Lights, camera, action! From Manila to Hollywood

No lights and camera yet, but there was plenty of action when Filipinos in the arts and film industry left Manila for Los Angeles last week to conquer Hollywood.

Spearheaded by First Lady Louise “Liza” Araneta Marcos, this is a movement to promote the Philippines and encourage filmmaking in the Philippines. “It’s a rebirth,” says a member of the Manila Film International Festival (MIFF) board which held its awards night at the Beverly Hilton last March 7.

The First Lady said: “What a truly proud moment to witness our Filipino and Filipino-American film luminaries coming together, side by side. Seeing our countrymen—regardless of where they are in the world—unite in creativity and passion is a testament to the boundless potential we can achieve when we work together.”

Apl De Ap, celebrated Filipino rapper and singer, heartily recited: “We are here to scream at the top of our lungs about our culture, our writing skills and who we are as Filipinos, throughout the world.”

Bestselling novelist Kevin Kwan, famously loved by Filipinos for his amusing satirical Crazy Rich Asians series, declared at the presscon: “We are hoping to make a movie in the Philippines showing the best of Filipino talents behind the screen and onscreen, because I love the Philippines! I fell in love with the country and its people. You guys are my super fans, right? And so, I am trying to do something to give back.” Crazy Rich Pinoys coming next? We are crazy fans!

When we asked if the Philippines might someday take home an award on the red carpet, Tia Carrera replied: “Of course. I would love to have a Filipino at the Oscar Awards. Being a Filipina actress, I’d love that to be me. So that’s my goal right now. I’m writing something that’s in the realm of Anora… a small, independent film.”

But of course, let us not forget that we’ve proudly had Dolly de Leon taking home a Golden Globe Award for Best Supporting Actress (for her role in Triangle of Sadness).

Remember that shocker of a movie, South Korean director Bong Joon-ho’s Parasite, which won five nominations and four awards at the 2020 Oscars? We met its producer, David Shim, at the dinner hosted by Dr. Ronald Rigor in his Bel Air residence, and he pleasantly shocked us when he said: “I am producing a movie in the Philippines! After making connections with the Cine Gang, I am spending more time in the Philippines now, and should be ready with the film by year end.”

Cine Gang is a group of filmmaking enthusiasts founded by Russell Lee with the goal of promoting Filipino narratives in international filmfests and revitalizing the film industry. “Let’s create magic together, one frame at a time,” said the First Lady during its office launch.

Present during the MIFF in LA was Alliance Global Group CEO Kevin Tan, one of Cine Gang’s incorporators, along with Paolo Martel.

A powerhouse of support came from three government officials present at the MIFF: Tourism Sec. Christina Frasco, Trade Sec. Cristina Roque, and Department of Interior and Local Government Sec. Jonvic Remulla.

“The Philippines has always been known as a fun destination,” said Tourism Sec. Frasco. “But we have only scratched the surface. There is Philippine art, culture, heritage and history to be discovered. And film is an avenue for letting people discover these. For beach lovers, we have Cebu, Bohol, Palawan and Boracay. In the radar for water sports, we have La Union and Siargao. For northern adventures, we have Batanes and Baguio. And for historical places, we have Intramuros and Vigan and many other UNESCO World Heritage Sites. The Philippines can really be a filmmaker’s paradise.”

A game changer, Frasco explained, is the “Create More” law that was signed by President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., allowing more liberalization of incentives including income tax holidays. “We extend filmmaking assistance on things like permits and security in cooperation with the local government units.”

DILG Sec. Jonvic Remulla explained: “Our department acknowledges the pivotal role of cinema in establishing Filipino identity and bridging the distance for migrant Filipinos with stories that hit close to home.”

During the MIFF awards night, Sec. Remulla quipped: “In governance, we do things not because they’re easy, but because they’re difficult. And our First Lady has come here to promote our art and culture, to celebrate the Filipino. Tonight, it’s all about storytelling for Filipinos. About heroes of the past, and heroes we have yet to see.”

Trade Sec. Cristina Roque likewise believes in the power of storytelling, saying, “We can use the film industry to project these stories. In our survey, we have found out that Indonesians love horror stories. We can’t beat South Korea when it comes to rom-coms, but they like the Vivamax style. It’s time we went global.”

Sec. Roque concurs with the First Lady’s policy to open our doors to filmmakers. Recently, she met with Birns & Sawyer, a film production and equipment provider, which is investing $50 million for the construction of state-of-the-art sound stages in the Philippines within the Filinvest property in New Clark City and other key places. “They are also providing training for fresh graduates to enable them to meet world-class industry standards,” Sec. Roque added.