fbpx
Wikipedia

Cinema of the Philippines

January 16, 2023

The Cinema of the Philippines (Filipino: Pelikulang Pilipino or Sine Pilipino) began with the introduction of the first moving pictures to the country on August 31, 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.[5] While most early filmmakers and producers in the country were mostly wealthy enterprising foreigners and expatriates, on September 12, 1919, Dalagang Bukid (Country Maiden), a movie based on a popular musical play, was the first movie made and shown by Filipino filmmaker José Nepomuceno.[6] Dubbed as the "Father of Philippine Cinema," his work marked the start of cinema as an art form in the Philippines.[7]

Cinema of the Philippines
No. of screens920 (2018)[1]
 • Per capita0.9 per 100,000 (2013)[1]
Main distributorsStar Cinema 27.1%
UIP 17.0%
Disney 16.1%[2]
Produced feature films (2013)[3]
Total53
Number of admissions (2014)[4]
Total78,300,000
 • Per capita0.8
Gross box office (2017)[4]
Total$218 million

Even with the problems currently facing motion pictures around the world, films are still considered one of the popular forms of entertainment among the Filipino people, directly employing some 260,000 Filipinos and generating around ₱2 billion revenues annually.[8] Among its neighbors in Southeast Asia, Philippine cinema remains as the strongest in the Southeast Asian region with the majority of films made in the region came from the Philippines along with the film industries of Thailand and Indonesia.

The Film Development Council of the Philippines established a national film archive in October 2011.[9] Furthermore, their annually held Luna Awards honor the outstanding Filipino films as voted by their own peers. Meanwhile, the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino hands out the Gawad Urian Awards, which is well known due to its credible choices of winners.

Overview

The formative years of Philippine cinema, starting from the 1930s, were a time of discovering the film genre as a new medium of art. Scripts and characterisations in films 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 audiences.

The 1950s saw the first golden age of Philippine cinema,[10][11] 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 the decline. This era can be characterized by rampant commercialism, fan movies, soft porn films, action flicks, and western spin-offs.

The 1970s and 1980s were turbulent years for 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 subject matter. These years also brought the arrival of alternative or independent film in the Philippines.

The 1990s saw the emerging popularity of slasher movies, teen-oriented romantic comedies, as well as sexually explicit adult films, although slapstick comedies 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, have reemerged.[11]

The Philippines, which as one of Asia's oldest film industries, 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 movie viewership from 131 million in 1996 to 63 million in 2004.[12][13] From a high of 200 films a year during the 1980s, the country's film industry was down to making a total of 56 new films in 2006 and around 30 in 2007.[12][13] 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.

History

Origins and Early Development

On January 1, 1897, the first film shown was Espectaculo Scientifico and followed by other 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 is credited by most historians and critics.[14]

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 August 28 and the inaugural show was presented to the general public the next day, August 29, 1897.[14] Documentary films showing recent events as well as natural calamities in Europe were shown.[11]

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 features. 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.[14]

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.[14]

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 Station.[14] In the same year, a movie market was formally created in the country along with the arrival of silent movies and American colonialism.[11] 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.[14]

In 1905, Herbert Wyndham, shot scenes at the Manila Fire Department; Albert Yearsley 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.[14] These novelty films, however, did not capture the hearts of the audience because they were about the foreigners.[11]

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 film-making unit and laboratory from Pathé, and sent its chief photographer, the American, Charles Martin,[15] 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.[14] In 1912, New York and Hollywood film companies started to establish their own agencies in Manila to distribute films.[14] 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, La vida de Jose Rizal.[11]

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.[14]

The first film produced by a Filipino is José Nepomuceno's Dalagang Bukid (Country Maiden) in 1919 based on a highly acclaimed musical play by Hermogenes Ilagan and León Ignacio.[11] 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 dramas or zarzuelas. Another source of movie themes at that time was Philippine literature.

During the 1920s when the Germans and Russians dominated the artistic development of the film and its techniques (Examples are The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari – 1919, Nosferatu – 1922, and Battleship Potemkin – 1925), Filipino-Visayan filmmakers such as Max Borromeo, Florentino Borromeo and Celestino Rodriguez collaborated in making El Hijo Disobediente (The Disobedient Son) in 1922. This black and white silent picture could have been one of the earliest noted films from the Southern Philippines. The year 1929 marked the advent of talking pictures, but only in 1938 did the Visayan Film Industry have its first "talkie" entitle Bertoldo Ug Balodoy (Bertoldo and Balodoy) written by Piux Kabahar, which was followed by Mini (Fake; 1940), and Gugmang Talagsaon (Rare Love; 1940) by Virgilio Gonzales. In Cebu, the first movie houses were built by the Avila Clan: Ideal Theater (1911), Cine Auditorium (1922) and Cine Oriente (The old Teatro Junquera).[16] Films have already been showing outside of Manila as early as 1897 through the feats of Señor Pertierra, a Spanish expatriate and a certain Englishman going only with the surname of 'Bischoff'. Mr. Bischoff was the first to show films in Iloilo in 1903. These were short features produced by the film company Cinematographo Pastor and were screened nightly from 6:30 to 9:30 in Bischoff's bodega or camarin in Calle Real. Later on, other film companies have also begun to rise such as Cinematografo Insular (which arrived from Manila to Iloilo in 1905), Cinematografo Teatro Colón and Cinematografo Parsien. To coincide with the rising of such film companies, there came the establishment of movie houses in Iloilo. In 1919, one highlighted event that stood out from that decade was the showing of the first full-length Tagalog feature film in Iloilo: Jose Nepomuceno's Dalagang Bukid (literal translation from Tagalog: 'mountain girl'). Thousands of Ilonggo film buffs went to see the movie and were highly moved by it. In Iloilo, Teatro Malhabour touted as the first cinema or movie house in Iloilo was opened to the public on July 3, 1908, at the corner of Calle Quiñones (now Mabini) and Calle Concepcion (now Ledesma). It was owned by Felix Malhabour, a policeman and a member of the board of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente.[17] Other early cinema or movies houses in Iloilo City include the Rex Theater, Roxy Theater, Republic Theater and Cine Commonwealth built around 1910s–1920s. The two prominent or popular cinema houses in Iloilo include the oldest still existing and operating movie theater in Iloilo, Cine Palace and the now defunct Cine Eagle both built in 1928.[18][19][20]

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.[14] 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.[14]

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.[11] 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.[21]

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:

World War II and Japanese occupation

During the Japanese Occupation, filmmaking was suddenly put to a halt. As was the case in Japan's other colonial and occupied film markets, Japanese film companies took over the local exhibition venues replacing films from the Hollywood and the region with Japanese films for propaganda. Japanese films had been imported into the Philippines since the late 1930s but without great success. Japanese-sponsored film production in the Philippines continued until 1945 but was limited mostly to newsreels and educational films.

Although the Philippines never became a center for feature film production under the Japanese, it was a strategically important market for Japan. First, unlike Manchuria, where the Japanese literally had to construct a film industry, the Philippines already had many large, well-equipped motion picture theaters that were well-stocked with significant Hollywood product. Many confiscated films were exported back to Japan to train its filmmakers. Production facilities were better in the Philippines than any other market in the Japanese empire with the exception of Shanghai. This was another reason why such Japanese film companies as the Nanyo Film Association (南洋映画協会) and Film Distributors (映画配給者) each established branch offices in Manila in 1942. Further, due to the long period of American influence, the local film community boasted a significant number of people who had worked in Hollywood during the silent era and had considerable experience.[22]

In 1944, Toho Studios sent director Abe Yutaka to Manila to produce the first of what would be the only two feature films to be entirely shot on location by the Japanese. Ano hata o ute (あの旗を撃て) aka Dawn of Freedom told the story of the Japanese victory at the Battle of Corregidor and the U.S. military's hasty retreat from the islands. The film presented the Japanese as Asian liberators who came to free the Filipinos from decades of colonial oppression that began with the Spanish and continued with the Americans. The film was shot in Japanese, Tagalog, and English and was written for the screen by Tsutomo Sawamura, co-directed by Gerardo de Leon (uncredited), and co-starred Fernando Po and Leopold Celecdo. The other Japanese-produced feature film shot in the Philippines was Tatlong Maria (1944).[23] At the same time, the comedy duo Pugo and Togo, popular for satirizing Japanese occupation in the Philippines,[24] 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. However, perhaps out of deference to the substantial local Japanese population, film censors were sensitive to Japanese complaints about negative representations of Japanese in U.S. films screened in the Philippines and aggressively cut scenes depicting Japanese soldiers committing atrocities in Thunder in the Orient (1939) and Fight For Peace (1939) years before Japanese military occupation.[25]

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.

Postwar 1940s and the 1950s: The First Golden Age

Post-war Cebuano and Ilonggo Cinema and its resurgence

After the second world war, a resurgence of Visayan films came about through Lapu-Lapu Pictures, which produced Timbu Mata (1948), starring Eva de Villa and Lino Ramas, and Damgo ni Adan (Adan's Dream), produced by Rudy Robles. Then came Mactan Films which produced Tahas (Mission; 1950), starring Luz Celeste and Dakay; Mat Ranillo was in this film. Then Balud (Wave; 1950) which starred Luz Celeste and Mat Ranillo. Another independent picture, Sa Kabukiran (In the Mountains; 1948), was also produced during this time.

By 1951, Azucena Productions was established by the Arong Family (owners of Rene and Liberty Theaters). They produced Princesa Tirana (Princess Tirana), 1951 with Mat Ranillo and Gloria Sevilla (her first feature title role after she was discovered through a declamation contest at the University of the Visayas) as lead players. Their first feature together made such a box office success in the Visayas and Mindanao that other features immediately followed: Leonora (1951), Pailub Lang (Be Forebearing; 1951), Utlanan (Border; 1952), Handumanan (Memoir; 1953), Inahan (Mother; 1952), starring Mat Ranillo and Caridad Sanchez; Antigan (1952) with Virgie Postigo and Arise Roa; Carmen 1 and 2 (from the famous radio drama in Cebu; 1953), Paabuta Lang Ako (Wait for Me; 1953), Gloria Kong Anak (Gloria My Child; 1953), and Gihigugma Kong Ikaw (I Love You; 1954). Mat and Gloria then became synonymous to Visayan pictures, and since then were called as the King and Queen of Visayan Movies.

