Cinema of the Philippines
Encyclopedia
Cinema of the Philippines started with the introduction of the first moving picture
s to the country on January 1, 1897 at the Salón 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 expatriate
s, 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 José Nepomuceno
. Dubbed as the "Father of Philippine Cinema", his work marked the start of cinema as an art form in the Philippines.
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
1500 million revenues annually.
The Philippines was the last country to establish a national film archive, when one opened in October 2011.
. Scripts
and characterisation
s in film
s 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, 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-off
s.
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.
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. 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. 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.
Antonio Ramos, a Spanish soldier from Aragón, 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. Documentary films showing recent events as well as natural calamities in Europe were shown in Manila.
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.
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 España (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.
. In the same year, a movie market was formally created in the country along with the arrival of silent movies and American colonialism. 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
.
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. These novelty films, however, did not capture the hearts of the audience because they were about the foreigners.
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 Pathé
, and sent its chief photographer, the American, Charles Martin
, 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
. In 1912, New York and Hollywood film companies started to establish their own agencies in Manila to distribute films. 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.
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
(1914–1918) 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.
's Dalagang Bukid
(Country Maiden) in 1919 based on a highly-acclaimed musical play by Hermogenes Ilagan and León Ignacio. 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 drama
s or zarzuela
s. 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. José 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.
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.Julian Manansala’s 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.
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:
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 León. At the same time, the comedy duo Pugo and Togo
, popular for satirizing
Japanese occupation in the Philippines, 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.
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 Country’s Blood) (1946), Walang Kamatayan (Deathless) (1946), and Guerilyera (1946), narrated the horrors of the war and the heroism of the soldier
s and guerrillas.
The 1950s was the 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 León
, Eddie Romero
and César 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):
The biggest stars of the era were (but not limited to):
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 Doña Sisang de León
, not only specialized in super productions, rural comedies and musicals, but also produced socially-relevant 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 film
s 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.
In 1956, Anak Dalita copped the Golden Harvest Award (Best Picture) of the prestigious Asia-Pacific 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 Asia-Pacific 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 María 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 María 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).
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 film
s produced mostly by Sampaguita Pictures and their discovered talents.
The studio system
s came under siege from the growing labor movement, which resulted in labor-management 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
cowboy
s and secret agent
s as the movers of the plots depicted a "society ravaged by criminality and corruption". 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:
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
.
filmmakers. At the turn of the 70s, local producers and filmmakers ceased to produce pictures in black and white.
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.
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 Díaz
.
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:
In 1977, an unknown Filipino filmmaker going by his pseudonym
Kidlat Tahimik
, made a film entitled Mababangong Bangungot (Perfumed Nightmare), which won the International Critic’s 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 Ocampo’s Oliver
(1983) and Raymond Red’s 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. 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-Abaya
’s Karnal
implicitly depicted this defiance in the film’s plot, wherein patricide
ended a tyrannical father’s domination. In the same year, Mike de Leon’s Sister Stella L., a movie about oppression
and tyranny was shown on the big screen. In 1985, Lino Brocka’s Bayan Ko: Kapit sa Patalim (My Country: Grip the Knife’s Edge) depicted images of torture
, incarceration
, struggles and oppression. 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.
, 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. Teen-oriented films, massacre movies, and soft pornographic pictures composed the majority of the genre produced.
Aside from competition with Hollywood films, the Asian Financial Crisis, escalating cost of film production, exorbitant taxes, arbitrary and too much film censorship, high-tech film piracy, 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.
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.
. 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. While formulaic romantic comedies comprised the majority of mainstream releases, 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 country’s education system. A year later, Mark Meily
’s comedy Crying Ladies
, about three Filipinas working as professional mourners in Manila’s 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.
In 2006 and 2007, Filipino filmmakers started making movies using digital media. 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 full-length 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. 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 Cinéma vérité
, 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.
Although Filipino digital films are made in almost no time and with meager budget, they are strongly represented in international film festivals. 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. with several winning prizes and awards. 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. Several other short films, including Pedro "Joaquin" Valdes's Bulong (Whisper), as well as documentaries, 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. 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. 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 Cinema’s 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. 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
.
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. 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.
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.
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s to the country on January 1, 1897 at the Salón de Pertierra in Manila
Manila
Manila is the capital of the Philippines. It is one of the sixteen cities forming Metro Manila.Manila is located on the eastern shores of Manila Bay and is bordered by Navotas and Caloocan to the north, Quezon City to the northeast, San Juan and Mandaluyong to the east, Makati on the southeast,...
. The following year, local scenes were shot on film for the first time by a Spaniard, Antonio Ramos, using the Lumiere
Auguste and Louis Lumière
The Lumière brothers, Auguste Marie Louis Nicolas and Louis Jean , were among the earliest filmmakers in history...
Cinematograph. Early filmmakers
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and producers in the country were mostly wealthy enterprising foreigners and expatriate
Expatriate
An expatriate is a person temporarily or permanently residing in a country and culture other than that of the person's upbringing...
s, but on September 12, 1919, a silent feature film
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
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 José Nepomuceno
José Nepomuceno
José Nepomuceno was one of the pioneering directors of the cinema of the Philippines. He is also known as the founder of Philippine movies. It was in 1919 when he produced the first Filipino silent film entitled Dalagang Bukid. The film starred Atang de la Rama, a future National Artist of the...
. Dubbed as the "Father of Philippine Cinema", his work marked the start of cinema as an art form in the Philippines.
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
Philippine peso
The peso is the currency of the Philippines. It is subdivided into 100 centavos . Before 1967, the language used on the banknotes and coins was English and so "peso" was the name used...
1500 million revenues annually.
The Philippines was the last country to establish a national film archive, when one opened in October 2011.
Overview
The formative years of Philippine cinema, starting from the 1930s, were a time of discovering the film genre as a new medium of artArt
Art is the product or process of deliberately arranging items in a way that influences and affects one or more of the senses, emotions, and intellect....
. Scripts
Screenplay
A screenplay or script is a written work that is made especially for a film or television program. Screenplays can be original works or adaptations from existing pieces of writing. In them, the movement, actions, expression, and dialogues of the characters are also narrated...
and characterisation
Characterisation
Characterization or characterisation is the art of creating characters for a narrative, including the process of conveying information about them. It may be employed in dramatic works of art or everyday conversation...
s in film
Film
A film, also called a movie or motion picture, is a series of still or moving images. It is produced by recording photographic images with cameras, or by creating images using animation techniques or visual effects...
s came from popular theatre
Theatre
Theatre is a collaborative form of fine art that uses live performers to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific place. The performers may communicate this experience to the audience through combinations of gesture, speech, song, music or dance...
and familiar local literature. Nationalistic films were also quite popular, although they were labeled as being too subversive
Subversion
Apache Subversion is a software versioning and a revision control system distributed under a free license. Developers use Subversion to maintain current and historical versions of files such as source code, web pages, and documentation...
The 1940s and the war brought to the Philippine cinema the consciousness of reality
Reality
In philosophy, reality is the state of things as they actually exist, rather than as they may appear or might be imagined. In a wider definition, reality includes everything that is and has been, whether or not it is observable or comprehensible...
. Movie themes
Theme (literature)
A theme is a broad, message, or moral of a story. The message may be about life, society, or human nature. Themes often explore timeless and universal ideas and are almost always implied rather than stated explicitly. Along with plot, character,...
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, with the emergence of more artistic and mature films, and significant improvement in cinematic techniques
Cinematic techniques
- Basic Definitions of Terms :Aerial Shot:A shot taken from a crane, plane, or helicopter. Not necessarily a moving shot.Backlighting:The main source of light is behind the subject, silhouetting it, and directed toward the camera....
among filmmakers. The studio system
Studio system
The studio system was a means of film production and distribution dominant in Hollywood from the early 1920s through the early 1960s. The term studio system refers to the practice of large motion picture studios producing movies primarily on their own filmmaking lots with creative personnel under...
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
Monopoly
A monopoly exists when a specific person or enterprise is the only supplier of a particular commodity...
came under siege
Siege
A siege is a military blockade of a city or fortress with the intent of conquering by attrition or assault. The term derives from sedere, Latin for "to sit". Generally speaking, siege warfare is a form of constant, low intensity conflict characterized by one party holding a strong, static...
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
Commercialism
Commercialism, in its original meaning, is the practices, methods, aims, and spirit of commerce or business. Today, however, it primarily refers to the tendency within open-market capitalism to turn everything into objects, images, and services sold for the purpose of generating profit...
