manila to distribute films.[12] In the same year, two American entrepreneurs made a film about the execution of Jose Rizal, and aroused a strong curiosity among Filipino moviegoers. This led to the making of the first Filipino film.[9] By 1914, the US colonial government was already using films as a vehicle for information, education, propaganda and entertainment. The Bureau of Science tackled subjects designed to present an accurate picture of the Philippines before the American public, particularly the US Congress. By 1915, the best European and American films were shown in Philippine theaters. When World War I (19141918) choked off the production of European studios, Manila theater managers turned to US for new film products. With the variety they offered, American films quickly dominated the Philippine film market.[12]

[edit] First Filipino filmmakers

The first film produced by a Filipino is Jos Nepomuceno's Dalagang Bukid (Country Maiden) in 1919 based on a highly-acclaimed musical play by Hermogenes Ilagan and Len Ignacio.[9] Early filmmakers, even with meager capital, followed some of the genres provided by Hollywood movies. The main sources of movie themes during this period were theater pieces from popular dramas or zarzuelas. Another source of movie themes at that time was Philippine literature. In 1929, the Syncopation, the first American sound film, was shown in Radio theater in Plaza Santa Cruz in Manila inciting a competition on who could make the first talkie among local producers. On December 8, 1932, a film in Tagalog entitled Ang Aswang (The Aswang), a monster movie inspired by Philippine folklore, was promoted as the first sound film. Moviegoers who remembered the film attested that it was not a completely sound film.[12] Jos Nepomuceno's Punyal na Guinto (Golden Dagger), which premiered on March 9, 1933, at the Lyric theater, was credited as the first completely sound, all-talking picture in the country.[12] In the 1930s, a few film artists and producers deviated from the norms and presented sociopolitical movies. Ironically, the people who helped the film industry develop and flourish were also the same people who suppressed its artistic expression by inhibiting movie themes that would establish radical political views among the Filipinos. Instead, love and reconciliation between members of different classes of people were encouraged as themes.[9]Julian Manansalas film Patria Amor (Beloved Country) was almost suppressed because of its anti-Spanish sentiments. Carmen Concha, the first female director in the country, also ventured into filmmaking, and she directed Magkaisang Landas and Yaman ng Mahirap in 1939 under Parlatone, and Pangarap in 1940 under LVN.[13] Despite fierce competition with Hollywood movies, the Filipino film industry survived and flourished. When the 1930s drew to a close, the Filipino film industry was well established, and local movie stars acquired huge followers. Some popular movie stars of the pre-WWII era include:

Brian Soria Fernando Royo Ben Rubio Rolando Liwanag Exequiel Segovia Ben Prez Teddy Benavides Manuel Barbeyto Ernesto la Guardia Jaime G. Castellvi

Alfonso Carvajal Jose Troni Nardo Vercudia Andrs Centenera Fermn Barva Fernando Poe Nati Rub Etang Discher Monang Carvajal Naty Bernardo

[edit] World War II and Japanese occupation

During the Japanese Occupation, filmmaking was suddenly put to a halt. The Japanese brought with them their own films, but this was not appealing to the local audience. Japanese propaganda offices began hiring several local filmmakers, including Gerardo de Leon, to make propaganda pictures that extol Filipino-Japanese friendship. One of these propaganda films was the Dawn of Freedom, which was directed by Abe Yutaka and Gerardo de Len.[9] At the same time, the comedy duo Pugo and Togo, popular for satirizing Japanese occupation in the Philippines,[14] was renamed to Tuguing and Puguing because of Togo name's closeness to Tojo, the name of the Prime Minister of Japan during the early 1940s. During World War II, almost all actors depended only on stage shows on most major Manila movie theaters as livelihood. As a consequence, live theater began to thrive again as movie stars, directors and technicians returned to the stage.

[edit] 1950s

Bundles of 35-mm films of several old movies being kept by the Mowelfund at the Movie Museum of the Philippines in Quezon City. After World War II, the Philippine version of a war film emerged as a genre. The audience were hungry for films with patriotic themes. Films such as Garrison 13 (1946), Dugo ng Bayan (The Countrys Blood) (1946), Walang Kamatayan (Deathless) (1946), and Guerilyera (1946), narrated the horrors of the war and the heroism of the soldiers and guerrillas.[9] The 1950s was labeled as the first golden age of Philippine cinema. Four big production studios (LVN Pictures, Sampaguita Pictures, Premiere Productions and Lebran International) were at their peak in filmmaking, employing premier directors like Gerardo de Len, Eddie Romero and Csar Gallardo while contracting the biggest stars of that period. The Filipino film industry was one of the busiest and bustling film communities in Asia, releasing an average of 350 films a year making Philippines second to Japan in terms of film productions a year. The premier directors of the era were (but not limited to):

Lamberto Avellana Gerardo de Len

Gregorio Fernndez Csar Gallardo Armando Garces Eddie Romero Cirio Santiago

The biggest stars of the era were (but not limited to):

Tessie Agaa Dely Atayatayan Andoy Balunbalunan Bentot Nida Blanca Nena Cardenas Bayani Casimiro Levi Celerio Chichay Chiquito Manuel Conde Rogelio de la Rosa Jaime de la Rosa Gil de Len Van de Len Nestor de Villa Eddie del Mar Rosa del Rosario Mila del Sol Lauro Delgado Dolphy

Linda Estrella Arsenia Francisco Eddie Garca Rita Gmez Luis Gonzles scar Keese Anita Linda Vicente Liwanay Lopito Rosa Ma Fred Montilla scar Moreno scar Obligacin Bert Olivar Jos Padilla, Jr. Paraluman Patsy (Pachochay) Fred Pealosa Ben Prez Pugak Pugo