In 1953 a film entitled Sangang Nangabali (Broken Branches), produced by Cebu Stars Production broke box-office records in the mid-1950s. Cebu Stars Productions (owned by the Tojong Family) had earlier produced Dimakaling (1952) and Mga Anak Intawon (Oh, Poor Children; 1953). Other independent Visayan films produced at this time were: Mapait Ang Balaod (by Arturo Blanco; 1953), Bugas Mais (Corn Rice; by Arturo Blanco; 1953), Kapintas Sa Kinabuhi (Hard Life; 1953), (Cebu Stars Productions with Esterlina and Rebecca Torres), Pit Senor (Hail Senor) and San Tilmo (1953), (Barba Productions), Ang Siloy (1953) (with Nora Hermosa and Rebecca Torres), Huni sa Gugma (Where Is Love; 1953), Dadansoy (1953) and Inahan (Mother; 1954).

Mutya and VM Productions (formed by Natalio Bacalso – former Cebu assemblyman) entered Salingsing sa Kasakit (Partner in Pain), directed by Bacalso, in the 1955 FAMAS derby and won the "Best Child Actor Award" for Undo Juezan. These movie outfits also produced some memorable features such as Ungo Sa Parian (Witch In The Parian); Remember Erlinda;Rosita; Politika (Politics); and Mutya sa Saging Tindok (Muse of Saging Tindok). Garbosa (Proud; 1957) and Matam-is Ang Pagpaubos (Too Sweet to Suffer; 1957) were also released during this time.

Mat ang Gloria finally got married off-screen (in real life) and formed S-R Productions in 1954. The company's initial projects were Paradista (1955) and May Luhang Nahabilin sa Baybayon (A Tear Fell on the Shore; 1955) and even as they moved on to make Tagalog movies in Manila, they still continued producing Visayan movies like (It is the Palm That Commands) with Flash Elorde and Edita Clomera; Palad Ta Ang Nagbuot Lungsod Sa Buenavista (Town of Buenavista; 1969), and Hain Ang Langit (Where is Heavean?; 1969), with Gloria Sevilla and Mat Ranillo and Von Serna – this is Mat's last movie. Badlis sa Kinabuhi (The Line of Life; 1969) was entered in the 18th FAMAS Awards and got 12 nominations out of 14 categories. Gloria Sevilla won Best Actress, Frankie Navaja, Jr. won Best Child Performer, and the late Mat Ranillo got a posthumous award (Mat Ranillo had earlier died in a plane crash in 1969). The film (Badlis) was the Philippine entry to the ASEAN Film Festival in Indonesia, and was showcased under the informative division of the Berlin Film Festival (the film was dubbed in English in Hong Kong and retitled "Destined"). In 1970, Badlis Sa Kinabuhi and Palad Ta Ang Nagbuot were released in their original Visayan versions in Metro Manila and made good at the box office. Ang Bayan (The Country), 1970 was also produced at this time.

The 1970s saw the emergence of more Visayan talents in the Tagalog film industry. Actresses such as Chanda Romero, Caridad Sanches, Alma Moreno, Tessie Sevilla, Rebecca Torres, Aurora Villa, Eva de Villa, Rosita Fernandez, Virgie Postigo, Virgie Solis, Olivia Solis, Cora Real, Diana Arong, Luz Celeste, Annabelle Rama, Suzette Ranillo, Lady Ramos, Pilar Pilapil, and others stepped into the limelight. Male leads (to name a few) were Bert Nombrado, Ber Lopez, Tony Delgado, Riel Ylaya, Lino Ramas, Arturo Blanco, Arturo de Castille, Frankie Navaja Jr, Tony Cruz, Undo Juezan, Felix de Catalina, Arsie Roa, Warfi Engracia, Kadyo Roma and Romy Kintanar (who is now a sports commentator). Directors Leroy Salvador, Fernando Alfon, Talyo Bacalso, Sat Villarino, Gene Labella, Leox Juesan, Cesar B. Cesar and Emmanuel H. Borlaza also originated from the south. Borlaza directed Alma Bonita (with Chanda Romero and Ernie Garcia) and Paypay Placid (Fan of Placid), Diadem Films, (with Pepito Rodriguez, Lilian Lain, Alice Mendez, and Justo C. Justo). Other films that were produced at this time were Medalyon Nga Bulawan (Medalyon Na Ginto), produced by Annabelle Rama, starring Bert Leroy, Gina Pareno, Jerry Pons, Charlie Davao, Johnny Delgado, Raul Aragon, Alice Mendez, and Yoyoy Villame; (with Nobo Bono, Jr. and Tessie Sevilla); Mayor AndalBatul of Mactan (Battle of Mactan), JRJ Productions, starring Chanda Romero, Eddie Peregrina and Alice Mendez; Anino sa Villa Lagrimas (Shadow of Villa Lagrimas), starring Chanda Romero and Ernie Garcia; Bulawan Sa Lapok (Gold in the Mud), starring Alicia Alonzon, Bert Leroy Jr., Tommy Abuel and Dindo Fernando; Antonio Solitaryo and Mga Milagaro sa Santo Niño (Miracles of Sto. Niño), Magnolia Films both directed by Sol Gaudite; Aliyana, 1974; and Ikaduhang Bathala (Second God), 1974.

Gloria Sevilla remarried in 1971, and together with her husband Amado Cortez (of the Padilla clan) went on to produce another Visayan film entitled Gimingaw Ako (I Long For You), 1974 (which was shot entirely in Cebu City and directed by Amado Cortez starring Gloria Sevilla, Suzette Ranillo, Bert Nombrado and Inday Nita Cortez). This film won the FAMAS "Best Actress Award" for Gloria Sevilla and "Best Supporting Actress Award" for Suzette Ranillo. Naghila Ako Sa Kahilum (Crying Silently) also came about within the year. Other independent productions were: Diego Salvador, 1973; Ang Pagbabalik ni Diego Salvador (The Return of Diego Salvador), 1974 with Von Serna; and Sabrin, 1975 with Chanda Romero and Rebecca Torres.

Visayan film producers continued trying to revive the Visayan movies in the mid-seventies by filming in the 16mm format and transferring the material to 35mm for theatrical release. Films such as Ang Manok ni San Pedro (St. Peter's Rooster), 1975 and Itlog Manoy Orange (The Orange Egg Vendor), 1976 were originally shot in 16mm. This less costly process, however, did not prevent the Visayan film industry from finally going into a dormant stage. The Tagalog film industry was just at an upswing at this time, prompting Visayan producers to venture into television production instead.

It was not until 1991 that another Visayan film project was brought to the big screen. Eh Kasi Babae (Because She Is a Woman) starring Pilita Corales, Yoyoy Villame and Manilyn Reynes was produced, then followed by Matud Nila (They Say; 1991) (Bisaya Films, Inc. produced by James R. Cuenco, Jr.). This starred Gloria Sevilla, Mat Ranillo III, Suzette Ranillo, Dandin Ranillo, Juni Ranillo, Pilar Pilapil, Jennifer Sevilla, Mark Gil and Pinky Marquez. Matud Nila also marked the last film directed by Leroy Salvador.

 
Bundles of 35-mm films of several old movies being kept by the Mowelfund at the Movie Museum of the Philippines in Quezon City.

The Golden Age and Contemporary Era of Tagalog Cinema

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 soldiers and guerrillas.

The 1950s was 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 films 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 starring John Wayne as Genghis Khan and produced by RKO Radio Pictures. And also of Columbia Pictures' film "Genghis Khan" in which Omar Sharif portrayed in the title role in 1965.

In 1956, Anak Dalita won 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 Maria 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).

1960s

This era is characterized by rampant commercialism with James Bond and Western knock offs, and in the later 1960s, the so-called bomba (soft porn) pictures. It was also the era of musical films produced mostly by Sampaguita Pictures and their discovered talents.

The studio systems 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 cowboys and secret agents as the movers of the plots depicted a "society ravaged by criminality and corruption".[11] 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.[14]

1970s to early 1980s: Second Golden Age

Touted as the second golden age of Philippine cinema, this was the period of the avant-garde filmmakers. At the turn of the 70s, local producers and filmmakers ceased to produce pictures in black and white.[11][14]

In 1972, the Philippines was placed under 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.[11]

Maharlika was a 1971 film banned by then-first lady Imelda Marcos because it starred actress Dovie Beams, who was allegedly Ferdinand Marcos' mistress.[26] The producer of the film was Luis Nepomuceno, son of Filipino filmmaker Jose Nepomuceno. The company that produced the film went bankrupt, as the banned screening prevented them from recouping production costs. In pity, Imelda Marcos offered loans to the company through government banks. However, the bank would then go on to foreclose the film company.

The film portrayed the story of Ferdinand Marcos' life in the Philippine Military. There have been allegations that the film was propaganda intended to portray Marcos as a war hero who fought against the Japanese in World War II.[27] Although the film was banned, it was allowed to make its cinematic debut in 1987, after the EDSA Revolution.

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 and filmed in the famed Sicogon Island in Carles, Iloilo.[11]

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, Eric de Guia, 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 Deocampo’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.[28] The same year, Viva Films was established and began its rise as a production company.

Also in 1981, first lady Imelda Marcos organized the first Manilla International Film Festival (MIFF). The objective was to promote Filipino films for them to be distributed worldwide. A lavish event took place January 18–29, 1982, major entertainment figures were present including Priscilla Presley, Franco Nero, Brooke Shields, Jeremy Irons, etc. Local filmmakers saw it as a real opportunity to showcase their talents. The spy comedy spoof For Your Height Only (1981) turned Ernesto dela Cruz, better known as Weng Weng, in a short lived international star and gave him the notoriety to become a unique figure in cinema being a short person who performs death defying stunts.[29][30][31][32] At the event, For Your Height Only outsold every other films on foreign sales, while dela Cruz was the mediatic center of attention and the breakthrough celebrity. Marcos' daughter Imee said dela Cruz's success shocked and shattered everyone's artistic aspirations. Filipino film historians Teddy Co and Ed Lejano said that in the film industry the Weng Weng image was uncomfortable since at the time they had no other international figures. The film became Philippines' highest exported film, and within their acting community dela Cruz's international reach hasn't been topped.[33]

The second MIFF took place from January 24-February 4, 1983. 280 local and foreign films were screened out of competition in the 12-day festival while 22 films from 21 countries competed for seven different categories.[34] Despite the festival’s financial success, the festival received criticisms from the Catholic Church, film censors, and civic groups. Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin criticized the festival’s organizers, Johnny Litton and First Lady Imelda Marcos, for allowing the screening of soft-core pornographic movies in participating theaters.[35][36] Board of Review for Motion Pictures and Television Chairman Maria Kalaw-Katigbak also questioned the legality of showing films banned by the board in commercial cinemas. Because of the controversies and public outcry, the succeeding Manila International Film Festivals were permanently canceled.