, fan movies, soft porn films, action flicks
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
, and western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
spin-off
Spin-off (media)
In media, a spin-off is a radio program, television program, video game, or any narrative work, derived from one or more already existing works, that focuses, in particular, in more detail on one aspect of that original work...
s.
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
Independent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
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.
The Philippines, being one of Asia's earliest film industry, remains undisputed in terms of the highest level of theater admission in Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia
Southeast Asia, South-East Asia, South East Asia or Southeastern Asia is a subregion of Asia, consisting of the countries that are geographically south of China, east of India, west of New Guinea and north of Australia. The region lies on the intersection of geological plates, with heavy seismic...
. 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. 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. 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.
Origins
On 1 January 1897, the first four movies namely, Un Homme Au Chapeau (Man with a Hat), Une scène de danse japonnaise (Scene from a Japanese Dance), Les Boxers (The Boxers), and La Place de L' Opéra (The Place L' Opéra), were shown via 60 mm Gaumont Chrono-photograph 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 Español at Pérez 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.Antonio Ramos, a Spanish soldier from Aragón, was able to import a Lumiere
Auguste and Louis Lumière
The Lumière brothers, Auguste Marie Louis Nicolas and Louis Jean , were among the earliest filmmakers in history...
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. Documentary films showing recent events as well as natural calamities in Europe were shown in Manila.
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.
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 España (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
Burton Holmes
Burton Holmes was an American traveler, photographer and filmmaker, who coined the term "travelogue".Travel stories, slide shows, and motion pictures were all in existence before Holmes began his career, as was the profession of travel lecturer; but Holmes was the first person to put all of these...
, father of the Travelogue
Travelogue (films)
Travelogue films, a form of virtual tourism or travel documentary, have been providing information and entertainment about distant parts of the world since the late 19th century.-History:...
, who made the first of several visits in 1899, made the Battle of Baliwag; Kimwood Peters shot the Banawe Rice Terraces; and, Raymond Ackerman
Raymond Ackerman
Raymond Ackerman is a South African businessman, who purchased the Pick 'n Pay supermarket group from its founder Mr Jack Goldin . Raymond Ackerman was chairman until he stepped down in 2010. He is also well known for his philanthropic activities...
of American Biography and Mutoscope
Mutoscope
frame|right|An 1899 trade advertisementThe Mutoscope was an early motion picture device, patented by Herman Casler on November 21, 1894. Like Thomas Edison's Kinetoscope it did not project on a screen, and provided viewing to only one person at a time...
filmed Filipino Cockfight and the Battle of Mt. Arayat.
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 Cinematógrafo Parisino, located at No. 80 Calle Crespo in Quiapo. In 1903, José Jiménez, 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 StationTutuban railway station
Tutuban station is the main train station of the Philippine National Railways and the main train station of the city of Manila in the Philippines...
. In the same year, a movie market was formally created in the country along with the arrival of silent movies and American colonialism. The silent films were always accompanied by gramophone
Phonograph
The phonograph record player, or gramophone is a device introduced in 1877 that has had continued common use for reproducing sound recordings, although when first developed, the phonograph was used to both record and reproduce sounds...
, a piano
Piano
The piano is a musical instrument played by means of a keyboard. It is one of the most popular instruments in the world. Widely used in classical and jazz music for solo performances, ensemble use, chamber music and accompaniment, the piano is also very popular as an aid to composing and rehearsal...
, or a quartet
Quartet
In music, a quartet is a method of instrumentation , used to perform a musical composition, and consisting of four parts.-Western art music:...
, or when Caviria was shown at the Manila Grand Opera House, a 200-man choir
Choir
A choir, chorale or chorus is a musical ensemble of singers. Choral music, in turn, is the music written specifically for such an ensemble to perform.A body of singers who perform together as a group is called a choir or chorus...
.
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. These novelty films, however, did not capture the hearts of the audience because they were about the foreigners.
The Philippine Commission
Philippine Commission
The Philippine Commission was a body appointed by the President of the United States to exercise legislative and limited executive powers in the Philippines. It was first appointed by President William McKinley in 1901. Beginning in 1907, it acted as the upper house of a bicameral Philippine...
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 Pathé
Pathé
Pathé or Pathé Frères is the name of various French businesses founded and originally run by the Pathé Brothers of France.-History:...
, and sent its chief photographer, the American, Charles Martin
Charles Martin
Charles Martin is a poet, critic and translator. He grew up in the Bronx. He graduated from Fordham University and received his Ph.D. from the University at Buffalo, The State University of New York. He now teaches at the City University of New York, Syracuse University, and the . Martin's...
, 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
Kinemacolor
Kinemacolor was the first successful color motion picture process, used commercially from 1908 to 1914. It was invented by George Albert Smith of Brighton, England in 1906. He was influenced by the work of William Norman Lascelles Davidson. It was launched by Charles Urban's Urban Trading Co. of...
. In 1912, New York and Hollywood film companies started to establish their own agencies in Manila to distribute films. In the same year, two American entrepreneurs made a film about the execution of Jose Rizal
José Rizal
José Protacio Rizal Mercado y Alonso Realonda , was a Filipino polymath, patriot and the most prominent advocate for reform in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial era. He is regarded as the foremost Filipino patriot and is listed as one of the national heroes of the Philippines by...
, and aroused a strong curiosity among Filipino moviegoers. This led to the making of the first Filipino film.
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
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
(1914–1918) 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.
First Filipino filmmakers
The first film produced by a Filipino is José NepomucenoJosé Nepomuceno
José Nepomuceno was one of the pioneering directors of the cinema of the Philippines. He is also known as the founder of Philippine movies. It was in 1919 when he produced the first Filipino silent film entitled Dalagang Bukid. The film starred Atang de la Rama, a future National Artist of the...
's Dalagang Bukid
Dalagang Bukid
Dalagang Bukid, created in 1919, was the first Filipino movie. It was created by Jose Nepumuceno, the so-called "Father of Philippine Movies"....
(Country Maiden) in 1919 based on a highly-acclaimed musical play by Hermogenes Ilagan and León Ignacio. 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 drama
Drama
Drama is the specific mode of fiction represented in performance. The term comes from a Greek word meaning "action" , which is derived from "to do","to act" . The enactment of drama in theatre, performed by actors on a stage before an audience, presupposes collaborative modes of production and a...
s or zarzuela
Zarzuela
Zarzuela is a Spanish lyric-dramatic genre that alternates between spoken and sung scenes, the latter incorporating operatic and popular song, as well as dance...
s. Another source of movie themes at that time was Philippine literature.
In 1929, the Syncopation
Syncopation
In music, syncopation includes a variety of rhythms which are in some way unexpected in that they deviate from the strict succession of regularly spaced strong and weak but also powerful beats in a meter . These include a stress on a normally unstressed beat or a rest where one would normally be...
, 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
Tagalog language
Tagalog is an Austronesian language spoken as a first language by a third of the population of the Philippines and as a second language by most of the rest. It is the first language of the Philippine region IV and of Metro Manila...
entitled Ang Aswang (The Aswang
Aswang
An Aswang is a mythical creature in Philippine folklore. The aswang is an inherently evil vampire-like creature and is the subject of a wide variety of myths and stories, the details of which vary greatly...
), a monster movie
Monster movie
Monster movie is a name commonly given to movies, which centre on the struggle between human beings and one or more monsters...
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. José 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.
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.Julian Manansala’s 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
Pangarap
Pangarap is a 1940 Filipino film directed by Carmen Conchaand starring Tita Duran, Angel Esmeralda and Benny Mack....
in 1940 under LVN.
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 Pérez
- Teddy Benavides
- Manuel BarbeytoManuel BarbeytoManuel Barbeyto was a Filipino actor of early 1930s before the war struck in the City of Manila. Barbeyto made his first appearance in the silent movie Mary, I Love You in 1926....
- Ernesto la Guardia
- Jaime G. Castellvi
- Alfonso Carvajal
- Jose Troni
- Nardo Vercudia
- Andrés CenteneraAndrés CenteneraAndrés Centenera is a Filipino prewar character actor. He is the grandfather of famous Filipino singer Rafael Centenera. He continued to appear in movies up to the 1980s....
- Fermín BarvaFermín BarvaFermín Barva was a Filipino pre-war director who made his film debut in a silent movie Ang Dugong Makamandag, Englist title The Poisonous Blood.-Filmography:1932 – Ang Dugong Makamandag aka The Poisonous Blood1934 - Mag-inang Mahirap...
