Film Film and and Cinema Cinema

The Birth of Philippine Cinema The Birth of Philippine Cinema 1890 – early 1900s1890 – early 1900s

• Spanish era and American occupation introduced cinema to the Philippines.

• Movies shown are mostly documentation of public and private lives.

• 1898 – Escolta was one of first film documenting Philippines scenes.

June 1, 1897 – when the first four Spanish movies were shown in the Philippines. - Man with a hat- Scene from a Japanese Dance - The Boxers - The Place L’Opera

Antonio Ramos

• Panorama de Manila

• Fiesta de Quiapo

• Puwente de Espana

• Escenas Callejeras

Foreign Travelers

• Burton Holmes

- Battle of Baliwag

• Kimwood Peters

-Banawe Rice Terraces

• Raymond Ackerman

-Filipino Cockfight and Battle of Mt. Arayat.

Dalagang BukidDalagang Bukidby: Jose Nepomuceno by: Jose Nepomuceno Written by: Hermogenes Ilagan Written by: Hermogenes Ilagan Starring: Atang dela Rama and Starring: Atang dela Rama and Marcelino IlaganMarcelino Ilagan

The Pre War Years (1930s)The Pre War Years (1930s)• Stories originated mostly from theater and popular literature.

• Filmmaking was considered as purely an entertainment art form designed to bring viewers to the world of melodramas, musical and romantic fantasies.

• Talkies or talking or sound pictures was being used in the Philippines.

Ang Aswang - first talkie in the country

Punyal na Ginto -Premiered on March 9, 1933-Film of Jose Nepomuceno

Patria Amore (Beloved Country)

- by Julian Manansala

Zambaonga

- starring Fernando Poe Sr. and Rosa del Rosario

Magkaisang Landas, Yaman ng Hirap and Pangarap

- By Carmen Concha (Pre-war Filipina Film Director)

1940’s The War Years 1940’s The War Years • Darkest year in Philippine cinema .

• 1945 Philippine Film Industry was staggering and the entire nation went through hell.

• World war II left scars on Filipinos

• Filmmakers started making films as expression of angst, patriotism and nationalism (1945)

• Patriotic movies arrived (1946). Stories about heroes and villains of the war.

1950s The Post-War Years1950s The Post-War Years• Reconstruction led to a thriving new beginning for the Philippine Film

Industry

• First Golden Age of Philippine Cinema

• Big Four Studios were at the height of filmmaking.

• LVN Pictures

• Sampaguita Pictures

• Premiere Productions

• Lebran International

1950s The Post-War Years1950s The Post-War Years• Films remained war induced realities.

• Filipino films garnered local and international awards.

• Films were fantasy and adventure, drama, slapstick comedy, drama comedy musical and action.

• Stories were mostly adaptations from Komiks.

• Local Award Giving bodies were established.

1960 The Decline and Struggle of the 1960 The Decline and Struggle of the Philippine Film IndustryPhilippine Film Industry• Contract stars started building their own movie studios.

• The collapse of the Big Four Studios.

• Bomba movies were introduced

• Even foreign movies were action pictures sensationalizing sex and violence.

• Movies were remake of other countries action hero movie.

• Movies became an extension of rallies, demonstration and other forms of mass actions.

1970s1970s• Martial Law was implemented by Pres. Ferdinand Marcos, which

ultimately suppressed freedom of expression

• Pres. Marcos put up Board of Censors of Motion Pictures (BCMP) which stipulated submission of final script prior to filmmaking

• The 1970s and 80s was the era known as THE SECOND GOLDEN AGE OF PHILIPPINE MOVIES, the age of censorship ironically pushed the making of quality and very emotional films as the growing social unrest fueled freedom of expression through the arts.

• Ironically, films became even more violent and sexual, in spite of government censorship

• Proliferation of "bomba" and "wet look" movies, and as the new genre continued, the term "bold" films was coined:  "Uhaw" (1970), "Nympha" (1971), "Ang Pinakamagandang Haypo sa Balat ng Lupa" (1974)

• features daring works that portray revolt, labor unionism, social ostracism and class division

19801980• The Philippines ranked in top 10 film producers in the world, averaging 300

films a year

• In 1981, the Film Academy of the Philippines was enacted, an umbrella organization that oversees the welfare of various guilds of the movie industry

• In 1982, the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines (ECP) was created to promote growth & development of the local film industry; it was tasked to hold the Manila

• International Film Festival, manage the Manila Film Center and administer a film rating and classification system; it was headed by then-presidential daughter Imee Marcos

1990s1990s• Manunuri Nick Tiongson calls the 1990s the "Decade of the Dying Cinema,"

sandwiched between the 2nd Golden Age of Philippine Movies and the advent of independent filmmaking or "indies"

• It was not a good decade, because aside from Hollywood competition, the 90s experienced the "Asian Financial Crisis"

• Most Filipino films were mass-produced, with quality sacrificed for commercial success

• Storylines were unimaginative & predictable, acting was either mediocre or over the top

• The 90s saw the rise of "pito-pito" films, movies that were shot in 7-10 days, aimed at quickly recouping minimal costs.

2000 to Present 2000 to Present • Philippine cinema was considered "sick and dying" because of digital film

piracy; audiences would rather shell out P 30-40 for a pirated CD then spend hundreds on the movie, snacks and jeepney fare plus exertion of time and effort in going to the mall.

• TV became more popular than movies, which were now seen as an indulgence rather than cheap entertainment.  Even big movie stars relegated themselves into doing TV shows because producers weren't making much movies now.

• In 2003. the first digital film was produced ("Duda" by Chris Pablo), a gay-themed film with limited budget but had tremendous gains; INDEPENDENT CINEMA or "indies" were born.

• A rise in local film festivals, most note-worthy are CineMalaya (2004) and CinemaOne Originals (2005), persuaded aspiring filmmakers to make quality films by financing it and giving them incentives.

• In 2009, an independent production Spring Films led by Piolo Pascual released the breakthrough hit "Kimmy Dora" (Joyce Bernal) which unexpectedly did well at the box-office, an indie film with a more mainstream feel to it, a different kind of comedy which was witty yet slapstick without insulting the audience's intelligence.

"The recent vibrancy of Philippine cinema had led film and cultural historians to proclaim a 3rd Golden Age,

after the 1950s and 1970s.  You see the creative outpouring in indie films and you realize that Philippine cinema can't really be dying.  It's on a transition.  It's on

to something new." 

• Film historian and critic LITO ZULUETA