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 This Is My Country depicted images of torture, incarceration, struggles and oppression.[11] 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.[37]

The Philippines' most political filmmaker was Lino Brocka (1939–1991). His works such as Manila in the Claws of Light (1975) and Fight for Us (1989) were considered the opening and the end of the golden age of film in the country. Brocka's works were committed to an anti-Marcos, anti-authoritarian type of politics and highly valued the freedom of artistic expression. He contributed in the building of a post-Marcos Philippines and was able to help topple the Marcos dictatorship through his active participation in cultural and social activities. His films told the story of the underclass' struggle, the dark side of a sprawling metropolis and featured poverty-stricken locations which were able to make a statement with regards to the Marcos' autocratic rule and human rights violations. He was also notably part of the group of filmmakers, artists and cultural workers that formed the Free Artist Movement which eventually became the Concerned Artists of the Philippines. This group challenged the censorship practice that the Marcoses imposed on all artistic media.

Late 1980s to 1990s

Come to think of it, it's been 90 years, they say, since the first film was shown on these shores, but it seems that the most popular medium of the century has failed to explore the various facets of our lives.

—JC Nigado, writing for the Manila Standard in July 1987[38]

By the time the People Power Revolution deposed Ferdinand Marcos from the presidency, most Filipino films were mass-produced with quality sacrificed for commercial success. Storylines were unimaginative and predictable, comedy was slapstick, and the acting was either mediocre or overly dramatic. Producers resorted to formulas that worked well in the past that cater to the standards and tastes of the masses,[10][37] and story ideas were often copied from Hollywood and Hong Kong films that were successful in local cinemas.[39] Romantic dramas, broad comedy films and soft pornographic pictures composed the majority of the genre produced, while the action genre became especially prevalent during this period; in 1992, critic Justino Dormiendo observed that "the action flick itself remains as the most abused genre in our time."[40] In reviewing the acclaimed[41] American drama film Stand by Me, JC Nigado of the Manila Standard stated that he was disturbed while viewing the film because "I was hard put trying to figure out what local movie could have approximated it. And it bothered me that I couldn't think of any."[38]

Copying is Philippine cinema's biggest crime even back then. In truth, it already became an art form here. When the Chinese' kung fu became trendy here, we became more kung fu and more Chinese than them. When the cowboy of Americans and Italians became trendy here, we became more Jesse James and Django than them. When Sylvester Stallone's Rocky was released, our Rocky Tulog and Totoy Bato sprung up. For Rambo, our carbon copy is Rambo Tango.

—Lav Diaz, writing for the Manila Standard in May 1988[39]

With the imposition of a high amusement tax,[42] the number of films annually produced by the industry declined throughout the 1980s,[43] although the number was still more than 200 films a year. Majority of them were pito-pito films, shot in seven to ten days and aimed at quickly recouping their minimal costs. Attendance in theaters rose and several productions became huge successes. New laws were also introduced that gave more rights to women, causing several female directors to launch careers.[44]

Aside from competition with Hollywood films,[13] the Asian Financial Crisis, escalating cost of film production, exorbitant taxes, arbitrary and too much film censorship, high-tech film piracy,[45] 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.[46]

In 1993, a television station ventured into film 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.[47]

2000s: Decline of commercial movies and emergence of independent films

See also: Philippine New Wave Cinema

2010s: Box office resurgence

 
Vice Ganda starred in some of the highest-grossing Filipino films with the highest one being at ₱598 million.

2011 is the most fruitful year in Philippine Cinema history as 3 films produced within the year (all from Star Cinema) landed in the top 3 of the highest grossing Filipino films of all time.[48] Wenn Deramas' The Unkabogable Praybeyt Benjamin grossed ₱331.6 million in box office and became the highest grossing local film in the Philippines.[49] No Other Woman grossed ₱278.39 million while 2011 Metro Manila Film Festival ("MMFF") entry Enteng Ng Ina Mo, has a gross income of ₱237.89 million (as of January 7, 2012) and considered the highest-grossing MMFF entry of all time.[50] However, Sisterakas , a Kris Aquino-Ai Ai delas Alas-Vice Ganda movie, replaced the title of Enteng ng Ina Mo and the Unkabogable Praybeyt Benjamin as it became the highest grossing Filipino film and highest grossing MMFF entry of all time.

In 2013, It Takes a Man and a Woman, the third film of the A Very Special Love series of Sarah Geronimo and John Lloyd Cruz, made many box office records, one of which is being the current "Highest Grossing Filipino Film of All Time", replacing Sisterakas. It made ₱375,024,507 during its theatrical run in the Philippines and ₱211,573,332 overseas, for a total of ₱586,597,839 worldwide until Vice Ganda's Girl, Boy, Bakla, Tomboy and Kris Aquino's My Little Bossings (both are MMFF entries) surpassed their local box-office record and battle for the first spot .[51][52][53]

In 2014, The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin, another Vice Ganda film, breaks his own record again with an estimated gross of PHP450,000,000.00.[54] Meanwhile, the sequel of Kris Aquino's Feng Shui series is the highest grossing Filipino horror film.[55]

In 2015, a new box-office breaking record has been set as A Second Chance, the sequel of John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo's One More Chance earns PHP 556,000,000 worldwide surpassing Phenomenal Box-Office Star Vice Ganda's The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin.[56] It is surpassed again by a Star Cinema, Viva Films-produced film Beauty and the Bestie[57] still starred by the "Phenomenal Box-Office Star" Vice Ganda.

The mid 2010s also saw broader commercial success of films produced by independent studios, with Antoinette Jadaone's Cinema One Originals Film Festival entry That Thing Called Tadhana achieving commercial success upon its commercial release in 2015, becoming the highest grossing independently produced Filipino film of all time in under 3 weeks despite facing piracy issues online during its run.[58][59]

September 2015 saw the release of Jerrold Tarog's Heneral Luna, a 2015 historical biopic film depicting General Antonio Luna's leadership of the Philippine Revolutionary Army during the Philippine–American War, produced by an independent outfit called Artikulo Uno Productions. Because it was independently produced, Heneral Luna initially fell prey to the commercial theater practice of dropping films after only a few screening days on the first week. But praise from critics and audiences alike, praising the film's writing, plot, acting, and cinematography resulted in a word of mouth campaign to bring the movie back to theaters.[60] As a result, Heneral Luna become the highest grossing Filipino historical film of all time on its third week in cinemas.[61][62][63] Similar word of mouth campaigns would allow critically acclaimed films like Antoinette Jadaone's That Thing Called Tadhana (commercially released in 2015)[58][59] and JP Habac's I'm Drunk, I Love You (2017)[64][65] to achieve broad commercial success even if they did not benefit from the large promotional budget and television cross-promotion enjoyed by commercial studio films.[58][59][64][65]

2020s: Centennial Year of Philippine Cinema and onward

On September 12, 2019, the film industry celebrated its One Hundred Years of Philippine Cinema, in pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 622, S. 2018, which declares the same day up until September 11, 2020, as Philippine Cinema's Centennial Year.[66]

Censorship

Under the Americans and the Early Philippine Republic

Censorship in the Philippines truly began under the reign of the Spaniards, who prohibited works that were deemed revolutionary. While they prohibited literary, musical, and visual forms of art, film censorship was included in the picture upon the American colonization.

When the Americans took over after the Spanish–American War in 1898, a brief stint of Philippine cultural freedom after independence from Spain was halted. General Arthur MacArthur's military censorship focused on repressing nationalism, along with the Flag Act of 1907. Because film in itself was only beginning to form at the time, motion pictures brought to the Philippines were tame, and film was not yet seen as an avenue for social and cultural subversion.

In 1929, the Philippine Legislature creates Act. No. 3582, titled "An Act to Create a Board of Censorship for Moving Pictures and Define Its Functions". The board consisted of 15 members that sought "to examine all films, spoken or silent, imported or produced in the Philippine Islands, and prohibit the introduction and exhibition in this country of films, which in their judgement are immoral or contrary to law and good customs or injurious to the prestige of the Government of people of the Philippine Islands". In 1930, The first meeting of the board was conducted in the office of then Secretary of the Interior Honoro Ventura, and the first president of the board was Teodoro M. Kalaw. Out of the 1,249 films approved, 6 had parts cut out. Two films were banned.

In 1937 the film Batang Tulisan, directed by Rod Avlas and produced by Philippine Films was set to be released, and controversies arose regarding its sudden ban. The cost of production totaled 16,000 Pesos, and the film 2 and a half months to complete. Four reasons were stated as to why it was pulled-out: Three are aspects of the movie: the priest portrayed in a villainous light, the use of a hypodermic needle as a murder weapon, the amorous scenes between a 10-year-old couple, and the fact that "[the film] might give [the] youth certain subversive ideas". The production crew argued that this was an example of foreign films being given more lenience, despite being as bad (or sometimes, worse) than local cinema. The novel adaptation of Batang Tulisan which was published in Liwayway Magazine, in contrast, was not met with the same negative criticism.

In 1938, the Board of Censorship was renamed the Board of Review for Moving Pictures, enabled by the amendment of the law by Commonwealth Act No. 305.