Csar Ramrez Delia Razn Efren Reyes, Sr. Johnny Reyes Lolita Rodrguez Gloria Romero Rosa Rosal Carmen Rosales Ben Rubio Rubn Rustia Carlos Salazar Tony Santos, Sr. Charito Sols Togo Tolindoy Tugak Carol Varga Alicia Vergel Evelyn Villar Billy "Surot" Vizcarra Zaldy Zshornack

The four biggest production studios produced most of the notable films of Philippine cinema during this era. In 1951, the movie Roberta of Sampaguita Pictures which featured leading child stars was the hit. LVN Pictures, under the leadership of the Doa Sisang de Len, not only specialized in super productions, rural comedies and musicals, but also produced sociallyrelevant films such as Avellana's Anak Dalita (1956), Tony Santos's Badjao (1957) and Manuel Silos's Biyaya ng Lupa (1959). Sampaguita Pictures mainly produced high-gloss, glamorous pictures such as Maalaala Mo Kaya (1954). On the other, hand Premiere Productions released most of the action films of the decade, such as Sawa sa Lumang Simboryo (1952), Salabusab (1954) and Huwag Mo Akong Limutin (1960). High production values on the motion pictures during this era produced movies that gained international acclaim. In 1952, Manuel Conde's Genghis Khan became the first Asian film to be shown at the Venice and Cannes Film Festival, a feat that would not be repeated until the 1970s. Inspired by Conde's picture, Hollywood remade Genghis Khan in 1956 as The Conqueror with John Wayne as the lead star.[9][12][15]

In 1956, Anak Dalita copped the Golden Harvest Award (Best Picture) of the prestigious AsiaPacific Film Festival. Actress Lilia Dizon, was presented with the Best Actress Award by the prince of Cambodia, Norodom Sihanouk, for the film Kandelerong Pilak in the 1954 AsiaPacific Film Festival. Leroy Salvador was also recognized in his performance as Best Supporting Actor for the film Huk sa Bagong Pamumuhay (1953) in the same film festival. During this era, the first award-giving body was also established in 1950. The Mara Clara Awards of the Manila Times Publishing Corp., was composed of film publicists and writers who voted for the exemplary achievements of Filipino motion pictures in a calendar year. In 1953, the Mara Clara folded up to give way to the establishment of the Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS), the Philippines' equivalent to the United States' Academy Awards in prestige. During this period, Filipinos saw Hollywood's first full length picture in living Technicolor. Soon after, Filipino local producers started presenting full-length pictures in color despite some technical deficiency, one of which was Prinsipe Amante (Prince Amante).[12]

[edit] 1960s
This era is characterized by rampant commercialism with James Bond and Western knock offs, and in the latter 60's, the so-called bomba (soft porn) pictures. It was also the era of musical films produced mostly by Sampaguita Pictures and their discovered talents. The studio systems came under siege from the growing labor movement, which resulted in labormanagement conflicts. The first studio to close was Lebran followed by Premiere Productions then LVN. Those production studios were replaced by new and independent producers like Regal Films, which was established by Lily Monteverde in 1962. The decade also saw the emergence of the youth subculture best represented by the Beatles and rock and roll. As a result, certain movie genres were made to cater to this trend. Fan movies and teen love team-ups emerged, showing Nora Aunor and Vilma Santos, along with Tirso Cruz III and Edgar Mortiz as their respective screen sweethearts. In addition, movie genres showing disaffection to the status quo during the era were also popular. Action movies with Pinoy cowboys and secret agents as the movers of the plots depicted a "society ravaged by criminality and corruption".[9] Another kind of youth revolt, implying rejection of adult corruption, came in the form of movies featuring child stars. Near the end of this decade, another movie genre that embodied a different form of revolt took center stage. Soft porn movies, more popularly known as bomba films, increasingly became popular, and these films were described as a direct challenge to the conventions, norms and conduct of the society. Even in the period of decline, several Philippine films that stood out. These include the following films by Gerardo de Leon:

Noli Me Tangere (Touch me Not) in 1961; El Filibusterismo (Subversion) in 1962; Huwag mo Akong Limutin (Never Forget Me) in 1960; and,

Kadenang Putik (Chain of Mud) in 1960.

During this period, Filipino filmmakers were more successful in presenting some full-length pictures in living Eastmancolor, one of which was Ito ang Pilipino by J.E. Production. This movie was produced and starred by Joseph Estrada.[12]

[edit] 1970s to early 1980s

Touted as the second golden age of Philippine cinema, this was the period of the avant-garde filmmakers. At the turn of the 70s, local producers and filmmakers ceased to produce pictures in black and white.[9][12] In 1972, the Philippines was placed under the martial law, and films were used as propaganda vehicles. President Ferdinand Marcos and his technocrats sought to regulate filmmaking through the creation of the Board of Censors for Motion Pictures (BCMP). Prior to the start of filming, a finished script was required to be submitted to the Board and incorporate the "ideology" of the New Society Movement such as, a new sense of discipline, uprightness and love of country. Annual festivals were revived, and the bomba films as well as political movies critical of the Marcos administration were banned.[9] In spite of the censorship, the exploitation of sex and violence onscreen continued to assert itself. Under martial law, action films usually append an epilogue like claims that social realities depicted had been wiped out with the establishment of the New Society. The notorious genre of sex or bomba films still existed but in a milder, less overt way like female stars swimming in their underwear or taking a bath in their chemise, labeled as the "wet look." An example of the trend was the 1974 hit movie Ang Pinakamagandang Hayop sa Balat ng Lupa (The Most Beautiful Animal on the Face of the Earth) which featured former Miss Universe Gloria Daz.[9] In spite of the presence of censorship, this period paved way to the ascendancy of a new breed of directors. Some of the notable films made by these new crop of filmmakers were:

Lino Brocka o Tubog sa Ginto (1970) o Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang (1974) o Maynila: Sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag (1975) o Insiang (1976) Ishmael Bernal o Pagdating sa Dulo (1971) o Manila by Night (1980) o Relasyon (1982) Celso Ad Castillo o Nympha (1971) o Daluyong at Habagat (1976) o Burlesk Queen (1977)

Pagputi ng Uwak, Pag-itim ng Tagak (1978)

Mike de Len o Itim (1976) o Batch '81 o Sister Stella L (1984) Peque Gallaga o Oro, Plata, Mata (1982)

In 1977, an unknown Filipino filmmaker going by his pseudonym Kidlat Tahimik, made a film entitled Mababangong Bangungot (Perfumed Nightmare), which won the International Critics Prize in the Berlin Film Festival that same year. Out of short film festivals sponsored by the University of the Philippines Film Center and by the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines, young filmmakers joined Kidlat Tahimik by distancing themselves from the traditions of mainstream cinema. Nick De Ocampos Oliver (1983) and Raymond Reds Ang Magpakailanman (The Eternal, 1983) have received attention in festivals abroad. In 1981, as mandated by Executive Order No. 640-A, the Film Academy of the Philippines was enacted, serving as the umbrella organization that oversees the welfare of various guilds of the movie industry and gave recognition to the artistic and technical excellence of the performances of its workers and artists.[16] The same year, Viva Films was established and began its rise as a production company. During the closing years of martial rule, a number of films defiant of the Marcos dictatorship were made. Films such as Marilou Diaz-Abayas Karnal implicitly depicted this defiance in the films plot, wherein patricide ended a tyrannical fathers domination. In the same year, Mike de Leons Sister Stella L., a movie about oppression and tyranny was shown on the big screen. In 1985, Lino Brockas Bayan Ko: Kapit sa Patalim (My Country: Grip the Knifes Edge) depicted images of torture, incarceration, struggles and oppression.[9] During this period, the Philippines ranked among the top 10 film-producing countries in the world, with an annual output of more than 300 movies.[17]

[edit] Late 1980s to 1990s

Around this period, most Filipino films were mass-produced with quality sacrificed for commercial success. Story lines were unimaginative and predictable, comedy was slapstick, and the acting was either mediocre or overly dramatic. Producers were antipathetic to new ideas, or risk-taking. Instead, they resorted to formulas that worked well in the past that cater to the standards and tastes of the masses.[8][17] Teen-oriented films, massacre movies, and soft pornographic pictures composed the majority of the genre produced.[9] The film industry prospered and produced more than 200 films a year. Majority of them were pit-pit films, shot in seven to ten days and aimed at quickly recouping their minimal costs. Attendance in theaters rose and several productions became huge successes. New laws were also introduced that gave more rights to women, causing several female directors to launch careers.[18]

Aside from competition with Hollywood films,[11] the Asian Financial Crisis, escalating cost of film production, exorbitant taxes, arbitrary and too much film censorship, high-tech film piracy,[19] and rise of cable television further contributed for the trimming down of production costs of film outfits that resulted to falling box-office receipts of domestic films, and the eventual precarious state of the local film industry.[20] In 1993, a television station ventured into movie production. ABS-CBN's Star Cinema produced Ronquillo: Tubong Cavite, Laking Tondo in cooperation with Regal Films. Five years later, another television station, GMA Network, started producing movies. GMA Films released the critically acclaimed Sa Pusod ng Dagat, Jose Rizal, and Muro Ami, which attained commercial success.[21]

[edit] 2000 and beyond

The dawn of this era saw a dramatic decline of the Philippine movie industry.[22] Hollywood films dominated mainstream cinema even more,[11] and fewer than twenty quality local films were being produced and shown yearly.[8][22] Many producers and production houses later stopped producing films after losing millions of pesos.[11] Thereafter, a new sense of excitement and trend enveloped the industry with the coming of digital and experimental cinema. Seemingly signalling this was the winning of the Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival 2000 of Raymond Red's short film ANINO (Shadows).[23] But truly pioneering this digital revolution was the 1999 digital feature film "STILL LIVES" by Jon Red. Many other digital filmmakers soon followed suit.[24] Cheaper production cost using digital media over film has helped the rebirth of independent filmmaking. Hailed as the New Wave in digital form, this decade saw the proliferation of digital films by independent filmmakers with international reach and caliber, and the introduction of locally-produced animated features.[25][26][27][28][29] Production of action films is on a decline, and formulaic romantic comedies comprised the majority of mainstream releases. However, independent filmmakers spurred a renewed interest in Filipino movies through digital movies. Signs of rebirth of the Philippine cinema arose by way of movies with inspirational themes. In 2002, Gil Portes released Mga Munting Tinig (Small Voices), a subdued movie about a teacher who inspired her students to follow their dreams; the movie also implied improving the countrys education system. A year later, Mark Meilys comedy Crying Ladies, about three Filipinas working as professional mourners in Manilas Chinatown but looking for other ways to earn a living, became a huge hit. Also that same year, Maryo J. de los Reyes made a buzz at various film festivals with Magnifico, a simple film with universal appeal about a boy trying to help his family survive their hardships.[17] In 2006 and 2007, Filipino filmmakers started making movies using digital media.[30] Duda (Doubt) is an example of how a man driven by an idea for a film, against all odds, can succeed in creating a significant statement. Writer/Director Crisaldo Pablo used a cast of friends and some professional actors, and with the use of a Sony VX-1, a Hi-8 camcorder, made the first fulllength digital movie ever shot in the Philippines. Comments by Cris Pablo and casts in the 'making of' featurette on the DVD demonstrated how much dedication to vision played in this movie.[31] Donsol, by director Adolf Alix, made waves with his debut digital movie about