- Fernando Poe
- Nati Rubí
- Etang DischerEtang DischerEtang Discher was a prominent Filipina character film actress frequently cast in villainous roles. Her stern, gaunt Castilian face loomed in many post-war Filipino films, especially soap opera-type dramas...
- Monang CarvajalMonang CarvajalMonang Carvajal was a Filipina film actress best known for her roles in thriller and horror movies. She was dubbed as "The Queen of Horror Pictures".-Biography:...
- Naty BernardoNaty Bernardo-Filmography:1934 -Sa Tawag ng Diyos1935 -Ina1935 -Kalbario1936 -Ang Birheng Walang Dambana1939 -Siya'y aking Anak [Sampaguita]1939 -Tunay na Ina 1939 -Mayroon nga bang Diyos?...
World War II and Japanese occupation
During the Japanese Occupation, filmmakingFilmmaking
Filmmaking is the process of making a film, from an initial story, idea, or commission, through scriptwriting, casting, shooting, directing, editing, and screening the finished product before an audience that may result in a theatrical release or television program...
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
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
offices began hiring several local filmmakers, including Gerardo de Leon
Gerardo de León
Gerardo de León was a Filipino actor turned film director, who made his acting debut in the 1934 film Ang Dangal....
, 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 León. At the same time, the comedy duo Pugo and Togo
Pugo and Togo
Pugo and Togo were a popular Filipino comedy team in Philippine movies during the 1940s up to 1950s. Composed of Mariano Contreras and Andres Solomon , their brand of humor consisted of short skits, slapstick, and funny dialogues presented in Manila's theaters, most particularly Clover Theater and...
, popular for satirizing
Satire
Satire is primarily a literary genre or form, although in practice it can also be found in the graphic and performing arts. In satire, vices, follies, abuses, and shortcomings are held up to ridicule, ideally with the intent of shaming individuals, and society itself, into improvement...
Japanese occupation in the Philippines, was renamed to Tuguing and Puguing because of Togo name's closeness to Tojo
Hideki Tōjō
Hideki Tōjō was a general of the Imperial Japanese Army , the leader of the Taisei Yokusankai, and the 40th Prime Minister of Japan during most of World War II, from 17 October 1941 to 22 July 1944...
, the name of the Prime Minister of Japan
Prime Minister of Japan
The is the head of government of Japan. He is appointed by the Emperor of Japan after being designated by the Diet from among its members, and must enjoy the confidence of the House of Representatives to remain in office...
during the early 1940s.
During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, 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.
1950s
War film
War films are a film genre concerned with warfare, usually about naval, air or land battles, sometimes focusing instead on prisoners of war, covert operations, military training or other related subjects. At times war films focus on daily military or civilian life in wartime without depicting battles...
emerged as a genre. The audience were hungry for films with patriotic themes. Films such as Garrison 13 (1946), Dugo ng Bayan (The Country’s Blood) (1946), Walang Kamatayan (Deathless) (1946), and Guerilyera (1946), narrated the horrors of the war and the heroism of the soldier
Soldier
A soldier is a member of the land component of national armed forces; whereas a soldier hired for service in a foreign army would be termed a mercenary...
s and guerrillas.
The 1950s was the labeled as the first golden age of Philippine cinema. Four big production studios (LVN Pictures
LVN Pictures
LVN Pictures, Inc. is one of the biggest film studios in the history of Philippine cinema and its foremost establishment in motion picture post-production until 2005...
, Sampaguita Pictures
Sampaguita Pictures
Sampaguita Pictures was a Philippine film production company. It was named for the Philippine National Flower, Sampaguita. The company has been long-defunct since the 1980s with Mike de Leon's classic "Batch '81" being the last film released...
, Premiere Productions and Lebran International) were at their peak in filmmaking, employing premier directors like Gerardo de León
Gerardo de León
Gerardo de León was a Filipino actor turned film director, who made his acting debut in the 1934 film Ang Dangal....
, Eddie Romero
Eddie Romero
Eddie Romero is an acclaimed and influential Filipino film director, film producer and screenwriter, considered one of the finest in the Cinema of the Philippines.Romero was named National Artist of the Philippines in 2003....
and César Gallardo
César Gallardo
César Gallardo was a Uruguayan Olympic fencer. He competed in the team foil event at the 1948 Summer Olympics.-References:...
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
Cinema of Japan
The has a history that spans more than 100 years. Japan has one of the oldest and largest film industries in the world – as of 2009 the fourth largest by number of feature films produced. Movies have been produced in Japan since 1897, when the first foreign cameramen arrived...
in terms of film productions a year.
The premier directors of the era were (but not limited to):
- Lamberto Avellana
- Gerardo de León
- Gregorio FernándezGregorio FernándezGregorio Fernández was a Spanish Baroque sculptor. He belongs to the Castilian school of sculpture, following the style of other great artists like Alonso Berruguete, Juan de Juni, Pompeyo Leoni and Juan de Arfe.-Biography:...
- César Gallardo
- Armando Garces
- Eddie Romero
- Cirio Santiago
The biggest stars of the era were (but not limited to):
- Tessie AgañaTessie AganaTessie Agana is a Filipina actress who was a very popular child star during the 1950s, credited by some for saving Sampaguita Pictures with her work in the box office hit Roberta...
- Dely Atayatayan
- Andoy BalunbalunanAndoy BalunbalunanAndoy Balunbalunan was a pre-war Filipino actor and comedian. He appeared in the bodabil circuit and other stage plays. He was married to Dely Atay-Atayan, a comedian....
- BentotBentotArturo Vergara Medina , better known by his stage name Bentot or Ben Cosca, was a Filipino comedian and vaudevillian who spent most of his career under LVN Pictures. He made many box office hits with another famed comedian Pugo who portrayed his father...
- Nida BlancaNida BlancaDorothy Acueza Jones, popularly known by her stage name Nida Blanca, was a Filipina actress. She starred in over 163 movies and 14 television shows and received over 16 awards for movies and six awards for television during her 50-year film career...
- Nena CardenasNena CardenasNena Cardenas, born Remy Cardenas, is a Filipina actress.-Biography:Cardenas made her first acting appearance in the drama Kidlat sa Silangan with Premiere Production...
- Bayani CasimiroBayani CasimiroBayani Casimiro, Sr. was a Filipino dancer who was among the leading stars of bodabil in the 1930s and 1940s. He also appeared in musical films and later in life, in comedic roles. A tap dancer, he was frequently dubbed as the "Fred Astaire of the Philippines".-Early years:Casimiro was born in...
- Levi CelerioLevi CelerioLevi Celerio was a Filipino composer and lyricist who was born in Manila, Philippines. Celerio was a prolific song-writer, with over 4,000 songs to his credit. He is perhaps best-known for being a leaf-player, a feat for which he was put into the Guinness Book of World Records...
- ChichayChichayChichay was a Filipino comedienne. Her short and stocky stature, scratchy voice and prematurely aged appearance allowed her to portray grandmothers while only in her thirties.-Biography:...
- Chiquito
- Manuel CondeManuel CondeManuel Conde was born on October 15, 1915 in Daet, Camarines Norte . He was an actor, director and producer. As an actor, he also used the screen name Juan Urbano during the 1930s aside from his more popular screen name. His first film was "Mahiwagang Biyolin" in 1935. He made almost three dozen...
- Rogelio de la RosaRogelio de la RosaRegidor de la Rosa , better known as Rogelio de la Rosa, was one of the most popular Filipino matinee idols of the 20th century. He is also remembered for his statesmanship, in particular his accomplishments as a diplomat...
- Jaime de la RosaJaime de la RosaJaime de la Rosa was a Filipino pre-war and postwar actor better known as Jimmy in Philippine showbiz.-Early life:Tommy de la Rosa was the first screen name he used, later changing it to Jaime...
- Gil de LeónGil de León-Personal life:He made his first movie after World War II. The movie is Orasang Ginto aka Golden Clock under Lvn Pictures where he stayed in the said company for almost 3 decades.He married another Lvn Star, Lilia Dizon...
- Van de LeónVan de LeónVan de León is a Filipino actor known for his villain roles under Sampaguita Pictures where he played villain, and yet sometimes he played a father roles for some of the Sampaguita's player.De León is the father of TV Personality Madel de León....
