PHILIPPINE POPULAR CULTURE with ASEAN COUNTRIES

Insights on the Sad State of Philippine Cinema

To be honest, it is disheartening how filmmakers are not being taken seriously in their own country. We
have so many talented people who produce quality content that are underrated. Of all the good films produced
every year, those that are cliché and has a predictable plot always get the spotlight. I find it weird how foreign
countries appreciate our own movies more than the majority of our people do.
I have listed down three factors why I think the quality of Philippine Cinema has plummeted. My first
and main factor is one: our resilient culture. Filipinos are known to be joyous and positive in nature. Most of us
tend to smile even though we are in the midst of crisis. The resiliency of the Filipinos is indeed unbeatable, and
I think that is what the producers are trying to sell, and it works. We tend to see the that one positive side of
everything despite of the multiple negative things in any situation. Having this resilient culture, in my opinion, is
a double-edged sword. It reflects on almost everything, like how we choose what we consume for our eyes. I
think that is the reason why people love romance and comedy more than crime, drama, or any historical genre
that requires high critical thinking skills. Besides, I have also observed that people do not like to read between
the lines sometimes, so they only take what they can digest.
The next factor for me which I think influences the choice of consumers greatly is the timing of the
presentation. I have researched that On the Job by Erik Matti and Through Night and Day by Veronica Velasco
were presented on August 23, 2013 and November 14, 2018 respectively, and both flopped. Both dates in my
opinion were bad dates for premiering a film because, one people are not free to go because they have schools
or work or both; two, most of them do not have money to splurge on excessive things. In comparison, most of
the top grossing films were shown on December, when people are on Christmas vacation and has money
because, well, it is Christmas.
Lastly and the worst of all, is piracy. At this age, people can easily sneak in cameras on dim theaters.
Though security is strict in malls and film theaters, a few people still manage to get a copy without being
caught. Additionally, people who are aiming to watch it would rather wait for the bootleg copies instead of
actually going to the cinemas. It is sad to see someone steal whatever you worked hard for and sell it for their
own gain.
Thinking about all this, I think the Philippine cinema still has hope after all. Every year, this country
produces talented creators with fresh ideas and ready to take on the world. With proper support of people and
government, Philippine cinema may recover to how wholesome and great it was before. It may rise again if
majority of the people start appreciating content with more quality, meaning, and wonderful technical aspects
compare to those that have predictable and cliché stories.
With that being said, I think influencers around the internet can help in bringing it back by promoting
anti-spoiler and anti-piracy once we go back to our normal routine. To be honest I think it is impossible to do it
with this pandemic since not everyone can go to a drive-in theatre. The children should also be exposed to
content that are educating and aims to teach them about the realities of life, instead of those that are highly
dramatic and/or romantic. And speaking of, I think one way of raising their standards is that free TVs should
stop producing romantic shows that romanticize poverty, rags to riches stories, and cheesy love scenes that do
rarely happen in real life. For me, this is one of the root causes why people love romance so much. It detaches
them from the truth and the reality.
Along with that, there are also sectors that can help the Philippine Cinema standout again. Schools
should require students to view great indie movies of their choice in cinema at least once a year. At a young
age, these students should be exposed to content that matters. Those type of content that makes them
question their society, the system they are in, and even themselves. Another sector that can help is people in
movie industry or the creators and producers themselves. To me, both the audience and the creators is the
reason why the “bakya crowd” exists, but I think the latter weigh more than the former. I believe that if you are
a good content creator, you can manage to produce a highly intelligent content in a way that your audience will
not be bored. Additionally, malls and other film theaters should make their securities even more strict so that
they can prevent piracy. Lastly, I think the sector that can help this the most is the government. Loans or
financial aid grants should easily be accessed by content creators who deserve it. Without financing a
potentially good film, things such as good talents, designs, skills, and a life-changing plot for a movie may go to
waste.
Overall, the Philippine Cinema is not hopeless at all, just helpless. As long as there are creators willing
to open the masses’ eyes, as long as there are schools and teachers willing to open the minds of students and
as long as children are willing to be taught, Philippine Cinema will always exist. Producers should also take into
account several factors before they premiere it to the public, so that award winning pieces will be appreciated
more. I hope that the Philippine cinemas recover soon because everyone here deserves a good content for
consumption just like the international viewers do.