Donsol, a fishing town and in the opposite, a sanctuary to endangered whale sharks. Other filmmakers of note include Jeffrey Jeturian, Auraeus Solito, and Brillante Mendoza with his 2007 Filipino version of Danish Dogme 95 and Italian Cinma vrit, Tirador (Slingshot). Lav Diaz is a leading figure in experimental Tagalog films whose works include long epics about Filipino life, some of which run up to 10 hours often testing the endurance of viewers.[17] Although Filipino digital films are made in almost no time and with meager budget, they are strongly represented in international film festivals.[32][33] Numerous works of a new breed of filmmakers had their films seen at the prestigious film festivals around the world like in Berlin, Cannes, Venice, Vienna and Rotterdam.[25][34] with several winning prizes and awards.[35][36][37][38][39][40][41] Among the works included are Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros (2005) by Auraeus Solito, Kubrador (2006) by Jeffrey Jeturian, Todo Todo Teros (2006) by John Torres, Endo (2007) by Jade Castro, Tribu (2007) by Jim Libiran, just to name a few. In 2007, a Filipino short film entitled Napapanggap (Pretend) by Debbie Formoso, a recent graduate of MFA Master of Film Art at LMU Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles, had a successful run in a number of US film festivals.[42] Several other short films,[43][44] including Pedro "Joaquin" Valdes's Bulong (Whisper),[45] as well as documentaries,[46] garnered international attention and honors. In 2008, Serbis (Service) by Brillante Mendoza became the first Filipino full-length film to compete for Palme d'Or at the Cannes Film Festival since internationally acclaimed director Lino Brocka's Bayan Ko: Kapit sa Patalim (My Country: Grip the Knife's Edge) in 1984.[10][47][48] The same year, the first full-length animated Filipino film, Urduja, topbilled by Cesar Montano and Regine Velasquez as voices behind the lead characters, premiered in local theaters. The film was done by over 400 Filipino animators, who produced more than 120,000 drawings that ran in 1,922 scenes equivalent to 8,771 feet of film.[49] Later in the year, the Philippine movie industry took centerstage at the 6th Edition of the Festival Paris Cinema 2008 in France. About 40 Filipino films were shown at the film festival, with Star Cinemas Caregiver (starring Sharon Cuneta) and Ploning (Judy Ann Santos) as opening films. Filipino actor Piolo Pascual was invited by Paris Mayor Delanoe and actress Charlotte Rampling to grace the occasion.[50] Before the closing of 2008, another full-length animated film, Dayo: Sa Mundo ng Elementalia, graced the bigscreen as an entry to the 2008 Metro Manila Film Festival.[51][52] The year 2009 brought the highest international esteem to a Filipino filmmaker when Brillante Mendoza was judged as the Best Director at the Cannes Film Festival for his film Kinatay (Butchered), a movie about murder and police brutality. The distinction elevated him to the ranks of international directors like Martin Scorsese, Francois Truffaut, Ingmar Bergman, Gus Van Sant, and others who have coveted the distinguished award.[53] His win was heralded by President Arroyo and his countrymen, at the same time, gave hope and pride to the ailing film industry of the country.[54] In order to build up and stimulate the film industry, some Congressmen and Senators recently have authored a number of proposals and legislations pending ratification by the Philippine Congress. Many of the bills seek to ease the multiple taxes on producers, theater operators and

patrons. One of the bills, for instance, proposes to exempt from the 30-percent amusement tax on all locally produced movies classified by regulators as for "general patronage" or "parental guidance-13." Another bill seeks to exempt local producers from the 12-percent value-added tax (VAT) on imported filmmaking raw materials and equipment.[55][56][57]
Weighed But Found Wanting (Filipino: Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang) is a 1974 Filipino drama film by Lino Brocka, starring Christopher De Leon, Hilda Koronel, Lolita Rodriguez and Eddie Garcia.

The story begins with a flashback of Kuala's past. An herbolario (traditional/folk medicine practitioner) performs an abortion on Kuala (Lolita Rodriguez), as Cesar (Eddie Garcia) watches her. The abortion was a success, but when Kuala sees the aborted fetus, she becomes disturbed. In the next scene, she walks in the middle of a grassy plain, and as the heat becomes more and more unbearable, she becomes insane. As the movie returns to the present, Kuala wanders about in dirty clothes and with mangy hair. The townsfolk make fun of Kuala. She is pushed into a watering hole and almost drowns. Bertong Ketong (Mario O'Hara), a leper lonely for female companionship, attracts Kuala with a rattle and takes her to his shack in the cemetery. Junior (Christopher de Leon) makes friends with them, defying the prohibitions of his father, Cesar Blanco, a lawyer and a failed politician. Junior asks Berto's advice concerning his problems with an eccentric teacher, Mr. Del Mundo (Orlando Nadres), who has a crush on him. Junior has problems too with his girlfriend Evangeline (Hilda Koronel), who flirts with her escort during a Santacruzan. The jealous Junior leaves the procession and seeks the company of Milagros (Laurice Guillen), who seduces him. The Asociacion de las Damas Cristianas is scandalized to discover Kuala is pregnant. She is forced to live under the custody of the pious Lola Jacoba (Rosa Aguirre). When Berto makes a clandestine visit to Kuala, she tells him of his unhappiness. Berto tells this to Junior, who resolves to help the pregnant Kuala make an escape from Lola Jacoba's house and lead her back to Berto's shack. However, Burto knows she will be taken away and returns her to Lola Jacoba, and promises to retrieve her after she has given birth. Some nights later, Kuala experiences labor pains. She finds her way to Berto's shack, at which point Berto rushes out to fetch a doctor. When the doctor refuses to help him, Berto takes him hostage but repeats he will not kill him. As Berto flees with the doctor, the doctor's wife shouts for help, awakening the townspeople who rush to follow the fleeing pair. Before Berto and the doctor reach the shack in the cemetery, however, the doctor escapes and a chase ensues. A group of policemen come to the doctor's rescue and shoot Berto. Junior sees this and is shocked; he holds Berto's dead body and cries in front of the whole town. Junior then enters the shack where Kuala has successfully given birth to a baby boy, but the labor has made her weak. Her thinking becomes lucid, and in her sanity she recognizes Junior and realizes that Berto has been killed. She also recognizes Cesar among the crowd, she asks him why he killed their child, revealing his secret. Kuala then gives her baby to Junior, and dies. As Junior leaves the shack, he stared hard at the townspeople, his parents, his former girlfriend and