- Nestor de VillaNéstor de VillaNéstor de Villa was a Filipino actor frequently cast in musical films. He was a gifted dancer, often paired with frequent on-screen partner Nida Blanca in both movies and television...
- Eddie del MarEddie del MarEduardo del Mar is a Filipino actor, famous for his role as the Philippine hero José Rizal.-Filmography:*1947 - Ang Kapilya sa Daangbakal, Sampaguita*1948 - Kaputol ng Isang Awit, Sampaguita...
- Rosa del RosarioRosa del RosarioRosa del Rosario was a well-known half-Filipina, half-American Mestiza actress in Philippine Movies who made her film debut in 1932 horror film Satanas . Her real name was Rose del Rosario Stagner. Her mother was from Pampanga...
- Mila del SolMila del SolClarita Rivera Villarba , better known as Mila del Sol, is a Filipina film actress and entrepreneur. Del Sol was born in Tondo, Manila. She gained fame in her very first lead role in the 1939 film Giliw Ko...
- Lauro DelgadoLauro DelgadoLauro Delgado was a Filipino actor, born as Loreto Porciuncula in Bocaue, Bulacan. He was discovered by the director Gerardo de Leon....
- DolphyDolphyRodolfo Vera Quizon, Sr. , known by his screen name Dolphy, is a Filipino comedian-actor in the Philippines. He has appeared in a number of works on stage, radio, television and movies.-Biography:Dolphy was born on P. Herrera St...
- Linda EstrellaLinda EstrellaConsuello Rigotti is a Filipina actress, one of the players of Sampaguita Pictures.-Biography:She was born to a Father Jose Alcala Rigotti of Italian descent from Albay and a Filipina mother Francisca Vera from Catanduanes.She grew up in Catanduanes and when they move to Manila, She obtained a...
- Arsenia Francisco
- Eddie GarcíaEddie GarcíaEddie Garcia popularly known as Manoy is a Filipino film actor and film director.- Biography :...
- Rita Gómez
- Luis GonzálesLuis GonzalesLuis Javier Gonzales Posada Eyzaguirre is a Peruvian politician. He is currently a Congressman representing Ica for the period 2006-2011, and belongs to the Peruvian Aprista Party.-References:...
- Óscar Keese
- Anita LindaAnita LindaAnita Linda is a two-time FAMAS award-winning and Gawad Urian award-winning Filipino film actress. A romantic lead in her youth, she later gained critical acclaim for her portrayals in maternal or elderly roles...
- Vicente Liwanay
- Lopito
- Rosa MíaRosa MiaRosita Quinto Stecza , known by her screen name Rosa Mia, was an award-winning actress and one of the few female directors in the Philippines...
- Fred Montilla
- Óscar MorenoÓscar MorenoÓscar Moreno , was a Portuguese urologist, doctor, scientist and chemist.-Early life:Moreno was born in Porto, in the parish of Victoria, the son of Joseph Lawrence Russo, and Lucinda de Sousa Martins Ribeiro. His uncle was Dr...
- Óscar Obligación
- Bert Olivar
- José Padilla, Jr.
- ParalumanParalumanSigrid Sophia Agatha von Giese , better known asParaluman, was a FAMAS-award winning Filipino actress active from the 1940s to the 1970s. She was a contemporary of the likes of Fernando Poe, Sr...
- Patsy (Pachochay)
- Fred Peñalosa
- Ben Pérez
- Pugak
- PugoPugo (comedian)Mariano Contreras , better known by his stage name Pugo, was a Filipino actor, comedian, vaudevillian, and film director, famous as one half of the comedy team Pugo and Togo during the 1930s up to 1950s...
- César RamírezCésar RamírezArlen Quindoy Aguilar , better known by his stage name César Ramírez, was a Filipino actor who was a leading man for Sampaguita Pictures. He was famous for his portrayal of a Philippines' mythical hero, "Bernardo Carpio"....
- Delia Razón
- Efren Reyes, Sr.Efren Reyes, Sr.Efren Reyes, Sr. was a Filipino actor and director. He was the father of Efren Reyes, Jr.-Early life:Efren Ongpin-Reyes, Sr. was a popular action star of the 50s appearing mostly in action and costume epic movies. He was born on June 18, 1924 in Manila...
- Johnny Reyes
- Lolita Rodríguez
- Gloria RomeroGloria Romero (actress)Gloria Romero is a Filipino actress appearing in film and television. Her career spans 60 years and includes award winning performances in the films Tanging Yaman , Nagbabagang Luha and 1955's Dalagang Ilocana...
- Rosa RosalRosa RosalFlorence Danon Gayda , better known as Rosa Rosal, is a FAMAS award-winning Filipino film actress dubbed as the "original femme fatale of Philippine cinema". She is also known for her work with the Philippine National Red Cross...
- Carmen RosalesCarmen RosalesJanuaria Keller was a noted pre-WWII Filipina actress better known as Carmen Rosales and Mameng and is noted for her skill in acting and sweet voice.-Personal life:...
- Ben Rubio
- Rubén Rustia
- Carlos Salazar
- Tony Santos, Sr.
- Charito SolísCharito SolisCharito Solis was a FAMAS and Gawad Urian award-winning Filipino film actress. Acknowledged as one of the leading dramatic actresses of post-war Philippine cinema, she was tagged either as the "Anna Magnani of the Philippines" or as "the Meryl Streep of the Philippines."-Profile:Rosario Violeta...
- TogoTogo (comedian)Andres Solomon , better known by his stage name Togo, was a Filipino actor, comedian and vaudevillian, famous as one half of the comedy team Pugo and Togo during the 1930s up to 1950s....
- Tolindoy
- Tugak
- Carol Varga
- Alicia VergelAlicia VergelAlicia Vergel was a Filipina actress noted for her roles as fighting women and amazons and, like Norma Blancaflor, for her heart-shaped face...
- Evelyn Villar
- Billy "Surot" Vizcarra
- Zaldy ZshornackZaldy ZshornackJosé Rizaldy Zshornack was a Filipino actor. Zshornack had a long career spanning from the 1950s to the 1990s. He is perhaps best known for his role in Black Mama, White Mama, a 1973 film.-Personal life:...
The four biggest production studios
Production company
A production company provides the physical basis for works in the realms of the performing arts, new media art, film, television, radio, and video.- Tasks and functions :...
produced most of the notable films of Philippine cinema during this era. In 1951, the movie Roberta
Roberta
Roberta is a musical from 1933 with music by Jerome Kern, and lyrics and book by Otto Harbach. The musical is based on the novel Gowns by Roberta by Alice Duer Miller...
of Sampaguita Pictures which featured leading child stars was the hit. LVN Pictures, under the leadership of the Doña Sisang de León
Narcisa de Leon
Narcisa Buencamino Vd.ª De de Leon was a Filipino film producer. Clad daily in the frugal rural dress of the camisón, saya and chinelas, Doña Sisang, as she was widely known, was already a 61-year old widow when she entered the film industry...
, not only specialized in super productions, rural comedies and musicals, but also produced socially-relevant films such as Avellana's Anak Dalita (1956), Tony Santos
Tony Santos
Tony Santos is a Spanish funk/R&B singer. His debut album in Spain sold over 200,000 copies, and the first three singles off the album hit number one in the Spanish charts. He was a contestant on Operación Triunfo.His first single 'Actitud' was written by Alan Glass, a US writer based in the UK...
's Badjao (1957) and Manuel Silos
Manuel Silos
Manuel Silos is an award-winning Filipino film-maker from the 1920s through the 1950s. He began his career by making silent movies together with his brothers. As a bodabil actor and comedian, Silos used the stage and screen name Santo Tulia...
's Biyaya ng Lupa (1959). Sampaguita Pictures mainly produced high-gloss, glamorous pictures such as Maalaala Mo Kaya
Maalaala Mo Kaya
Maalaala Mo Kaya is a Philippine drama anthology series broadcast on ABS-CBN every Saturday evening and being hosted by Charo Santos-Concio. Currently, it became the longest-running drama anthology on Philippine television and on Asia...
(1954). On the other, hand Premiere Productions released most of the action film
Action film
Action film is a film genre where one or more heroes is thrust into a series of challenges that require physical feats, extended fights and frenetic chases...
s 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
Manuel Conde
Manuel Conde was born on October 15, 1915 in Daet, Camarines Norte . He was an actor, director and producer. As an actor, he also used the screen name Juan Urbano during the 1930s aside from his more popular screen name. His first film was "Mahiwagang Biyolin" in 1935. He made almost three dozen...
's Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan
Genghis Khan , born Temujin and occasionally known by his temple name Taizu , was the founder and Great Khan of the Mongol Empire, which became the largest contiguous empire in history after his death....
became the first Asian film to be shown at the Venice
Venice Film Festival
The Venice International Film Festival is the oldest international film festival in the world. Founded by Count Giuseppe Volpi in 1932 as the "Esposizione Internazionale d'Arte Cinematografica", the festival has since taken place every year in late August or early September on the island of the...
and Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
, a feat that would not be repeated until the 1970s. Inspired by Conde's picture, Hollywood remade Genghis Khan in 1956 as The Conqueror
The Conqueror (film)
The Conqueror is a 1956 CinemaScope epic film produced by Howard Hughes and starring John Wayne as the Mongol conqueror Genghis Khan. Other performers included Susan Hayward, Agnes Moorehead, and Pedro Armendáriz. Directed by actor/director Dick Powell, the film was principally shot near St...
with John Wayne
John Wayne
Marion Mitchell Morrison , better known by his stage name John Wayne, was an American film actor, director and producer. He epitomized rugged masculinity and became an enduring American icon. He is famous for his distinctive calm voice, walk, and height...
as the lead star.
In 1956, Anak Dalita copped the Golden Harvest Award (Best Picture) of the prestigious Asia-Pacific Film Festival. Actress Lilia Dizon
Lilia Dizon
Lilia Dizon is a postwar Filipina actress.-Personal life:She was the only daughter of Regina Dizon, a Filipina, and Abe Strauss, an American of German Jewish descent...
, was presented with the Best Actress Award by the prince of Cambodia
Cambodia
Cambodia , officially known as the Kingdom of Cambodia, is a country located in the southern portion of the Indochina Peninsula in Southeast Asia...
, Norodom Sihanouk
Norodom Sihanouk
Norodom Sihanouk regular script was the King of Cambodia from 1941 to 1955 and again from 1993 until his semi-retirement and voluntary abdication on 7 October 2004 in favor of his son, the current King Norodom Sihamoni...
, for the film Kandelerong Pilak in the 1954 Asia-Pacific 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 María Clara Awards
Maria Clara Awards
The Maria Clara Awards is the first formal film industry award-giving body of the Philippines. It was established in 1950 by a group of writers from the Manila Times Publishing, Co., which included National Artist Dr. Alejandro Roces, regarded as the Father of the Maria Clara Awards...
of the Manila Times Publishing Corp.
Manila Times
The Manila Times is the oldest existing English language newspaper in the Philippines. It is published daily by The Manila Times Publishing Corp. with editorial and administrative offices at 371 A...
, was composed of film publicists and writers who voted for the exemplary achievements of Filipino motion pictures in a calendar year. In 1953, the María 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
Academy Awards
An Academy Award, also known as an Oscar, is an accolade bestowed by the American Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize excellence of professionals in the film industry, including directors, actors, and writers...
in prestige.
During this period, Filipinos saw Hollywood's first full length picture in living Technicolor
Technicolor
Technicolor is a color motion picture process invented in 1916 and improved over several decades.It was the second major process, after Britain's Kinemacolor, and the most widely used color process in Hollywood from 1922 to 1952...
. Soon after, Filipino local producers started presenting full-length pictures in color despite some technical deficiency, one of which was Prinsipe Amante (Prince Amante).
1960s
This era is characterized by rampant commercialismCommercialism
Commercialism, in its original meaning, is the practices, methods, aims, and spirit of commerce or business. Today, however, it primarily refers to the tendency within open-market capitalism to turn everything into objects, images, and services sold for the purpose of generating profit...
with James Bond
James Bond
James Bond, code name 007, is a fictional character created in 1953 by writer Ian Fleming, who featured him in twelve novels and two short story collections. There have been a six other authors who wrote authorised Bond novels or novelizations after Fleming's death in 1964: Kingsley Amis,...
and Western
Western (genre)
The Western is a genre of various visual arts, such as film, television, radio, literature, painting and others. Westerns are devoted to telling stories set primarily in the latter half of the 19th century in the American Old West, hence the name. Some Westerns are set as early as the Battle of...
knock offs, and in the latter 60's, the so-called bomba (soft porn) pictures. It was also the era of musical film
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
s produced mostly by Sampaguita Pictures and their discovered talents.
The studio system
Studio system
The studio system was a means of film production and distribution dominant in Hollywood from the early 1920s through the early 1960s. The term studio system refers to the practice of large motion picture studios producing movies primarily on their own filmmaking lots with creative personnel under...
s came under siege from the growing labor movement, which resulted in labor-management 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
Youth subculture
A youth subculture is a youth-based subculture with distinct styles, behaviors, and interests. Youth subcultures offer participants an identity outside of that ascribed by social institutions such as family, work, home and school...
best represented by the Beatles and rock and roll
Rock and roll
Rock and roll is a genre of popular music that originated and evolved in the United States during the late 1940s and early 1950s, primarily from a combination of African American blues, country, jazz, and gospel music...
. As a result, certain movie genres were made to cater to this trend. Fan movies and teen love team-ups emerged, showing Nora Aunor
Nora Aunor
Nora "Guy" Aunor is a multi-awarded Filipino actress, singer and producer. Aunor has also topbilled several stage plays, television shows, and concerts. She is regarded as the "Superstar in Philippine Entertainment Industry"...
and Vilma Santos
Vilma Santos
Maria Rosa Vilma Tuazon Santos-Recto commonly known as Vilma Santos-Recto or Ate Vi is a multi-awarded actress and politician...
, along with Tirso Cruz III
Tirso Cruz III
Tirso Cruz III is a Filipino actor and singer. He is one of the famous actors in Philippine show business.-Biography and career:...
and Edgar Mortiz
Edgar Mortiz
Edgar "Bobot" Mortiz is a Filipino movie/TV actor and director.-Early life:Born Edgardo Mortiz on August 30, 1954. He was the champion for 13 weeks on the network’s talent search, “Tawag ng Tanghalan,” hosted by Pugo and Patsy . He was the Original and unbeatable partner of Vilma Santos. He...
as their respective screen sweethearts. In addition, movie genres showing disaffection to the status quo
Status quo
Statu quo, a commonly used form of the original Latin "statu quo" – literally "the state in which" – is a Latin term meaning the current or existing state of affairs. To maintain the status quo is to keep the things the way they presently are...
during the era were also popular. Action movies with Pinoy
Pinoy
Pinoy is an informal demonym referring to the Filipino people in the Philippines and overseas Filipinos around the world. Filipinos usually refer to themselves as Pinoy or sometimes the feminine Pinay...
cowboy
Cowboy
A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of...
s and secret agent
Secret Agent
Secret Agent is a British film directed by Alfred Hitchcock, loosely based on two stories in Ashenden: Or the British Agent by W. Somerset Maugham. The film starred John Gielgud, Peter Lorre, Madeleine Carroll, and Robert Young...
s as the movers of the plots depicted a "society ravaged by criminality and corruption". 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 TangereNoli Me Tangere (novel)Noli Me Tangere is a novel by Filipino polymath José Rizal and first published in 1887 in Berlin, Germany. Early English translations used titles like An Eagle Flight and The Social Cancer, but more recent translations have been published using the original Latin title.Though originally written in...
(Touch me Not) in 1961; - El FilibusterismoEl filibusterismoEl filibusterismo , also known by its English alternate title The Reign of Greed, is the second novel written by Philippine national hero José Rizal. It is the sequel to Noli Me Tangere and like the first book, was written in Spanish. It was first published in 1891 in Ghent, Belgium...
(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
Joseph Estrada
Joseph "Erap" Ejercito Estrada was the 13th President of the Philippines, serving from 1998 until 2001. Estrada was the first person in the Post-EDSA era to be elected both to the presidency and vice-presidency.Estrada gained popularity as a film actor, playing the lead role in over 100 films in...
.
1970s to early 1980s
Touted as the second golden age of Philippine cinema, this was the period of the avant-gardeAvant-garde
Avant-garde means "advance guard" or "vanguard". The adjective form is used in English to refer to people or works that are experimental or innovative, particularly with respect to art, culture, and politics....
filmmakers. At the turn of the 70s, local producers and filmmakers ceased to produce pictures in black and white.