The Eiga Heikusa: Under Japanese rule

In 1942, the Japanese occupation of the Philippines led to what was arguably the strictest period of censorship the country has faced. The Eiga Heikusa was established to act as a Board of Censors, and introduced Japanese films with American subtitles. In light of Japan's desire to convert the Philippines into a willing member of the Greater East-Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere, printed matter, radio shows, theater plays, and visual art were heavily monitored, leading to the hiatus of production for Philippine cinema until 1945. As a result, the country saw an increase in theatrical productions. Screen actors such as Carmen Rosales, Rogelio de la Rosa, Norma Blancaflor, Ely Ramos, Elsa Oria, Leopoldo Salcedo, and Ester Magalona, took to the entablado and were received well. Theaters showed bodabil (a malapropism of Vaudeville) shows where actors would perform a special number upon knowing that they were to be raided by the Kempei Tai, signaling the viewers to flee.

Post-war censorship

Independence and the regime of then President Manuel Roxas saw the creation of a new Board of Reviews for Moving Pictures, led by Marciano Roque, who would also become Executive Secretary under President Quirino. In months, the board reviewed 76 films, with only 5 being locally made. Due to the non-confirmation by the Congress of all 10 members of the board, it was reconstituted on October 29, 1946, with its 7 official members. The newly appointed chairman was Dr. Gabriel Mañalac, and the secretary was Teodoro Valencia. The board had grown to 12 members by 1947, having reviewed a total of 463 films for the year. 435 were foreign, and 28 were locally produced. By the time, the Philippines had 463 officially recorded theaters, with 71 of them being in Manila. Ako Raw ay Huk (Dir. Ramon Estrella) is one of the films that was banned at the time, due to allegations of it promoting communism.

In 1950, a Code of Motion Picture Censorship was instilled, further identifying what aspects were considered censorable. Scenes that depict drunkenness as attractive, scenes that depict drug trafficking, and scenes that deal with sex and surgical subjects "when shown to selected groups" are some examples of scenes that were put under review. Foreign films banned at the time include The Moon Is Blue (Dir. Otto Preminger) in 1954, and Martin Luther (Dir. Irving Pichel) in 1953. Perlas ng Silangan (Dir. Pablo Santiago) was screened without edits, which spiked a protest from the Provincial Board of Sulu, claiming that it misrepresented Muslim culture.

The Citizens Council for Better Motion Pictures was established by in 1960, as a response to a "grave concern over the general disappearance of the cherished virtues and traditions of the Christian way of life, the alarming increase in juvenile delinquency, and the deterioration of public and private morals". In 1961, they lobbied for what is presently known as the Censorship Law (Republic Act No. 3060), which was approved on June 17, 1961. The law created an Appeals Committee, composed of the undersecretaries of justice, national defense, and education. This committee could revoke the decisions of the Board of Censors. Independent from the CCBMP, the still standing Board of Censors had grown to 24 members, and could now establish a system of classification which consisted of two categories: "for general patronage". and "for adults only". Jose L. Guevara was appointed by President Diosdado Macapagal as the new chairperson in 1962, and the board members appointed by President Carlos P. Garcia were removed, on account of their positions being "midnight" extensions.

In 1962, the board lifted the ban on mouth-to-mouth kissing, so long as it was deemed non-lascivious. In 1963 and after a long-pleaded appeal from the public, the board bans films that heavily play up violence and crime. Ang Manananggol Ni Ruben (Dir. Eddie Garcia) was a 1963 film heavily based on the story of Ruben Ablaza, who was convicted for the rape of Annabelle Huggins. The film was initially approved and quickly banned in September, but was screened again in December after being renamed to Ang Manananggol.

In 1965, Iginuhit ng Tadhana (Dir. Jose de Villa) is released, and is arguably one of the most controversial films to come out of Philippine cinema, in that it was able to set the tone of Ferdinand Marcos’ entire presidential campaign. The movie, which chronicled the life of Marcos, had reached the realm of politics, ultimately leading the appointment of Marcos to presidency. In August 1965, the film was approved without change, but its premiere in September was halted on the time of the premiere itself. An en banc of the film was requested by then acting chairman Rosalina Castro, raising much suspicion from the press and the Nacionalistas. Days after, then chairman Jose L. Guevara resigned from his spot.

Bomba films

1967 onwards saw a relaxing of rules by the Board of Censorship, who started allowing more nudity and explicit sex. This led to the rise of commercial, pornographic bomba (taken from the term "bombshell", which normally included a scandal in Political public office) films, which persisted despite heavy criticism from Catholic groups. These films usually depicted outright nudity and sexual scenes, cut portions from previously banned films, or the entire prohibited films themselves.

The rise of bomba films was attributed to the fact that movies tackled more adult, realistic themes. The ideal of a "true Filipino" was introduced. These films also brought in a new audience for Philippine film; the usual filmgoers, the teenagers who saw the films as "hip", and the youth, who used these films as a means for their own sexual awakenings, the educated, collegiate, and the working-class crowd. On another side, the larger audience of these films were the male devotees, who came to see the sex scenes and left as soon as the last one finished airing. Some films from this era include Ang Saging ni Pacing, Dayukdok (Dir. Luis San Juan; the movie was only approved by the board upon being renamed to Ang Magsasaing ni Pacing), Ang Batuta ni Drakula (Dir. Luis San Juan), Gutom (Dir. Danny Zialcita), Sabik (Dir. Angelito de Guzman), Laman sa Laman (Dirs. Lauro Pacheco, Jose Sibal), and Hayok (Dir. Ruben Abalos) among many other titles.

While the non-ban of these kinds of films led to the liquidation of censorship committees for most countries, this was not the case for the Philippines, likely due to the demand in box office. On February 22, 1970, the theaters Pablace and Mayfair are picketed by protesters who went against bomba movies. In 1972, the Board begins its anti-sex policy, which was backed by the general public who deemed the films as "attributing to the upsurge of crimes by minors and loose morality of youth".

The martial law era

Main article: List of films about martial law under Ferdinand Marcos

Film censorship under the martial law dictatorship was undertaken as part of the stifling of free expression and civil rights, during which artists, journalists, activists, and members of the opposition were under threats of sanctions or arrest.[67]

Prior to the administration of Ferdinand Marcos and the declaration of Martial Law in 1972, policing films had been a matter which only went as far as censorship and the non-distribution of movies in the country. The Board of Censorship then had no right to take legal action against any film, director, actor, producing company, or theater that had violated any of its mandates. Cases like these were to be brought up to the local government, who had jurisdiction over legal matters.

On September 27, 1972, Marcos issued Letter of Instructions No. 13, which he claimed would "uphold morality in the youth". However, the ban was instead used to stifle dissent and to maintain the propaganda of the government at the time. Among the films banned were Hubad na Bayani (1977), Manila By Night (1980), Bayan Ko: Kapit sa Patalim (1984), among many others.[68] The letter stated 7 kinds of films that were not to be exhibited in any local theater:

  1. Films which tend to incite subversion, insurrection or rebellion against the State;
  2. Films which tend to undermine the faith and confidence of the people in their government and/or duly constituted authorities;
  3. Films which glorify criminals or condone crimes;
  4. Films which serve no other purpose but to satisfy the market for violence or pornography;
  5. Films which offend any race or religion;
  6. Films which tend to abet the traffic in and use of prohibited drugs;
  7. Films contrary to law, public order, morals, good customs, established policies, lawful orders, decrees or edicts; and any or all films which in the judgment of the Board are similarly objectionable and contrary to the letter and spirit of Proclamation No. 1081.

What made this proclamation different from those appointed by the board was that the government now had jurisdiction over bodies that were at fault. It was proclaimed in coordination with the Department of National Defense. In fear of legal action and prosecution, the board tightened their rules, banning 148 imported movies and 50 local movies which displayed negative acts. Films were expected to uphold objectives of the New Society through upholding moral values and ensuring that the ideologies shown did not subvert the peace of the nation and the mind.

Aside from the Letter of Instructions, the board had assumed three more rights apart from the right to cut scenes from movies: the right to (1) encourage, (2) warn, and (3) be consulted. Taking from the British Board of Film Censors, the board started requiring submission of the full script of a movie before it was slated to begin production. This allows the board to warn the producers of possible issues within the script. Due to this, there have been fewer portions cut out of local movies, with 163 of 173 films being approved for general audiences from September 21, 1972, to September 21, 1973. This also resulted in longer, more sophisticated films that wasted less shooting time and production cost. The divide between the government and filmmakers (and in result, the viewing public) became smaller as national responsibility was imbibed in the art of filmmaking in itself.

Filmmakers and other artists protested censorship and the suppression of civil rights.[69] For example, Lino Brocka and other artists organized protests against "arbitrary, senseless censorship" in 1983. They organized the Free the Artist movement, which led to the founding of the Concerned Artists of the Philippines.[69]

Movie and Television Review and Classification Board

On October 5, 1985, Executive Order No. 876-A was created to reformat the Board of Review for Motion Pictures, leading to the creation of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board. The board was created only for the purpose of classifying cinematic films and television shows. The board holds 30 members at any given time, with the first chairman after the Executive Order being Manuel "Manoling" Morato, who took office in 1986.

The board classifies movies into 6 categories, listed below:

Description
G Viewers of all ages are admitted.
PG Viewers below 13 years old must be accompanied by a parent or supervising adult.
R-13 Only viewers who are 13 years old and above can be admitted.
R-16 Only viewers who are 16 years old and above can be admitted.
R-18 Only viewers who are 18 years old and above can be admitted.
X "X-rated" films are not suitable for public exhibition.

Notable directors

Although foreign films were shown in the Philippines since the Spanish period, interest in the creation of local films was not given much attention by the Filipinos. However, the advent of Hollywood films during the American period sparked the interest of Filipinos and eventually led to the boom of filmmakers in the country.

  • Jose Nepomuceno is known as the Father of Philippine Movies, and is considered one of the pioneers of Filipino cinema. His first movie entitled Dalagang Bukid (1919), a stage play turned movie, is the first movie produced by a Filipino filmmaker. Along with his brother Jesus, they founded the film company Malayan Movies which later produced over a hundred movies. Some of the titles include La Venganza de Don Silvestre (1920), La Mariposa Negra (1920), and El Capullo Marchito (1921) among others.
  • Lino Brocka was a prominent Filipino director who received fame in the 1970s. Growing up, he gained interest in American film which led him to pursue a career in the film industry. Most of Brocka's films revolve around the issues faced by the common Filipino such as poverty, discrimination, and politics. He is also known to be anti-Marcos and created films to protest against Martial Law. Some of his films include Ora Pro Nobis (1989) and Gumapang Ka Sa Lusak (1990) among others. He is a recipient of five Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences (FAMAS) best director in 1970, 1974, 1975, 1979, and 1990.
  • Marilou Diaz-Abaya was a multi-awarded film and TV producer and director who gained fame for her film Jose Rizal (1998). This film also earned her a Best Director Award from the Metro Manila Film Festival. Diaz-Abaya claimed that she used her films and shows as a way to promote social issues in the Philippines, such as the state of the country's democracy. Some of these films include Brutal, Karnal, and Ipaglaban Mo.