to everyone who were unkind to him, to Berto and to Kuala. He walks near Berto's body and stops by, as the people look on in silence. Junior leaves the cemetery with Berto and Kuala's baby. Tinimbang, considered by Lino Brocka as his "first novel" and his first production for his own film outfit, is the story of a young boy growing up in a small town and the unusual friendship he develops with a leper and the village idiot. Their stories draw forth the true nature of hypocrisy in the small town and the boy bears witness and participates in the various emotions that throb under the seemingly quiet village life-prejudice, cruelty, forgiveness, and even love. In Tinimbang, Brocka clearly shows man's limitations as a mortal being, but sends a message of hope for the movie, and in the end, speaks ultimately of rebirth and maturity.

[edit] Cast

Christopher De Leon ... Junior Hilda Koronel ... Evangeline Ortega Mario O'Hara ... Bertong Ketong Lolita Rodriguez ... Kuala Lilia Dizon ... Mrs. Carolina Blanco Eddie Garcia ... Mr. Cesar Blanco Laurice Guillen ... Milagros Orlando Nadres ... Mr. Del Mundo

Relasyon

Ang hirap dito sa relasyon natin, puro ikaw ang nasusunod, kung saan tayo pupunta, kung anong oras tayo aalis, kung anong kakainin natin, kung anong isusuot ko sa lahat ng oras, ako naman sunod ng sunod parang torpeng tango ng tango yes master yes master! - Maria Lourdes Castaneda Ano ba ako rito istatwa? Eh dinadaan daanan mo na lang ako ah, hindi mo na ako kinakausap hindi mo na ako binabati hindi mo na ako hinahalikan ahnamputsang buhay to. Ako ba may nagawa akong kasalanan hah? Dahil ang alam ko sa relationship, give and take. Pero etong atin, iba eh! Ako give ng give ikaw take ng take! Ilang taon na ba tayong nagsasama? Oo, binigyan mo nga ako ng singsing nuong umpisa natin, pero pagkatapos nuon ano? Wala na! Ni-siopao hindi mo ako binigyan eh dumating ka sa bahay na ito ni butong pakwan hindi mo ako napasalubungan sa akin eh kaya kung tiisin lahat pero sobra na ehhindi naman malaki hinihingi ko sayo eh konti lang alam ko kerida lang akopero pahingi naman ng konting pagmamahalkung ayaw mo ng pagmamahal, atleast konsiderasyon man lang. Kung di mo kayang mahalin bilang isang tunay na asawa, de mahalin mo ako bilang isang kaibigan, Kung ayaw mo pa rin nun bigyan mo na lang ako ng respeto bilang isang tao hindi yung dadaan daanan mo lang sa harapan na para kang walang nakikita! - Maria Lourdes Castaneda Basic Information: Directed: Ishmael Bernal; Story: Ricardo Lee; Screenplay: Ricardo Lee, Raquel Villavicencion, Ishmael Bernal; Cast: Vilma Santos, Christopher De Leon, Jimi Melendez, Ernie Zarate, Lucy Quinto, Manny Castaeda, Beth Mondragon, Bing Fabregas,

Olive Madridejos, Augusto Victa, Dante Castro, Tony Angeles, Thaemar Achacoso; Executive producer: Lily Monteverde; Original Music: Winston Raval; Cinematography: Sergio Lobo; Film Editing: Augusto Salvador; Production Design: Benjie De Guzman; Art Direction: Dennis Cid; Sound: Vic Macamay; Theme Songs: Relasyon performed by Eva Eugenio Plot Description: A young woman falls in love with a married man, and they eventually try to live together may be tame for Western audiences, but director Ishmael Bernal made this film for the Philippines, where divorce is forbidden at this time. Marilou (Vilma Sanders works as a guide in a Planetarium and has an on-going affair with Emil (Christopher de Leon) that neither her family nor friends can condone Emil is married and has two sons. But when his wife leaves him, Emil and Marilou move in together, and that is when the problems start. She tries to make everything work out perfectly, and Emil, in turn, shows an arrogance that was quite hidden before. Given societys disapproval of their arrangement in the bargain, their future together hardly seems bright. Ishmael Bernal was one of the most prolific directors in Philippine film history, he died in 1996 after making more than 50 films. - Eleanor Mannikka, All Movie Guide web-site
Burlesk Queen (Celso Ad. Castillo, 1977) English Title: Burlesque Queen Celso Ad. Castillo's Burlesk Queen (Burlesque Queen) is most famous for Vilma Santos' noteworthy performance. She plays Chato, daughter of crippled Roque (Leopoldo Salcedo). She works as assistant to Virgie (Rosemarie Gil), current star of the burlesque stage (the film opens with Gil gyrating to the rapid beatings of drums, to the ecstasy of her numerous patrons). Resisting the lofty wishes of her father, Chato succumbs to the lure of the stage and the money it would bring her. It really is a grand performance as Santos was able to deliver the physical requirements of the role with her innate charismatic aura (a skill that earned the actress legions of fans and eventually elected to public office). Santos' Chato is servile to the men around her (her father, Louie the theater manager (played by Joonee Gamboa in the film's other equally terrific performance) and Jessie (Rolly Quizon), her boyfriend) but when she dances onstage, it doesn't come off as merely sensual and titillating. She dances burlesque to make a statement (if there is such a thing), a statement important enough to die for. More remarkable than Santos' portrayal of the doomed burlesque dancer, is Castillo's filmmaking. Set within the very patriarchal lower class Manila, Castillo posits the burlesque theater as not merely, as impassioned Louie points out, a place for highbrow entertainment for the masses, but also the window for the film's female lead to become superior to her male oppressors. It's a difficult metaphor to execute but Castillo successfully does so. The dancer, scantilly clad amidst the cheers and jeers of horny men, is easily regarded as the victim of exploitation. But in the film's case, the stage becomes the dancer's opportunity for leverage which is impossible in the outside world. The stage provides Chato ease from the outside world's patriarchal clutches. She becomes financially stable on her own, temporarily free from her father's influences, and powerful over thousands of men. Interestingly, Castillo stages a poetically sequenced scene of Chato's devirginization within the theater.