In 1972, the Philippines was placed under the martial law
Martial law
Martial law is the imposition of military rule by military authorities over designated regions on an emergency basis— only temporary—when the civilian government or civilian authorities fail to function effectively , when there are extensive riots and protests, or when the disobedience of the law...
, and films were used as propaganda
Propaganda
Propaganda is a form of communication that is aimed at influencing the attitude of a community toward some cause or position so as to benefit oneself or one's group....
vehicles. President Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos, Sr. was a Filipino leader and an authoritarian President of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He was a lawyer, member of the Philippine House of Representatives and a member of the Philippine Senate...
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.
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
Chemise
The term chemise or shift can refer to the classic smock, or else can refer to certain modern types of women's undergarments and dresses...
, labeled as the "wet look." An example of the trend was the 1974 hit movie Ang Pinakamagandang Hayop sa Balat ng Lupa
Ang Pinakamagandang Hayop sa Balat ng Lupa
Ang Pinakamagandang Hayop sa Balat ng Lupa is a 1974 Tagalog-language film from the Philippines. The story was written by Celso Ad. Castillo. The screenplay was written by Rafael Ma. Guerrero...
(The Most Beautiful Animal on the Face of the Earth) which featured former Miss Universe
Miss Universe
Miss Universe is an annual international beauty contest that is run by the Miss Universe Organization. The pageant is the most publicized beauty contest in the world with 600 million viewers....
Gloria Díaz
Gloria Diaz
Gloria Maria Aspillera Diaz is an award-winning actress in the Philippines, and the first Filipino to bring home the Miss Universe crown.-Early Life and Family:...
.
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 BrockaLino BrockaCatalino Ortiz Brocka is known as one of the greatest film directors of the Philippines. Brocka was openly homosexual and many of his films incorporated LGBT themes into their often dramatic storylines....
- Tubog sa Ginto (1970)
- Tinimbang Ka Ngunit KulangTinimbang Ka Ngunit KulangWeighed But Found Wanting is a 1974 Filipino drama film by Lino Brocka, starring Christopher De Leon, Hilda Koronel, Lolita Rodriguez and Eddie Garcia.-Plot:The story begins with a flashback of Kuala's past...
(1974) - Maynila: Sa mga Kuko ng LiwanagMaynila: Sa mga Kuko ng LiwanagThe Claws of Light is a 1975 Filipino drama film directed by Lino Brocka based on the novel by Edgardo M. Reyes...
(1975) - InsiangInsiangInsiang is a 1976 Filipino drama film from the late director Lino Brocka, adapted from the teleplay of the same name by Mario O'Hara , which tells of a young poverty-ridden woman who seeks revenge for those who have ruined her life. The film stars Hilda Koronel, Mona Lisa, Ruel Vernal and Rez Crotez...
(1976)
- Ishmael BernalIshmael BernalIshmael Bernal was an acclaimed Filipino film, stage and television director. He was also an actor and screenwriter...
- Pagdating sa Dulo (1971)
- Manila by Night (1980)
- Relasyon (1982)
- Celso Ad Castillo
- Nympha (1971)
- Daluyong at Habagat (1976)
- Burlesk Queen (1977)
- Pagputi ng Uwak, Pag-itim ng Tagak (1978)
- Mike de LeónMike de LeonMiguel Pamintuan de Leon is a noted Filipino film director, cinematographer, scripwriter and film producer. His is also known as Mike de Leon. He was born in Manila on May 24, 1947 to Manuel de Leon and Imelda Pamintuan...
- ItimITIMITIM may refer to:*ITIM: The Jewish-Life Information Center*Immunoreceptor tyrosine-based inhibitory motif*ITIM *International Tibet Independence Movement...
(1976) - Batch '81
- Sister Stella L (1984)
- Itim
- Peque GallagaPeque GallagaPeque Gallaga is a multi-awarded Filipino filmmaker. His most significant achievement in film is "Oro, Plata, Mata", which he directed after winning a scripwriting contest sponsored by the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines...
- Oro, Plata, MataOro, Plata, MataOro, Plata, Mata is a 1982 multi-awarded Filipino film directed by Peque Gallaga, and is considered his most significant contribution to Philippine cinema. Set in the Philippine province of Negros during World War II, it tells the story of how two haciendero families cope with the changes brought...
(1982)
- Oro, Plata, Mata
In 1977, an unknown Filipino filmmaker going by his pseudonym
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
Kidlat Tahimik
Kidlat Tahimik
Eric de Guia , better known as Kidlat Tahimik , is a film director, writer and actor whose films are commonly associated with the Third Cinema movement through their critiques of neocolonialism.One of the most prominent names in the Filipino film industry, he has garnered various...
, made a film entitled Mababangong Bangungot (Perfumed Nightmare), which won the International Critic’s Prize in the Berlin Film Festival that same year. Out of short film festivals sponsored by the University of the Philippines Film Center
University of the Philippines
The ' is the national university of the Philippines. Founded in 1908 through Act No...
and by the Experimental Cinema of the Philippines, young filmmakers joined Kidlat Tahimik by distancing themselves from the traditions of mainstream cinema. Nick De Ocampo’s Oliver
Oliver
The surname Oliver is of several different origins.-Etymology:The surname Oliver is derived from the Old French personal name Olivier. The Oliver surname seems to be French Norman in origin. The Olivers were probably part of William the Conqueror's Norman Invasion of Britain in 1066...
(1983) and Raymond Red’s 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
Film Academy of the Philippines
Established in 1981, the Film Academy of the Philippines is the Philippines' official counterpart of the United States' Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. The FAP was founded through Executive Order 640-A, signed by former President of the Philippines Ferdinand Marcos...
was enacted, serving as the umbrella organization
Umbrella organization
An umbrella organization is an association of institutions, who work together formally to coordinate activities or pool resources. In business, political, or other environments, one group, the umbrella organization, provides resources and often an identity to the smaller organizations...
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. The same year, Viva Films
VIVA Films
Viva Films is a Filipino film production company which started in 1981. This company is part of the Viva Entertainment Group.-Sharon Cuneta and Gabby Concepcion loveteam:...
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
Dictatorship
A dictatorship is defined as an autocratic form of government in which the government is ruled by an individual, the dictator. It has three possible meanings:...
were made. Films such as Marilou Diaz-Abaya
Marilou Diaz-Abaya
Marilou Diaz-Abaya is a multi-awarded film director in the Philippines.She is the founder and current president of the Marilou Diaz Abaya Film Institute and Arts Center, a film school based in Antipolo City, Philippines....
’s Karnal
Karnal
Karnal is an important city and the headquarters of Karnal District in the Indian state of Haryana.Karnal is said to have been founded by the Kauravas in the Mahabharata era for the king Karna, a mythological hero and a key figure in the epic tale...
implicitly depicted this defiance in the film’s plot, wherein patricide
Patricide
Patricide is the act of killing one's father, or a person who kills his or her father. The word patricide derives from the Latin word pater and the Latin suffix -cida...
ended a tyrannical father’s domination. In the same year, Mike de Leon’s Sister Stella L., a movie about oppression
Oppression
Oppression is the exercise of authority or power in a burdensome, cruel, or unjust manner. It can also be defined as an act or instance of oppressing, the state of being oppressed, and the feeling of being heavily burdened, mentally or physically, by troubles, adverse conditions, and...
and tyranny was shown on the big screen. In 1985, Lino Brocka’s Bayan Ko: Kapit sa Patalim (My Country: Grip the Knife’s Edge) depicted images of torture
Torture
Torture is the act of inflicting severe pain as a means of punishment, revenge, forcing information or a confession, or simply as an act of cruelty. Throughout history, torture has often been used as a method of political re-education, interrogation, punishment, and coercion...
, incarceration
Incarceration
Incarceration is the detention of a person in prison, typically as punishment for a crime .People are most commonly incarcerated upon suspicion or conviction of committing a crime, and different jurisdictions have differing laws governing the function of incarceration within a larger system of...
, struggles and oppression. 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.
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 slapstickSlapstick
Slapstick is a type of comedy involving exaggerated violence and activities which may exceed the boundaries of common sense.- Origins :The phrase comes from the batacchio or bataccio — called the 'slap stick' in English — a club-like object composed of two wooden slats used in Commedia dell'arte...
, 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. Teen-oriented films, massacre movies, and soft pornographic pictures composed the majority of the genre produced.