Independent Filipino Cinema

Independent Filipino cinema, has existed for almost as long as commercialized cinema, but this type of cinema has not been recognized as much, and thus has few historical accounts. Many of the independent films show actual happenings in the society using authentic voices of the people, but oftentimes, these films have been suppressed due to its revelations about social and political realities or marginalized due to its cinematography. These films also sometimes offer valuable historical content.

In its early beginnings, alternative cinemas were documentaries about the Philippines. Jose Nepomuceno was first commissioned to make documentaries about the richest industries in the Philippines, and his most famous one was about the hemp industry. Other alternative films made during 1920–1955 include Old Manila, Tres Sangganos, Intramuros, Jose Rizal, March of the Time Series: The Philippines, and Woodcarving in the Philippines.[70]

Documentary Film/Independent Film Year Produced by Description
Dalagang Bukid 1919 Nepumuceno Brothers Representations and images of the Americans in the Nepumuceno brothers' perspective after they have anchored themselves in the country.
Tres Sangganos 1920s Manuel Silos A short film in 16 millimeters. First feature film of Manuel Silos which had three parts.
Boxing match between Pancho Villa and Clever Sencio 1925 Orient Pictures Corporation (partly owned by Joaquin Pardo de Vera) It was the first ever boxing match held in the Philippines.
Jose Rizal 1939 Ramon Estella Biopic

All of the films above were destroyed during World War II. However, in the film archives in Washington DC, only the old film titled March of Time Series: The Philippines by Louis de Rochemont survived[71]

Film making halted during the Japanese occupation however, some documentaries and newsreels were made such as Laurel Review His Troops (1943), First Session of the National Assembly (1943), New Cabinet Organized (1943), and What Do You Think? (1943).

The 1950s to 1970s saw the rise of the First Independent Film Movement when the production of short films had a substantial increase, and these short films were garnering awards locally and internationally. Furthermore, several film organizations were formed during this time such as the Film Institute of the Philippines, Film Society of the Philippines. Some of the alternative films produced during this time include El Legado, Soul of a Fortress, Mangandingay: A Place of Happiness, The Wall, Mababangong Bangungot, Masinloc, and The Survivor.

The 1970s to 1980s saw the rise of the Second Independent Film Movement where the films produced contained more of the personal creativity of the filmmakers, and films became more ideological.

Independent films became highly politicized in the 1980s with the Marcos dictatorship and the People Power Revolution. The filmmakers of that time sought to innovate ways of expression for their political films as they deal with social reality. Some of the famous independent films of that time include Ang Magpakailanman, Children of the Regime, Revolutions Happen like Refrains in a Song, A Legacy of Violence, And Rain Fell in July, Sugat sa Ugat, The Arrogance of Power, Signos, Kalawang, Sa Maynila, Ynang Bayan: To be a Woman is to Live at a Time of War, Why is Yellow the Middle of the Rainbow, Perfumed Nightmare, Isang Munting Lupa, and Bayani.

Currently, there are a few Filipino film festivals that support independent Filipino films such as Cinemalaya and CineFilipino.[72] These are annual film festivals that screens, invests, promotes, and awards independent Filipino films.[73]

Internationally acclaimed films

Over the years, Filipino films have been recognized not only in their own country, but also globally in different countries. Competing with international films, Filipino films have earned many different rewards such as the Golden Lion in the 2016 Venice Film Festival won by Ang Babaeng Humayo (The Woman Who Left) by Lav Diaz, the Audience Choice Award in the Tokyo International Film Festival won by Die Beautiful by Jun Lana, or the Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival won by Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis (A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery) also by Lav Diaz. All these films were granted these awards in the year of 2016 among many other Philippine films.[74] In the years before, other films equally gaining recognition internationally include Pamilya Ordinaryo by Eduardo Roy Jr.;[74] Toto by John Paul Su;[74] Taklub by Brillante Mendoza;[75] Metro Manila by Sean Ellis;[76] and Foster Child by Brillante Mendoza.[77]

Animation

Main article: Filipino cartoon and animation

Filipino animation, is a body of original cultural and artistic works and styles applied to conventional Filipino storytelling, combined with talent and the appropriate application of classic animation principles, methods, and techniques, which recognizes their relationship with Filipino culture, comics, and films. It also delves into relying on traditional and common Filipino "sense of going about things" or manner of coping with Filipino life and environment.[78]

Historical epics

Another staple of the Philippine film industry, historical dramas where part of the mainstream genres of the Philippine cinema, the deep history of the Philippines where the filmmakers are constantly inspired by it. Over the years, there have been many films based on history or on historical figures that not only captivated audiences with their powerful and enriching stories, but have also taken viewers back in time with the detailed costumes, sets, and atmosphere.[79] Be it based on real people – like the biographies of José Rizal (1939, 1998), Andrés Bonifacio (1995, 2010, 2012, 2014), Lapulapu (1955, 2002), Antonio Luna (2015) and Gregorio del Pilar (2018); or set during a certain time period – Teniente Rosario (1937), Banaue: Stairway to the Sky (1975), Dugo sa Kapirasong Lupa (1975), Oro, Plata, Mata (1982), Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos (1976) and Quezon's Game (2018).

Film Associations and Organizations

Notable local film associations and groups include:

  • Metro Manila Film Festival

The Metro Manila Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Metro Manila, Philippines. The festival takes place from Christmas Day (December 25) and concludes at the first weekend in January of the following year.[80] The MMFF has taken place every year since its inception in 1975. The 2016 event was the 42nd festival in its history. Throughout the festival, only Filipino Films, which are approved by the jurors of the MMFF, are shown in cinemas. No foreign films are shown in Metro Manila cinemas during the festival (except IMAX, 4DX, and select 3D cinemas). This has been a tradition ever since the establishment of the festival's precursor, “Manila Film Festival” in 1966 by former Manila Mayor Antonio Villegas.[81] The festival is accompanied with an awards ceremony. Over the years, films such as Yamashita: The Tiger's Treasure,[82] One More Try,[83] Walang Forever,[84] and Sunday Beauty Queen[85] have received the Best Picture Award.

  • Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino

The Pista ng Pelikulang Filipino (or PPP) is a film festival held in theaters nationwide. Its inaugural season was held on August 16–22, 2017, coinciding with the Buwan ng Wika. Similar to the Metro Manila Film Festival, foreign movies will not be shown in theaters (except IMAX, 4DX, VIP (starting from 2nd edition), and large format 3D theaters) and films approved by the jury will be shown. It is organized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines in association with theaters nationwide.[86]

The inaugural awardees in the competition include: Mikhail Red's Birdshot (Critic's Choice), Victor Villanueva's Patay na si Hesus (Jury's Choice) and Jason Paul Laxamana's 100 Tula Para Kay Stella (Audience Choice).[87]

The Film Academy of the Philippines was established in 1981 and is considered the Philippine counterpart of the United States' Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences. It serves as the general organization of the various film-related guilds in the country that help in the organizing and supervising of film activities.

Established on February 27, 1970, it serves as an "educational, cultural and professional organization of cinematographers".

Formed on June 7, 2002, the Film Development Council of the Philippines can be found under the Office of the President. It ensures that the economic, cultural and educational aspects of film are represented locally and internationally.

  • National Film Archives of the Philippines

The National Film Archives of the Philippines houses the history of Philippine Cinema and protects the country's cultural legacy in film through the preservation, retrieval, and restoration of film negatives, prints and other film related material and promotes these to provide a wider appreciation of the cinema history by making them available to the public.

  • Movie Workers Welfare Foundation Inc.

The Movie Workers Welfare Foundation Inc. or MOWELFUND was organized and established in 1974 by former President Joseph E. Estrada who was then president of the Philippine Motion Picture Producers Association (PMPPA). Its primary purpose is to provide aid to movie workers such as medical, livelihood and housing benefits.

Yearly revenue

Year No. of Films Revenue in US$ PhP vs US$ Revenue PhP
2007 165 $86.60M 46.01 Php 3.984B[88]
2008 170 $100.97M 44.32 Php 4.475B[89]
2009 161 $103.39M 47.64 Php 4.925B[90]
2010 149 $123.86M 45.11 Php 5.587B[91]
2011 152 $138.03M 43.31 Php 5.978B[92]
2012 156 $158.80M 42.23 Php 6.706B[93]
2013 177 $166.41M 42.45 Php 7.064B[94]