Jessie attempts to make love to Chato inside her dressing room, and the latter submits to the former's sexual advances. Interspersed between their lovemaking (take note of the ballad that plays in the background as the lyrics talk of love amidst the entire world's disapproval, very typical of the romantic declarations that inevitably falter over time) are scenes from the stage, a circus act of horrid penetrations: of a woman being juggled by a man, several magic acts, and more importantly, of a man hammering a nail inside his nostril, then puncturing his eye socket with a metal stick, finally commencing with him swallowing a long blade. Castillo's juxtaposing Chato's first sexual act with acts of unnatural and bizarre penetrations of the human body impart a clear message of invasion, of Chato's theater where she is the goddess (her stage name is Tsarina the goddess) and almighty over all the men who watch her. The theater is no longer the same sanctuary; in a way, the theater's magic has been tainted. She becomes pregnant and decides to stop dancing pursuant to her relationship with Jessie and pregnancy. Her devirginization within the theater becomes symbolic of her surrender to the outside patriarchal forces. The burlesque is in its dying days. Submitting to the very same patriarchal forces that have established strict moral norms and economic systems, the government has deemed the dance to be lewd and illegal. Louis plans that the final burlesque performance be the best and we become witnesses to the plan's grand execution: a judiciously edited montage of circus acts, musical numbers, costumed dances and finally Chato's coup de grace to both the theater and to herself. In a hypnotized daze with spotlights concentrating on her rhythmic gyrations, she enchants her audience. Once more, she is a goddess, the most powerful person in that wide area full of men. Her reign is short lived for she is pregnant with Jessie's child and starts bleeding. Castillo cuts to Chato's face, sweaty and in pain and we hear as her heavy breathing joins the rapid beating of the drums. The camera pans down, and we see her belly dangerously shaking as blood continuously flows down her thighs. This is Chato's repentance, a fatal undoing of her naive betrayal of the stage to succumb to patriarchal forces. Chato reluctantly stops and presumably dies as the crowd cheers on. A jovial and sweet melody replaces the hurried beating of the drums and the boisterous cheers. The theater is empty. The hundred or so seats have no eager men sitting on them. A dusty curtain covers the once vibrant stage. Pictures of the burlesque dancers, more prominently Chato, are on display. Outside, a couple of players, including the Filipino version of Chaplin (complete with the trademark hat and cane of The Tramp), are waiting. They stand up and leave. The film closes with them walking away from the theater, reminiscent of the bittersweet finales of Charlie Chaplin's comedies (more specifically The Circus (1928) and Modern Times (1936)). Of course, Burlesk Queen is nowhere like Chaplin's films yet the ending feels irresistibly apt, an intriguingly ironic homage. The living remnants of the theater, those bit players walking away, have no bright future. Like Chato, the theater is their sanctuary and survival. The real world, the desolate and unfair lower class Manila of which they are ultimately going to, has no place for them. The melody, the memories, and the transient burlesque queen that once charmed a thousand men with the movement of her hips have been drowned by hopelessness. They shall all remain tramps. Burlesk Queen is much more than a gripping commercial melodrama. It is also a scathing commentary on the sexual politics that has become the atmosphere of Philippine society: of hardworking women and

the good-for-nothing men they serve; of a patriarchal society gone awry. It is also a fervent reminder of the redemptive and equalizing power of art. Multi-faceted, committedly acted, and very well-directed, Burlesk Queen, I opine, is an unsung masterpiece.

Itim (Mike de Leon, 1976) English Title: The Rites of May Mike de Leon's debut feature film Itim (The Rites of May) opens with a seance. Catholic prayers are being recited by the spiritualist, as de Leon's camera circles the meeting. The prayers are silenced when the spiritualist announces that Rosa is dead. The mother (Mona Lisa) of Rosa asks if she can talk to her daughter. The spiritualist announces that they have to wait until Good Friday to talk to the departed. Rosa's sister, Teresa (Charo Santos) starts to mutter incoherent words and ends the seance scene with a supernatural seizure. De Leon drapes his first feature film with Catholic imagery. The events transpire during the Holy Week in a provincial town that still strictly adheres to tradition. The main character, Jun (Tommy Abuel) returns to the town of San Idelfonso from Manila to visit his paralytic father Dr. Torres (Mario Montenegro). Working as a photographer, Jun also takes the chance to take pictures of the traditional rituals that take place during Holy Week. While taking pictures of the pabasa (a ritual that concerns the townsfolk singing out the entire Gospel), Jun chances upon Teresa and instantly takes a picture of the girl. When Teresa returns that night to her mother, she claims that she doesn't know how she landed in San Idelfonso and just woke up in that town and in that procession. The supernatural and Catholic traditions intertwine in this haunting tale. Jun would often dream of himself walking through the halls of the town Church with candles burning and statues of Jesus Christ in motion. Jun and Teresa would have their first conversation outside the town church, in the middle of the Holy Week. Seances, traditionally a pagan ritual, is incorporated within the strict Catholic tapestry by invoking prayers, saints, and primary religious figures into the spirit-calling. Houses are adorned with saints and religious icons. Dr. Torres' rustic manor is given character by the odd yet familiar mixture of deterioration and Catholic imagery. It is this jarring characteristic that paves way to de Leon's storytelling. Doy del Mundo and Gil Quito's screenplay merely outlines the plot, but it is with de Leon's cinematic mastery that the quiet unfolding of the mysteries behind Rosa's death truly work. It can be observed that there is precision in de Leon's filmmaking. The editing (by Ike Jarlego, Jr.) is not fast tracked but instead de Leon knows exactly the amount of time one can sink his senses on the beautifully haunting imagery her presents. The cinematography (by Ely Cruz and Rody Lacap) is intelligently done --- de Leon frames his scenes with surprising expertise (especially for a first-time director; although he is also a cinematographer) and also lights his scenes to dictate an eerie and sprawling canvass of subtle yet effective horror. Mel Chionglo's production design lends an air of authenticity to the feature. Also, Max Jocson's beautifully orchestrated

