6 February 2016, 4:53 pm – MORE
than just a hub for Filipino film enthusiasts, the new Cinematheque Centre
Manila in Ermita has opened its doors to the public to help build an audience
for the local film industry.
The
center, also the new home of the Film Development Council of the Philippines
(FDCP), is part of efforts to conserve the country’s cinematic legacy through
public screenings of heritage and “less accessible” Filipino films.
It features international films and classic and contemporary
Filipino films. Some shows are screened for free.
Quintin
Cu-Unjieng, project development officer, said the film center was FDCP’s way to
“create an alternative venue to encourage audiences in supporting the film
industry.”
In
front of the theater is the Museo ng Pelikulang Pilipino, which
boasts of a collection of old film equipment and eight-foot fiberglass statues
and memorabilia of six renowned Filipino directors: Gerardo de Leon, Manuel
Conde, Lamberto Avellana, Ishmael Bernal, Lino Brocka and Jose Nepomuceno.
Cinematheque
Centre Manila also has a souvenir shop, café, classrooms for workshops, and a
library that is scheduled to open this year.
Inaugural
screenings began in December, featuring cinematographer-photographer Dik
Trofeo’s “Salamat sa Alaala” as well as Manuel Conde’s “Genghis Khan,” 65 years
after its premiere at Times Theater in Quiapo.
Restored
versions of Lino Brocka’s “Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag” (1975) and Lamberto
Avellana’s “A Portrait of the Artist as Filipino” (1965) led the January
screenings along with Peque Gallaga and Lore Reyes’s “Sonata,” Chito Roño’s
“Badi,” and Mel Chionglo’s “Lauriana.”
Danish films titled “Waltzing Regitze” by Kaspar Rostrup, “A
Royal Affair” by Nikolaj Arcel, “Babette’s Feast” by Gabriel Axel and “The
Hunt” by Thomas Vinterberg were also part of the January screenings.
“FDCP
is part of the Film Cultural Exchange Program where we are in partnership with
other Asean countries to exchange the best of our foreign cinemas,” Cu-Unjieng
said.
Writing
workshop
FDCP
will also be hosting a writing workshop by multi-awarded screenwriter and
novelist Ricky Lee this February, and the launching of the Film Asean
Management Center, a library of film books, clips and materials from the 10
Asean countries.
“The National Film Archives of the Philippines (NFAP) will
eventually be opened to the public when the installations of its technologies
are done,” Cu-Unjieng said. “We are still in the process of digitizing the
old reels through the NFAP film scanner and restore and enhance their clarity
with the Phoenix Refine toolset.”
Nineteen
films will be screened this February, out of which films six will be free of
charge. Tickets for the remaining 13 films can be bought for Php 80 or Php 100.
The
Cinematheque Centre Manila is located at 855 T.M. Kalaw St., Ermita, Manila,
the former location of Instituto Cervantes de Manila. For more information on
movie schedules and activities, visit the FDCP’s website at http://www.fdcp.ph/ or
call 256-9948. Amierielle Anne A. Bulan