See also

References

  1. ^ a b "Cinema Infrastructure –Capacity". Screendaily. Retrieved August 24, 2018.
  2. ^ . UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Archived from the original on May 4, 2017. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  3. ^ "Feature Film Production – Method of Financing". UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  4. ^ a b "Exhibition – Admissions & Gross Box Office (GBO)". UNESCO Institute for Statistics. Retrieved May 8, 2017.
  5. ^ "History of Philippine Cinema". sdfilipinocinema.org/. Retrieved August 9, 2020.
  6. ^ "The Role of José Nepomuceno in the Philippine Society: What language did his silent film speaks?". Stockholm University Publications. Retrieved on January 6, 2011.
  7. ^ Armes, Roy (1987). Third World Film Making and the West. University of California Press. p. 152. ISBN 978-0-520-90801-7.
  8. ^ "2014 Philippines Yearly Box Office Results". Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  9. ^ "Finally, a national film archive". inquirer.net. October 27, 2011. Retrieved November 2, 2011.
  10. ^ a b "Is the Curtain Finally Falling on the Philippine Movie Industry?". PhilNews.com. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m Anonymous. "History of Philippine Cinema". Philippine Journeys. Retrieved January 22, 2009.
  12. ^ a b Cannes entry puts spotlight on Philippine indie films. Grafilo, John. Top News Light Reading. May 6, 2008.
  13. ^ a b c A bleak storyline for the Filipino film industry. Conde, Carlos H. International Herald Tribune. February 11, 2007.
  14. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Bautista, Arsenio 'Boots'. "History of Philippine Cinema". National Commission for Culture and the Arts. Retrieved January 23, 2009.
  15. ^ . Haverford College. October 29, 2012. Archived from the original on October 6, 2014. Retrieved October 3, 2014.
  16. ^ "The Visayan Film Industry: A Retrospective (Part I)" (Fee required). January 5, 2005. Retrieved April 7, 2019.
  17. ^ Nereo Cajilig Lujan. "HISTORY 101: Teatro Malhabour". Old Iloilo Facebook Group. Facebook. Archived from the original on 2022-02-26..
  18. ^ Glory Moralidad. . Bata Ako PH. Project Iloilo. Archived from the original on March 23, 2018. Retrieved March 23, 2018..
  19. ^ Richard TS Bautista. "Regent Theatre J.M. Basa Street, Iloilo City". Theater Guides Online. Cinema Treasure Your Guide To Movie Theaters..
  20. ^ Mark Segador. "Iloilo's Calle Real: Awakening the Queen City of the South". Iloilo Guide Online. Iloilo I Love! Opening Doors To Exciting Western Visayas..
  21. ^ "Pioneering women film directors cited" (Fee required). Philippine Daily Inquirer. November 2, 2002. Retrieved September 28, 2008.
  22. ^ Baskett, Michael (2008). The Attractive Empire: Transnational Film Culture in Imperial Japan. Honolulu: University of Hawai'i Press. ISBN 978-0-8248-3223-0., pp. 108, 110
  23. ^ Baskett The Attractive Empire, pp. 100–102
  24. ^ "Pugo and Togo: Filmdoms Original Comic Tandem". Video 48. Retrieved on January 11, 2011.
  25. ^ Baskett The Attractive Empire, pp. 119–120
  26. ^ Deane, Daniela (February 19, 1987). . United Press International. Archived from the original on July 9, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  27. ^ Walker, Frank (July 4, 2004). . Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on March 4, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  28. ^ Film Academy of the Philippines Official Website January 31, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
  29. ^ Kehr, Dave (30 December 2005). "Hailing the DVD Distributors: The Best Vault Raiders of 2005". The New York Times. Retrieved August 25, 2018.
  30. ^ "Search For Weng Weng, The". Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  31. ^ "Today at Fantasia". Cult MTL. July 29, 2014. Retrieved February 22, 2020.
  32. ^ Wilson, Jake (August 7, 2014). "In search of Weng Weng, the pint-sized James Bond of Filipino film". The Sydney Morning Herald. Retrieved March 1, 2020.
  33. ^ Leavold, Andrew. The Search for Weng Weng (DVD). USA: Wild Eye Releasing. 760137943594.
  34. ^ Dolor, Danny. "MIFF '83: Festival for a Cause". Philstar.com. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  35. ^ Branigin, William (1983-02-03). "Philippine Battle Over 'Bold' Films". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  36. ^ "Filipinos pack theaters showing erotic films". UPI. Retrieved 2022-03-25.
  37. ^ a b Filipino film industry reborn March 21, 2012, at the Wayback Machine. Straight website. January 25, 2009.
  38. ^ a b Nigado, JC (July 17, 1987). "Stand by for life". Manila Standard. Standard Publications, Inc. p. 14. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  39. ^ a b Diaz, Lav. "Isa pang sirkus" [Another circus]. Manila Standard (in Filipino). Standard Publications, Inc. p. 14.
  40. ^ Dormiendo, Justino (September 11, 1992). "Cold-blooded killers, ice-cold lovers". Manila Standard. Kamahalan Publishing Corp. p. 20. Retrieved June 1, 2021. The action flick itself remains as the most abused genre in our time. With movies like Magdaleno Orbos, relief is still far from sight.
  41. ^ "Stand by Me (1986)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango. Retrieved June 1, 2021.
  42. ^ Daza, Jullie Y. (December 27, 1990). "Mayors' coup d'etat". Manila Standard. Kagitingan Publications, Inc. p. 11. Retrieved November 15, 2022.
  43. ^ Lam, Lulubelle (September 27, 1989). "Manoling wants quality". Manila Standard. Kagitingan Publications, Inc. p. 25. Retrieved January 7, 2023. There is a 'quantitative downtrend' in the local movie industry in the past years...
  44. ^ Thompson, Kristin and Bordwell David. (2010) "Film History: An Introduction". New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 646
  45. ^ It’s total war on pirates as movie industry reels January 24, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Mocon, Claudeth. Business Mirror. June 18, 2008.
  46. ^ Film and Video in the Philippines July 25, 2008, at the Wayback Machine. Philippine Information Agency. Retrieved January 25, 2009.
  47. ^ Philippine movies January 4, 2009, at the Wayback Machine. Wow Paradise Philippines. Retrieved January 26, 2009.
  48. ^ List of the highest-grossing Philippine movies
  49. ^ The Unkabogable Praybeyt Benjamin
  50. ^ Enteng Ng Ina Mo
  51. ^ "Girl Boy Bakla Tomboy Now the Highest Grossing Film in PH" ABS-CBNnews.com. Retrieved January 16, 2014.
  52. ^ "My Little Bossings breaks first day earning record" ABS-CBNnews.com. Retrieved December 26, 2013.
  53. ^ "It Takes A Man And A Woman (2013)". Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  54. ^ "The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin sets new box-office record" ABS-CBNnews.com. Retrieved January 16, 2015.
  55. ^ "Feng Shui 2 earns more than PHP 200M as of January 2015" PEP.ph. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  56. ^ "A Second Chance is the Highest Grossing Filipino Film of All Time" Rappler.com. Retrieved December 20, 2015.
  57. ^ "Beauty and the Bestie breaks "A Second Chance" PH record" January 13, 2016, at the Wayback Machine ABS-CBNnews.com. Retrieved January 13, 2016.
  58. ^ a b c "'Tadhana' is top grossing local indie film of all time". March 15, 2015.
  59. ^ a b c "Angelica calls out fans on 'Tadhana' piracy".
  60. ^ . Archived from the original on September 23, 2015. Retrieved July 5, 2017.
  61. ^ "'Heneral Luna' breaks P160M mark on third week, producer confident of sequel".
  62. ^ "'Heneral Luna' continues charge, hits P160M".
  63. ^ "'Heneral Luna' now 'highest-grossing Filipino historical film of all time'". inquirer.net. October 2015.
  64. ^ a b Quinto, Keneth (February 16, 2017). "Paulo Avelino Expresses Disappointment Over the Limited Release of I'm Drunk, I Love You". LionhearTV. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  65. ^ a b Anarcon, James Patrick (February 22, 2017). "Paulo Avelino, Maja disappointed by early pullout of I'm Drunk I Love You; FDCP responds". Philippine Entertainment Portal. Retrieved February 22, 2017.
  66. ^ "Film industry celebrates 100 years of PHL Cinema". BusinessWorld. September 20, 2019. Retrieved September 20, 2019.
  67. ^ "Ghosts of Martial Law". National Historical Commission of the Philippines. 2012-09-04. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  68. ^ "Banned and Controversial Filipino Films You Need to See". Esquire. 2020-05-11. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  69. ^ a b "Film, theater and literature: Voices that cannot be silenced". Rappler. 2013-08-31. Retrieved 2022-05-06.
  70. ^ N. Deocampo, "Alternative Cinema 2017-07-12 at the Wayback Machine", accessed June 26, 2017.
  71. ^ Deocampo, N. (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 12, 2017.
  72. ^ Rex Baylon, "2015: A look at Philippine indie film history", Meniscus Magazine, September 17, 2015, , accessed July 7, 2017.
  73. ^ Adrian Goh and Jasmine Ting, "Only Indie Philippines", The GUIDON, May 22, 2016, , accessed July 7, 2017.
  74. ^ a b c "List: Filipino films that made it internationally this 2016". Philippine Primer. December 29, 2016. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  75. ^ Dacanay, Aimee (September 24, 2015). "10 Must-See Critically Acclaimed Pinoy Movies of 2015". SPOT.PH. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  76. ^ "Award Winning Pinoy Indie Films You Have to Watch". Pinoy Top Tens. May 25, 2017. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  77. ^ Dimaculangan, Jocelyn (March 16, 2008). ""Foster Child" wins Signis Award in Spain". PEP.ph. Retrieved July 8, 2017.
  78. ^ Pinoy animation defined December 23, 2008, at the Wayback Machine, Animation Council of the Philippines, Animationcouncil.org
  79. ^ "10 Must-Watch Historical Filipino Films".
  80. ^ . Metro Manila Film Festival. Archived from the original on June 28, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  81. ^ Dolor, Danny (February 21, 2016). . Philippine Star. Archived from the original on July 11, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  82. ^ . IMDb. Archived from the original on February 1, 2016. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  83. ^ . IMDb. Archived from the original on September 24, 2015. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  84. ^ Smith, Chuck (December 28, 2016). . Philippine Star. Archived from the original on June 24, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  85. ^ . GMA News. December 29, 2016. Archived from the original on July 11, 2017. Retrieved July 11, 2017.
  86. ^ "Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino". pistangpelikulangpilipino.ph.
  87. ^ "Three films win special prizes in Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino".
  88. ^ "2007 Philippines Yearly Box Office Results". Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  89. ^ "2008 Philippines Yearly Box Office Results". Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  90. ^ "2009 Philippines Yearly Box Office Results". Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  91. ^ "2010 Philippines Yearly Box Office Results". Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  92. ^ "2011 Philippines Yearly Box Office Results". Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  93. ^ "2012 Philippines Yearly Box Office Results". Retrieved March 17, 2015.
  94. ^ "2013 Philippines Yearly Box Office Results". Retrieved March 17, 2015.