musical score is so convincing that it mostly echoes through the dimly-lit halls of Dr. Torres' manor. In circular fashion, de Leon ends his film also with a seance --- this time, to reveal the highly anticipated cause of Rosa's death. I thought there wasn't any conclusive character to de Leon's ending, and I mostly fault the screenplay for that. While the seance is played out expertly and the folds and conflicts of the characters are neatly placed in proper order, the ending feels flat and distant. It is when the film ended that I discovered that the film's main fault is that it never invested in any true emotions. De Leon's technical mastery is diluted by a screenplay that presents relationships ushered from the vast supernatural canvass of the film that are basically shallow. Jun suddenly returns home from an unexplained absence, yet despite the many scenes showing him taking care of his father, the paternal relationship lacks a depth that could've made the ending more poignant. Jun's encounters with Teresa seemed to played out as acts of supernatural (or divine) interventions to mete out justice, but what was initially could've been conceived as romantic, is suddenly dropped and left out to much dismay. Teresa's relationship with her mother is shown as shaky and accompanied by a guarded jealousy against the more pious older sister, but such conflict was never truly explored. Itim's understanding of cultural and religious beliefs interweaves with in a plot that aches with class injustice, social norms, and Catholic traditions. Without such understanding, the supernatural features of the plot wouldn't have worked, and wouldn't have had the same impact as it has now. Despite the lack of humanism in de Leon's initial feature, I can't deny the greatness of this film.

The First Movie Shot in the Philippines Impelled desperately to attract patronage and as a matter of survival, Ramos, using the Lumiere as a camera, locally filmed Panorama de Manila (Manila landscape), Fiesta de Quiapo (Quiapo Fiesta), Puwente de Espaa (Bridge of Spain), and Esceas Callejeras (Street scenes), in 1898. Notwithstanding the possibility that some cameramen aboard an ocean liner or naval expedition might have earlier filmed the enchanting panorama of Manila, Antonio Ramos thus became the first motion picture producer in the Philippines. Among the pioneers who left documentary evidences of their visits to the Philippines were: Burton Holmes, father of the "Travelogue" who made the first of several visits in 1899; and made the Battle of Baliwag; Kimwood Peters who shot the Banawe Rice Terraces and Raymond Ackerman of American Biography and Mutoscope who filmed Filipino Cockfight and the Battle of Mt. Arayat. In 1905, Herbert Wyndham, shot scenes at the Manila Fire Department; Albert Yearsly shot the Rizal Day Celebration in Luneta 1909; in 1910, the Manila Carnival; in 1911, the Eruption of Mayon Volcano; the first Airplane Flight Over Manila by Bud Mars and the Fires of Tondo, Pandacan and Paco; and, in 1912, the Departure of the Igorots to Barcelona and the Typhoon in Cebu.

Filmmakers, indeed, covered wide ranges of the Philippines: Zamboanga children diving for coins thrown from the ship's deck; Muslim ladies ogling at the camera; fiestas, carabao races, fluvial parades, religious processions, panoramic shots of Philippine cities and towns; gold mining in Paracale; concerts at the Luneta, or the construction of the Manila Hotel on land reclaimed from the Manila Bay. First Feature Film Produced in the Philippines The first story film made in the Philippines- Rose of the Philippines may have been produced on location in Manila in 1909 by the IMP Company-- Carl Laemmele's Independent Moving Picture Company, out of which grew the Universal Pictures Corporation. Some film historians dispute this contending it must have been a slide show. But the IMP released this 760 foot film (eight minute's screening time) in the U.S. theaters in January, 1910. When it was released in Manila in 1911, Rose of the Philippines, was advertised in the Manila Times as "among the first films produced locally-a dramatic story from the days of the Empire." The First Movie with Sound The first picture with sound reached Manila in 1910, using the Chronophone. But, remember, the silent movies were never shown in silence starting with the first show in 1897. There was always a gramophone, a piano, or a quartet, or when Caviria was shown at the Manila Grand Opera House-- a 200 man choir. By 1930, the talking pictures was already one year old in the country with the showing of Syncopation, the first American sound film, in Radio theater, Plaza Santa Cruz. The event naturally incited competition among local producers and filmmakers as to who would create the country's first talkie. On December 8, 1932, an article came out in Graphic magazine featuring the movie, Ang Aswang (The Vampire). The feature enthused that the said film will be the country's first talkie. Apparently, as attested by those who remember, the film did not turn out to be a completely sound film. In all likelihood, the honor of having made the very first talkie properly belongs to Jose Nepomuceno. His Film Punyal na Guinto (Golden Dagger), which premiered on March 9, 1933, at the Lyric theater, was credited as the first completely sound movie to alltalking picture. The Film Marketing in the Philippines In 1912, New York and Hollywood film companies started to establish their own agencies in Manila to distribute films. By 1915, the best films of both Europe and U.S. were being enjoyed by Filipino audiences in Manila and the Provinces. When World War I (1914-1918) choked off the production of European studios, Manila theater managers turned to U.S. for new film products. With the variety they offered, American Production-distribution-exhibition combinations quickly dominated the Philippine film market. It has stayed that way since then-- until now! The Golden Episodes in Philippine Cinema