Aside from competition with Hollywood films, the Asian Financial Crisis, escalating cost of film production, exorbitant taxes, arbitrary and too much film censorship, high-tech film piracy, and rise of cable television
Cable television
Cable television is a system of providing television programs to consumers via radio frequency signals transmitted to televisions through coaxial cables or digital light pulses through fixed optical fibers located on the subscriber's property, much like the over-the-air method used in traditional...
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.
In 1993, a television station ventured into movie production. ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN
ABS–CBN Corporation is a Philippine-based media conglomerate. It is the Philippines' largest media and entertainment conglomerate. The corporation was the merger of Alto Broadcasting System which at that time owned by James Lindenberg and Antonio Quirino, and the Chronicle Broadcasting Network ...
's Star Cinema
Star Cinema
ABS-CBN Film Productions, Inc. , is the wholly owned film production subsidiary of ABS-CBN Corporation. It is the Philippines' largest film production, producing most of the highest grossing films in the Philippines.-1994:...
produced Ronquillo: Tubong Cavite, Laking Tondo in cooperation with Regal Films. Five years later, another television station, GMA Network
GMA Network
GMA Network is a major commercial television & radio network in the Philippines. GMA Network is owned by GMA Network, Inc. a publicly listed company...
, started producing movies. GMA Films
GMA Films
GMA Network Films, Inc. is a film production company and a film studio established in 1995 by GMA Network, Inc. in the Philippines....
released the critically acclaimed Sa Pusod ng Dagat
Sa Pusod ng Dagat
Sa Pusod ng Dagat is a 1998 Filipino film directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya. Starring Jomari Yllana with Chin Chin Gutierrez and Elizabeth Oropesa, it was released by GMA Films and Film Experts, Inc....
, Jose Rizal
José Rizal (film)
José Rizal is a 1998 award-winning Filipino film biopic directed by Marilou Diaz-Abaya.It was GMA Films' entry to the 1998 Metro Manila Film Festival. It is touted as one of the biggest films ever made in the history of Philippine cinema with a record-breaking P80-million budget despite the fact...
, and Muro Ami
Muro Ami
Muro Ami is a Filipino film that depicts one of the worst forms of child labor in the illegal fishing system. Fredo is the ruthless captain of 150 Muro Ami divers. The illegal fishing is done by pounding and crushing corals underwater to scare the fishes and drive them towards the nets...
, which attained commercial success.
2000 and beyond
The dawn of this era saw a dramatic decline of the Philippine movie industry. Hollywood films dominated mainstream cinema even more, and fewer than twenty quality local films were being produced and shown yearly. Many producers and production houses later stopped producing films after losing millions of pesos. 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). But truly pioneering this digital revolution was the 1999 digital feature film "STILL LIVES" by Jon Red. Many other digital filmmakers soon followed suit. Cheaper production cost using digital media over film has helped the rebirth of independent filmmakingIndependent film
An independent film, or indie film, is a professional film production resulting in a feature film that is produced mostly or completely outside of the major film studio system. In addition to being produced and distributed by independent entertainment companies, independent films are also produced...
. Hailed as the New Wave
French New Wave
The New Wave was a blanket term coined by critics for a group of French filmmakers of the late 1950s and 1960s, influenced by Italian Neorealism and classical Hollywood cinema. Although never a formally organized movement, the New Wave filmmakers were linked by their self-conscious rejection of...
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. While formulaic romantic comedies comprised the majority of mainstream releases, 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
Gil Portes
Gil M. Portes is a Filipino film director, film producer and screenwriter.-Early life and education:He was educated at the University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines; and received a master's degree in theater from Brooklyn College, Brooklyn, New York....
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 country’s education system. A year later, Mark Meily
Mark Meily
Mark A. Meily is a multi-awarded film director in the Philippines. He is presently teaching at the Marilou Diaz Abaya Film Institute and Arts Center in Antipolo City, Philippines.-Early life:...
’s comedy Crying Ladies
Crying Ladies
Crying Ladies is a 2003 Filipino film directed by Mark Meily, and winner of Best Picture in the 2003 Metro Manila Film Festival. It was the Philippines' submission to the 77th Academy Awards for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, but was not accepted as a nominee.-See also:*Cinema of...
, about three Filipinas working as professional mourners in Manila’s Chinatown but looking for other ways to earn a living, became a huge hit. Also that same year, Maryo J. de los Reyes
Maryo J. de los Reyes
Maryo J. de los Reyes is a film and television director from the Philippines. He began his career in the 1970s.-References:...
made a buzz at various film festivals with Magnifico
Magnifico (film)
Magnifico is a 2003 FAMAS Award-winning drama film directed by Maryo J. De los Reyes, written by Michiko Yamamoto, and starring Jiro Manio, Danilo Barrios, Cherry Pie Picache, Amy Austria and Albert Martinez.-Plot:...
, a simple film with universal appeal about a boy trying to help his family survive their hardships.
In 2006 and 2007, Filipino filmmakers started making movies using digital media. 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
Sony CCD-VX3
Sony 3CCD-VX3 was a Hi-8 camcorder noteworthy for being the first to feature dichroic imaging. It was released to the North American market in 1993 at a street cost of about US$3500...
, a Hi-8 camcorder
Camcorder
A camcorder is an electronic device that combines a video camera and a video recorder into one unit. Equipment manufacturers do not seem to have strict guidelines for the term usage...
, made the first full-length 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. Donsol
Donsol (film)
Donsol is an indie film written and directed by Adolfo Alix, Jr. about a summer love made in the island of Donsol. The movie produced by Bicycle Pictures stars Sid Lucero and Angel Aquino.-Synopsis:...
, 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
Auraeus Solito
Auraeus Solito is a filmmaker and indigenous peoples rights advocate who comes from a lineage of Shaman-Kings from the Palawan tribe but is one of the first to be born outside of his tribal land of South Palawan...
, and Brillante Mendoza
Brillante Mendoza
Brillante Mendoza is a Filipino film director. He has directed nine films since 2005. He won the award for Best Director for his film Kinatay at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival...
with his 2007 Filipino version of Danish Dogme 95
Dogme 95
Dogme 95 was an avant-garde filmmaking movement started in 1995 by the Danish directors Lars von Trier and Thomas Vinterberg, who created the "Dogme 95 Manifesto" and the "Vow of Chastity". These were rules to create filmmaking based on the traditional values of story, acting, and theme, and...
and Italian Cinéma vérité
Cinéma vérité
Cinéma vérité is a style of documentary filmmaking, combining naturalistic techniques with stylized cinematic devices of editing and camerawork, staged set-ups, and the use of the camera to provoke subjects. It is also known for taking a provocative stance toward its topics.There are subtle yet...
, Tirador (Slingshot). Lav Diaz
Lav Diaz
Lav Diaz or Lavrente Indico Diaz is a Filipino independent filmmaker, born in Datu Paglas, Maguindanao, Mindanao, Philippines, on December 30, 1958....
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.
Although Filipino digital films are made in almost no time and with meager budget, they are strongly represented in international film festivals. Numerous works of a new breed of filmmakers had their films seen at the prestigious film festivals around the world like in Berlin
Berlin International Film Festival
The Berlin International Film Festival , also called the Berlinale, is one of the world's leading film festivals and most reputable media events. It is held in Berlin, Germany. Founded in West Berlin in 1951, the festival has been celebrated annually in February since 1978...
, Cannes, Venice, Vienna and Rotterdam. with several winning prizes and awards. Among the works included are Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros
Ang Pagdadalaga ni Maximo Oliveros
The Blossoming of Maximo Oliveros is a story about a gay teen who is torn between his love for a young cop and his loyalty to his family.-Synopsis:...
(2005) by Auraeus Solito
Auraeus Solito
Auraeus Solito is a filmmaker and indigenous peoples rights advocate who comes from a lineage of Shaman-Kings from the Palawan tribe but is one of the first to be born outside of his tribal land of South Palawan...
, Kubrador
Kubrador
Kubrador , is a film that centers on jueteng, the game of numbers dating back to the Philippines' Spanish colonial period from .- Synopsis :...
(2006) by Jeffrey Jeturian, Todo Todo Teros (2006) by John Torres
John Torres
John Torres is an American singer-songwriter and sometimes actor, native to Los Angeles, California...
, Endo (2007) by Jade Castro, Tribu
Tribu (2007 film)
Tribu is a 2007 Filipino crime drama film directed by Jim Libiran, released in its home country of the Philippines in 2007. It stars real life members of gangs from the films setting in Tondo, Manila. The tagline is "Every night, juvenile tribes prowl the streets of Tondo...