External links

  • Acquiring Eyes: Philippine Visuality, Nationalist Struggle and The World Media-System PDF Jonathan Beller (Manila: Ateneo de Manila University Press, 2006)
  • Philippines' Brillante Mendoza scoops Best Director at Cannes
  • Filipino-language titles at the Internet Movie Database
  • Tagalog-language titles at the Internet Movie Database
  • Criticine Philippines January 3, 2010, at the Wayback Machine – 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
  • 50 Greatest Filipino Films
  • at GMOAT
  • Philippine Cinemas at Flixseats
  • Talaan ng mga Artista sa Pilipinas

January 16, 2023
cinema, philippines, filipino, pelikulang, pilipino, sine, pilipino, began, with, introduction, first, moving, pictures, country, august, 1897, salón, pertierra, manila, following, year, local, scenes, were, shot, film, first, time, spaniard, antonio, ramos, u. The Cinema of the Philippines Filipino Pelikulang Pilipino or Sine Pilipino began with the introduction of the first moving pictures to the country on August 31 1897 at the Salon 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 5 While most early filmmakers and producers in the country were mostly wealthy enterprising foreigners and expatriates on September 12 1919 Dalagang Bukid Country Maiden a movie based on a popular musical play was the first movie made and shown by Filipino filmmaker Jose Nepomuceno 6 Dubbed as the Father of Philippine Cinema his work marked the start of cinema as an art form in the Philippines 7 Cinema of the PhilippinesNo of screens920 2018 1 Per capita0 9 per 100 000 2013 1 Main distributorsStar Cinema 27 1 UIP 17 0 Disney 16 1 2 Produced feature films 2013 3 Total53Number of admissions 2014 4 Total78 300 000 Per capita0 8Gross box office 2017 4 Total 218 millionEven with the problems currently facing motion pictures around the world films are still considered one of the popular forms of entertainment among the Filipino people directly employing some 260 000 Filipinos and generating around 2 billion revenues annually 8 Among its neighbors in Southeast Asia Philippine cinema remains as the strongest in the Southeast Asian region with the majority of films made in the region came from the Philippines along with the film industries of Thailand and Indonesia The Film Development Council of the Philippines established a national film archive in October 2011 9 Furthermore their annually held Luna Awards honor the outstanding Filipino films as voted by their own peers Meanwhile the Manunuri ng Pelikulang Pilipino hands out the Gawad Urian Awards which is well known due to its credible choices of winners Contents 1 Overview 2 History 2 1 Origins and Early Development 2 2 American period 2 3 World War II and Japanese occupation 2 4 Postwar 1940s and the 1950s The First Golden Age 2 4 1 Post war Cebuano and Ilonggo Cinema and its resurgence 2 4 2 The Golden Age and Contemporary Era of Tagalog Cinema 2 5 1960s 2 6 1970s to early 1980s Second Golden Age 2 7 Late 1980s to 1990s 2 8 2000s Decline of commercial movies and emergence of independent films 2 9 2010s Box office resurgence 2 10 2020s Centennial Year of Philippine Cinema and onward 3 Censorship 3 1 Under the Americans and the Early Philippine Republic 3 2 The Eiga Heikusa Under Japanese rule 3 3 Post war censorship 3 4 Bomba films 3 5 The martial law era 3 6 Movie and Television Review and Classification Board 4 Notable directors 5 Independent Filipino Cinema 6 Internationally acclaimed films 7 Animation 8 Historical epics 9 Film Associations and Organizations 10 Yearly revenue 11 See also 12 References 13 External linksOverview EditThe formative years of Philippine cinema starting from the 1930s were a time of discovering the film genre as a new medium of art Scripts and characterisations in films 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 audiences The 1950s saw the first golden age of Philippine cinema 10 11 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 the decline This era can be characterized by rampant commercialism fan movies soft porn films action flicks and western spin offs The 1970s and 1980s were turbulent years for 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 subject matter These years also brought the arrival of alternative or independent film in the Philippines The 1990s saw the emerging popularity of slasher movies teen oriented romantic comedies as well as sexually explicit adult films although slapstick comedies 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 have reemerged 11 The Philippines which as one of Asia s oldest film industries 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 movie viewership from 131 million in 1996 to 63 million in 2004 12 13 From a high of 200 films a year during the 1980s the country s film industry was down to making a total of 56 new films in 2006 and around 30 in 2007 12 13 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 History EditOrigins and Early Development Edit On January 1 1897 the first film shown was Espectaculo Scientifico and followed by other four movies namely Un Homme Au Chapeau Man with a Hat Une scene de danse japonnaise Scene from a Japanese Dance Les Boxers The Boxers and La Place de L Opera The Place L Opera 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 Espanol at Perez 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 is credited by most historians and critics 14 Antonio Ramos a Spanish soldier from Aragon 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 August 28 and the inaugural show was presented to the general public the next day August 29 1897 14 Documentary films showing recent events as well as natural calamities in Europe were shown 11 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 features 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 14 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 Espana 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 14 American period Edit 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 Cinematografo Parisino located at No 80 Calle Crespo in Quiapo In 1903 Jose Jimenez 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 Station 14 In the same year a movie market was formally created in the country along with the arrival of silent movies and American colonialism 11 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 14 In 1905 Herbert Wyndham shot scenes at the Manila Fire Department Albert Yearsley shotthe 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 14 These novelty films however did not capture the hearts of the audience because they were about the foreigners 11 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 film making unit and laboratory from Pathe and sent its chief photographer the American Charles Martin 15 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 14 In 1912 New York and Hollywood film companies started to establish their own agencies in Manila to distribute films 14 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 La vida de Jose Rizal 11 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 14 The first film produced by a Filipino is Jose Nepomuceno s Dalagang Bukid Country Maiden in 1919 based on a highly acclaimed musical play by Hermogenes Ilagan and Leon Ignacio 11 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 dramas or zarzuelas Another source of movie themes at that time was Philippine literature During the 1920s when the Germans and Russians dominated the artistic development of the film and its techniques Examples are The Cabinet of Dr Caligari 1919 Nosferatu 1922 and Battleship Potemkin 1925 Filipino Visayan filmmakers such as Max Borromeo Florentino Borromeo and Celestino Rodriguez collaborated in making El Hijo Disobediente The Disobedient Son in 1922 This black and white silent picture could have been one of the earliest noted films from the Southern Philippines The year 1929 marked the advent of talking pictures but only in 1938 did the Visayan Film Industry have its first talkie entitle Bertoldo Ug Balodoy Bertoldo and Balodoy written by Piux Kabahar which was followed by Mini Fake 1940 and Gugmang Talagsaon Rare Love 1940 by Virgilio Gonzales In Cebu the first movie houses were built by the Avila Clan Ideal Theater 1911 Cine Auditorium 1922 and Cine Oriente The old Teatro Junquera 16 Films have already been showing outside of Manila as early as 1897 through the feats of Senor Pertierra a Spanish expatriate and a certain Englishman going only with the surname of Bischoff Mr Bischoff was the first to show films in Iloilo in 1903 These were short features produced by the film company Cinematographo Pastor and were screened nightly from 6 30 to 9 30 in Bischoff s bodega or camarin in Calle Real Later on other film companies have also begun to rise such as Cinematografo Insular which arrived from Manila to Iloilo in 1905 Cinematografo Teatro Colon and Cinematografo Parsien To coincide with the rising of such film companies there came the establishment of movie houses in Iloilo In 1919 one highlighted event that stood out from that decade was the showing of the first full length Tagalog feature film in Iloilo Jose Nepomuceno s Dalagang Bukid literal translation from Tagalog mountain girl Thousands of Ilonggo film buffs went to see the movie and were highly moved by it In Iloilo Teatro Malhabour touted as the first cinema or movie house in Iloilo was opened to the public on July 3 1908 at the corner of Calle Quinones now Mabini and Calle Concepcion now Ledesma It was owned by Felix Malhabour a policeman and a member of the board of the Iglesia Filipina Independiente 17 Other early cinema or movies houses in Iloilo City include the Rex Theater Roxy Theater Republic Theater and Cine Commonwealth built around 1910s 1920s The two prominent or popular cinema houses in Iloilo include the oldest still existing and operating movie theater in Iloilo Cine Palace and the now defunct Cine Eagle both built in 1928 18 19 20 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 14 Jose 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 14 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 11 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 21 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 Carmen Rosales 1917 1991 Angel Esmeralda 1915 1985 Ben Rubio Fely Vallejo Exequiel Segovia Yolanda Marquez Teddy Benavides Manuel Barbeyto 1902 1979 Ernesto la Guardia Rogelio dela Rosa 1916 1986 Rudy Concepcion 1915 1940 Alfonso Carvajal Elsa Oria Andres Centenera b 1914 Tita Duran 1929 1991 Fernando Poe 1916 1951 Corazon Noble Monang Carvajal 1898 1980 Mila del Sol 1923 2020 Rosa del Rosario 1917 2006 Ely Ramos World War II and Japanese occupation Edit During the Japanese Occupation filmmaking was suddenly put to a halt As was the case in Japan s other colonial and occupied film markets Japanese film companies took over the local exhibition venues replacing films from the Hollywood and the region with Japanese films for propaganda Japanese films had been imported into the Philippines since the late 1930s but without great success Japanese sponsored film production in the Philippines continued until 1945 but was limited mostly to newsreels and educational films Although the Philippines never became a center for