In 1937, the first Filipino movie to achieve international plaudit was Zamboanga, a picture starred in by Fernando Poe and Rosa del Rosario. Hollywood director Frank Capra praised the film as the most exciting and beautiful picture of native life he had ever seen. Manuel Conde's Genghis Khan, released in 1950 was a rave at the Venice Film Festival in 1952; and dubbed in French, it was shown in Paris in 1954. Inspired by Conde's picture, Hollywood remade Genghis Khan, with John Wayne as its lead actor. The people who had seen both pictures adjudged that the latter was incomparable to the former in terms of authenticity. Undoubtedly, the 5th and the 6th decades were the Golden age of Philippine cinema with subsequent films making a mark in the overseas scene: Kandelerong Pilak, Ifugao, Anak Dalita, Badjao, Anak ng Dagat, to name just a few, swept awards at the Cambodian, Asia and Berlin Film Festivals. Even at the annual Asian Film Festival with a dozen countries taking turns in hosting the major filmfest (now the Asia-Pacific Film Festival with 18 countries), there was a tacit acceptance that the Philippine cinema was, at the time, the undisputed leader in the continents film scene. The First Color Film in the Philippines A British film crew also visited the Philippines, and filmed, among other scenes, the Pagsanjan Falls (Oriental, 1911) in kinemakolor. Bert Yearley's Oriental Films, which commissioned this production, generated some excitement by offering six months free movie passes to the lucky movie patron who could guess to the closes minute the arrival of the steamship "Empress Russia" which was bringing the processed film from London. During the 5th decade of the 20th century, Filipinos awesomely seen Hollywood's first full length picture in living Technicolor. Filipino local producers presented too, during this period, their own full length pictures in color and one of which was Prinsipe Amante (Prince Amante). But inevitably, the color was imperfect due to technical deficiency. However, Filipino technicians were quick to cope up with the fast technical development, so that by the turn of the 6th decade, they succeeded in presenting to the public some full length pictures in living Eastmancolor, one of which was Ito ang Pilipino, by J.E. Production. The lead actor was Mr. Joseph Estrada himself. By the turn of the 7th decade, local producers and filmmakers ceased to produce pictures in black and white. Censorship and Taxes on Philippine Cinema The Government established the Board of Censors for cinematographic films in 1912, It was in constant operation until it was superseded by the Board of Censorship for Moving Pictures in 1929. This is now the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB). The government also imposed the first taxes on film in 1915, the same year income taxes were imposed. Direct taxes were slapped by the national government on "kinetoscope, biographs, cinematographs, magic lanterns and similar picture-projecting devices. Decrying that the imposition of government amusement tax (G.A.T.) was confiscatory, the film producers and distributors pleaded: "Moving pictures have provided more people in every country of the world with wholesome amusement and at

a price that the poorest can pay than any amusement invented since the world began, and have become almost a necessity to a great many people of all classes, and nowhere are they considered a luxury." Nevertheless, the Bureau of Internal Revenue started collecting taxes on film in 1916. The First Film Producers Association The first association of motion picture producers and distributors was organized in 1911-- by American, Spanish, Filipino producers and theater managers-- to fight the impending imposition of censorship, and later to lobby against taxes. It was censorship that caused them to unite; it was taxes that made their union permanent. During the 5th decade, however, film productions became one of the major industries of the country. It contributed to the national government hundreds of million pesos in terms of revenues. The hope of the filmmakers and distributors to eliminate taxes waned out as their enthusiasm in the struggle to fight censorship withered away. The Effect of Global Economic Trends on Cinema The nascent shifting of industrial society to information society has resulted to a single economy in the world; and because of this unprecedented period of accelerated change, the players and participants of the global economy has become individuals and small entrepreneurs. The shift is an economic reality, and not an intellectual abstraction. The innovations in communications and computer technology accelerated the pace of change by collapsing the information float. New information technologies give birth to new activities, processes, and products. Huge business companies are forced to downsize in order to survive in this global economic trends. Big movie studios in Hollywood, such as 20th Century Fox, MGM, Paramount, Columbia, Universal; and in the Philippines- the famous Big-Four- Premiere Production, Sampaguita Pictures, LVN Studio, Lebran Production, are all virtually closed down due to the proliferation of individual and collective modes of film production. Nevertheless, the film industry remains steadfast. Like an old soldier, it may fade for a while, but it shall never die!

Throw Away child1982 Linda (Dina Bonnevie), an entertainer at a club, gets herself pregnant at a very young age. Traumatized and shaken by such an experience, she entrusts to her friend, Dolor (Alma Moreno), a young widow, the care of raising her daughter as she leaves in search of a better life. Fortunately Linda meets, and eventually marries, Carlo (Johnny Wilson), a wealthy business man who endows her with everything she desires -- except for a child. With this, Linda decides to reclaim her daughter from Dolor after several years and so, a battle over the custody of the child ensues in court. In this complex story of the ironies of a broken family, whose maternal rights shall the court rightfully uphold-Dolor's or Linda's?

Directed by Arsenio Bautista (as Arsenio 'Boots' Bautista)

Writing credits Arsenio Bautista (written by) (as Arsenio 'Boots' Bautista) Cast (in credits order) Alma Moreno Dina Bonnevie Alfie Anido Orestes Ojeda Johnny Wilson ... Atty. Delfin Llamzon