(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. Several other short films, including Pedro "Joaquin" Valdes's Bulong (Whisper), as well as documentaries, 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
Palme d'Or
The Palme d'Or is the highest prize awarded at the Cannes Film Festival and is presented to the director of the best feature film of the official competition. It was introduced in 1955 by the organising committee. From 1939 to 1954, the highest prize was the Grand Prix du Festival International du...
at the Cannes Film Festival
Cannes Film Festival
The Cannes International Film Festival , is an annual film festival held in Cannes, France, which previews new films of all genres including documentaries from around the world. Founded in 1946, it is among the world's most prestigious and publicized film festivals...
since internationally acclaimed director Lino Brocka's Bayan Ko: Kapit sa Patalim (My Country: Grip the Knife's Edge) in 1984. The same year, the first full-length animated Filipino film, Urduja
Urduja (film)
Urduja is a 2008 animated film adaptation of the legend of the warrior princess Urduja of Pangasinan. It is the first of two locally produced animated films set for release in 2008. The other, Dayo, is set for a December 2008 release, in time for the Metro Manila Film Festival...
, topbilled by Cesar Montano
César Montano
Cesar Manhilot, known by his screen name Cesar Montano, is a multi-awarded Filipino actor and film director.He started in show business as a stuntman. He played roles in numerous B movies...
and Regine Velasquez
Regine Velasquez
Regina Encarnacion Ansong Velasquez , better known as Asia's Songbird, Regine Velasquez, is a Filipino singer, actress, record producer and TV host...
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. 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 Cinema’s Caregiver
Caregiver (film)
Caregiver is a 2008 Filipino medical-drama film. The film stars Filipina actress Sharon Cuneta portraying the role of Sarah, a mother who left her son in the Philippines and also a teacher who relinquished her profession in lieu of care giving in London, in hopes of augmenting her salary. Chito S...
(starring Sharon Cuneta
Sharon Cuneta
Sharon Cuneta-Pangilinan, better known as Sharon Cuneta, is a popular and multi-awarded Filipino singer, actress and TV host dubbed as Megastar of Philippine Entertainment, fondly called Mega by fans and people from the entertainment industry....
) and Ploning
Ploning
Ploning is a 2008 Philippine romantic family drama film based on a popular Cuyonon song of the same title about a girl's hidden feelings in a man's point of view. It starred veteran actress Judy Ann Santos and was directed by Dante Nico Garcia, who won a directing award in Singapore through the film...
(Judy Ann Santos
Judy Ann Santos
Judy Anne Lumagui Santos-Agoncillo , popularly known as Judy Ann Santos or Juday/Judai, is Philippines film and television actress, product endorser, recording artist, and film producer....
) as opening films. Filipino actor Piolo Pascual
Piolo Pascual
Piolo Jose Pascual is a Filipino film and television actor, musician, model, and producer.-Biography:...
was invited by Paris Mayor Delanoe
Delanoë
Delanoë is a Francophone surname derived from "de la noue" meaning "from the mud", and may refer to:*Bertrand Delanoë , French politician and current mayor of Paris*Pierre Delanoë , French songwriter...
and actress Charlotte Rampling
Charlotte Rampling
Charlotte Rampling, OBE is an English actress. Her career spans four decades in English-language as well as French and Italian cinema.- Early life :...
to grace the occasion. 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
Metro Manila Film Festival
upright|thumb|320px|Metro Manila Film Festival Official LogoThe Metro Manila Film Festival-Philippines is the annual film festival held in Manila...
.
The year 2009 brought the highest international esteem to a Filipino filmmaker when Brillante Mendoza
Brillante Mendoza
Brillante Mendoza is a Filipino film director. He has directed nine films since 2005. He won the award for Best Director for his film Kinatay at the 62nd Cannes Film Festival...
was judged as the Best Director
Best Director Award (Cannes Film Festival)
The Best Director Award is an award presented at the Cannes Film Festival. It is chosen by the jury from the 'official section' of movies at the festival. It was first awarded in 1946....
at the Cannes Film Festival for his film Kinatay (Butchered), a movie about murder and police brutality
Police brutality
Police brutality is the intentional use of excessive force, usually physical, but potentially also in the form of verbal attacks and psychological intimidation, by a police officer....
. The distinction elevated him to the ranks of international directors like Martin Scorsese
Martin Scorsese
Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...
, Francois Truffaut
François Truffaut
François Roland Truffaut was an influential film critic and filmmaker and one of the founders of the French New Wave. In a film career lasting over a quarter of a century, he remains an icon of the French film industry. He was also a screenwriter, producer, and actor working on over twenty-five...
, Ingmar Bergman
Ingmar Bergman
Ernst Ingmar Bergman was a Swedish director, writer and producer for film, stage and television. Described by Woody Allen as "probably the greatest film artist, all things considered, since the invention of the motion picture camera", he is recognized as one of the most accomplished and...
, Gus Van Sant
Gus Van Sant
Gus Green Van Sant, Jr. is an American director, screenwriter, painter, photographer, musician, and author. He is a two time nominee of the Academy Award for Best Director for his 1997 film Good Will Hunting and his 2008 film Milk, both of which were also nominated for Best Picture, and won the...
, and others who have coveted the distinguished award. 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.
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.
Yearly Revenue
| Year | No. of Films | Revenue in US$ | PhP vs US$ | Revenue PhP |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | 165 | $ 86.60M | 46.01 | Php 3.984B |
| 2008 | 170 | $100.97M | 44.32 | Php 4.475B |
| 2009 | 161 | $103.39M | 47.64 | Php 4.925B |
| 2010 | 149 | $123.86M | 45.11 | Php 5.587B |
| 2011* | 100 | $108.77M | 43.50 | Php 4.733B |
- As of October 2011
See also
- Asian cinemaAsian cinemaAsian cinema refers to the film industries and films produced in the continent of Asia, and is also sometimes known as Eastern cinema. More commonly however, it is used to refer to the cinema of Eastern, Southeastern and Southern Asia. West Asian cinema is sometimes classified as part of Middle...
- Cinema of the world
- East Asian cinemaEast Asian cinemaEast Asian cinema is a term used to refer to the film industry and films produced in and/or by natives of East Asia. It can be seen as a sub-section of Asian cinema, which in turn is a sub-section of world cinema, a catchall term used in the English-speaking world to refer to all foreign language...
- Film awards bodies in the PhilippinesFilm awards bodies in the PhilippinesPhilippine movie award-giving bodies are institutions, academies and fellowships that are handing out awards, citations and recognitions to outstanding film achievements for a certain calendar year.-1950-1976:...
- History of cinema
- List of Filipino actors
- List of Filipina actresses
- List of highest-grossing films in the Philippines
- List of Philippine film studios
- List of Philippine films
- Metro Manila Film FestivalMetro Manila Film Festivalupright|thumb|320px|Metro Manila Film Festival Official LogoThe Metro Manila Film Festival-Philippines is the annual film festival held in Manila...
- Southeast Asian cinemaSoutheast Asian cinemaSoutheast Asian cinema refers to the film industry and films produced in, and/or by natives of, Southeast Asia. By definition, it describes any films produced in Brunei, Burma, Cambodia, East Timor, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam.Southeast Asian cinema...
- World cinemaWorld cinemaWorld cinema is a term used primarily in English language speaking countries to refer to the films and film industries of non-English speaking countries. It is therefore often used interchangeably with the term foreign film...
External links
- Acquiring Eyes: Philippine Visuality, Nationalist Struggle and The World Media-System PDF Jonathan BellerJonathan BellerJonathan Beller is a film theorist, culture critic and medialogist. He currently holds the position of Professor of Humanities and Media Studies and Critical and Visual Studies, Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY. He is the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships including Mellon, J.P...
(Manila: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2006) - Philippines' Brillante Mendoza scoops Best Director at Cannes
- Filipino-language titles at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Tagalog-language titles at the Internet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie DatabaseInternet Movie Database is an online database of information related to movies, television shows, actors, production crew personnel, video games and fictional characters featured in visual entertainment media. It is one of the most popular online entertainment destinations, with over 100 million...
- Philippine Independent Films
- Criticine Philippines - Philippine page of Southeast Asian Cinema journal Criticine
- Critic After Dark: A Review of Philippine Cinema
- Tilman Baumgaertel: Kino Sine. German-Philippine Cinema Relationships. English-language Book for free download