feature film production under the Japanese it was a strategically important market for Japan First unlike Manchuria where the Japanese literally had to construct a film industry the Philippines already had many large well equipped motion picture theaters that were well stocked with significant Hollywood product Many confiscated films were exported back to Japan to train its filmmakers Production facilities were better in the Philippines than any other market in the Japanese empire with the exception of Shanghai This was another reason why such Japanese film companies as the Nanyo Film Association 南洋映画協会 and Film Distributors 映画配給者 each established branch offices in Manila in 1942 Further due to the long period of American influence the local film community boasted a significant number of people who had worked in Hollywood during the silent era and had considerable experience 22 In 1944 Toho Studios sent director Abe Yutaka to Manila to produce the first of what would be the only two feature films to be entirely shot on location by the Japanese Ano hata o ute あの旗を撃て aka Dawn of Freedom told the story of the Japanese victory at the Battle of Corregidor and the U S military s hasty retreat from the islands The film presented the Japanese as Asian liberators who came to free the Filipinos from decades of colonial oppression that began with the Spanish and continued with the Americans The film was shot in Japanese Tagalog and English and was written for the screen by Tsutomo Sawamura co directed by Gerardo de Leon uncredited and co starred Fernando Po and Leopold Celecdo The other Japanese produced feature film shot in the Philippines was Tatlong Maria 1944 23 At the same time the comedy duo Pugo and Togo popular for satirizing Japanese occupation in the Philippines 24 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 However perhaps out of deference to the substantial local Japanese population film censors were sensitive to Japanese complaints about negative representations of Japanese in U S films screened in the Philippines and aggressively cut scenes depicting Japanese soldiers committing atrocities in Thunder in the Orient 1939 and Fight For Peace 1939 years before Japanese military occupation 25 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 Postwar 1940s and the 1950s The First Golden Age Edit Post war Cebuano and Ilonggo Cinema and its resurgence Edit After the second world war a resurgence of Visayan films came about through Lapu Lapu Pictures which produced Timbu Mata 1948 starring Eva de Villa and Lino Ramas and Damgo ni Adan Adan s Dream produced by Rudy Robles Then came Mactan Films which produced Tahas Mission 1950 starring Luz Celeste and Dakay Mat Ranillo was in this film Then Balud Wave 1950 which starred Luz Celeste and Mat Ranillo Another independent picture Sa Kabukiran In the Mountains 1948 was also produced during this time By 1951 Azucena Productions was established by the Arong Family owners of Rene and Liberty Theaters They produced Princesa Tirana Princess Tirana 1951 with Mat Ranillo and Gloria Sevilla her first feature title role after she was discovered through a declamation contest at the University of the Visayas as lead players Their first feature together made such a box office success in the Visayas and Mindanao that other features immediately followed Leonora 1951 Pailub Lang Be Forebearing 1951 Utlanan Border 1952 Handumanan Memoir 1953 Inahan Mother 1952 starring Mat Ranillo and Caridad Sanchez Antigan 1952 with Virgie Postigo and Arise Roa Carmen 1 and 2 from the famous radio drama in Cebu 1953 Paabuta Lang Ako Wait for Me 1953 Gloria Kong Anak Gloria My Child 1953 and Gihigugma Kong Ikaw I Love You 1954 Mat and Gloria then became synonymous to Visayan pictures and since then were called as the King and Queen of Visayan Movies In 1953 a film entitled Sangang Nangabali Broken Branches produced by Cebu Stars Production broke box office records in the mid 1950s Cebu Stars Productions owned by the Tojong Family had earlier produced Dimakaling 1952 and Mga Anak Intawon Oh Poor Children 1953 Other independent Visayan films produced at this time were Mapait Ang Balaod by Arturo Blanco 1953 Bugas Mais Corn Rice by Arturo Blanco 1953 Kapintas Sa Kinabuhi Hard Life 1953 Cebu Stars Productions with Esterlina and Rebecca Torres Pit Senor Hail Senor and San Tilmo 1953 Barba Productions Ang Siloy 1953 with Nora Hermosa and Rebecca Torres Huni sa Gugma Where Is Love 1953 Dadansoy 1953 and Inahan Mother 1954 Mutya and VM Productions formed by Natalio Bacalso former Cebu assemblyman entered Salingsing sa Kasakit Partner in Pain directed by Bacalso in the 1955 FAMAS derby and won the Best Child Actor Award for Undo Juezan These movie outfits also produced some memorable features such as Ungo Sa Parian Witch In The Parian Remember Erlinda Rosita Politika Politics and Mutya sa Saging Tindok Muse of Saging Tindok Garbosa Proud 1957 and Matam is Ang Pagpaubos Too Sweet to Suffer 1957 were also released during this time Mat ang Gloria finally got married off screen in real life and formed S R Productions in 1954 The company s initial projects were Paradista 1955 and May Luhang Nahabilin sa Baybayon A Tear Fell on the Shore 1955 and even as they moved on to make Tagalog movies in Manila they still continued producing Visayan movies like It is the Palm That Commands with Flash Elorde and Edita Clomera Palad Ta Ang Nagbuot Lungsod Sa Buenavista Town of Buenavista 1969 and Hain Ang Langit Where is Heavean 1969 with Gloria Sevilla and Mat Ranillo and Von Serna this is Mat s last movie Badlis sa Kinabuhi The Line of Life 1969 was entered in the 18th FAMAS Awards and got 12 nominations out of 14 categories Gloria Sevilla won Best Actress Frankie Navaja Jr won Best Child Performer and the late Mat Ranillo got a posthumous award Mat Ranillo had earlier died in a plane crash in 1969 The film Badlis was the Philippine entry to the ASEAN Film Festival in Indonesia and was showcased under the informative division of the Berlin Film Festival the film was dubbed in English in Hong Kong and retitled Destined In 1970 Badlis Sa Kinabuhi and Palad Ta Ang Nagbuot were released in their original Visayan versions in Metro Manila and made good at the box office Ang Bayan The Country 1970 was also produced at this time The 1970s saw the emergence of more Visayan talents in the Tagalog film industry Actresses such as Chanda Romero Caridad Sanches Alma Moreno Tessie Sevilla Rebecca Torres Aurora Villa Eva de Villa Rosita Fernandez Virgie Postigo Virgie Solis Olivia Solis Cora Real Diana Arong Luz Celeste Annabelle Rama Suzette Ranillo Lady Ramos Pilar Pilapil and others stepped into the limelight Male leads to name a few were Bert Nombrado Ber Lopez Tony Delgado Riel Ylaya Lino Ramas Arturo Blanco Arturo de Castille Frankie Navaja Jr Tony Cruz Undo Juezan Felix de Catalina Arsie Roa Warfi Engracia Kadyo Roma and Romy Kintanar who is now a sports commentator Directors Leroy Salvador Fernando Alfon Talyo Bacalso Sat Villarino Gene Labella Leox Juesan Cesar B Cesar and Emmanuel H Borlaza also originated from the south Borlaza directed Alma Bonita with Chanda Romero and Ernie Garcia and Paypay Placid Fan of Placid Diadem Films with Pepito Rodriguez Lilian Lain Alice Mendez and Justo C Justo Other films that were produced at this time were Medalyon Nga Bulawan Medalyon Na Ginto produced by Annabelle Rama starring Bert Leroy Gina Pareno Jerry Pons Charlie Davao Johnny Delgado Raul Aragon Alice Mendez and Yoyoy Villame with Nobo Bono Jr and Tessie Sevilla Mayor AndalBatul of Mactan Battle of Mactan JRJ Productions starring Chanda Romero Eddie Peregrina and Alice Mendez Anino sa Villa Lagrimas Shadow of Villa Lagrimas starring Chanda Romero and Ernie Garcia Bulawan Sa Lapok Gold in the Mud starring Alicia Alonzon Bert Leroy Jr Tommy Abuel and Dindo Fernando Antonio Solitaryo and Mga Milagaro sa Santo Nino Miracles of Sto Nino Magnolia Films both directed by Sol Gaudite Aliyana 1974 and Ikaduhang Bathala Second God 1974 Gloria Sevilla remarried in 1971 and together with her husband Amado Cortez of the Padilla clan went on to produce another Visayan film entitled Gimingaw Ako I Long For You 1974 which was shot entirely in Cebu City and directed by Amado Cortez starring Gloria Sevilla Suzette Ranillo Bert Nombrado and Inday Nita Cortez This film won the FAMAS Best Actress Award for Gloria Sevilla and Best Supporting Actress Award for Suzette Ranillo Naghila Ako Sa Kahilum Crying Silently also came about within the year Other independent productions were Diego Salvador 1973 Ang Pagbabalik ni Diego Salvador The Return of Diego Salvador 1974 with Von Serna and Sabrin 1975 with Chanda Romero and Rebecca Torres Visayan film producers continued trying to revive the Visayan movies in the mid seventies by filming in the 16mm format and transferring the material to 35mm for theatrical release Films such as Ang Manok ni San Pedro St Peter s Rooster 1975 and Itlog Manoy Orange The Orange Egg Vendor 1976 were originally shot in 16mm This less costly process however did not prevent the Visayan film industry from finally going into a dormant stage The Tagalog film industry was just at an upswing at this time prompting Visayan producers to venture into television production instead It was not until 1991 that another Visayan film project was brought to the big screen Eh Kasi Babae Because She Is a Woman starring Pilita Corales Yoyoy Villame and Manilyn Reynes was produced then followed by Matud Nila They Say 1991 Bisaya Films Inc produced by James R Cuenco Jr This starred Gloria Sevilla Mat Ranillo III Suzette Ranillo Dandin Ranillo Juni Ranillo Pilar Pilapil Jennifer Sevilla Mark Gil and Pinky Marquez Matud Nila also marked the last film directed by Leroy Salvador Bundles of 35 mm films of several old movies being kept by the Mowelfund at the Movie Museum of the Philippines in Quezon City The Golden Age and Contemporary Era of Tagalog Cinema Edit 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 soldiers and guerrillas The 1950s was 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 Leon Eddie Romero and Cesar 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 Lamberto Avellana 1915 1991 Gerardo de Leon 1913 1981 Gregorio Fernandez Consuelo Ateng Padilla Osorio Cesar Gallardo Armando Garces Eddie Romero 1924 2013 Cirio Santiago 1936 2008 The biggest stars of the era were but not limited to Tessie Agana Dely Atayatayan 1914 2004 Andoy Balunbalunan Bentot 1928 1986 Nida Blanca 1936 2001 Nena Cardenas Bayani Casimiro 1918 1989 Levi Celerio 1910 2002 Chichay 1918 1993 Chiquito 1932 1997 Manuel Conde 1915 1985 Rogelio de la Rosa 1916 1986 Jaime de la Rosa 1921 1992 Gil de Leon b 1925 Van de Leon b 1925 Nestor de Villa 1928 2004 Eddie del Mar 1919 1986 Rosa del Rosario 1917 2006 Mila del Sol b 1923 Lauro Delgado 1932 1978 Dolphy 1928 2012 Linda Estrella 1922 2012 Arsenia Francisco Eddie Garcia 1925 2019 Rita Gomez Luis Gonzales 1928 2012 oscar Keese Anita Linda 1924 2020 Vicente Liwanag Lopito Rosa Mia Fred Montilla oscar Moreno actor oscar Obligacion Bert Olivar Jose Padilla Jr 1911 1978 Paraluman 1923 2009 Patsy Pachochay Fred Penalosa Ben Perez Pugak Pugo 1910 1978 Cesar Ramirez 1929 2003 Delia Razon Efren Reyes Sr 1924 1968 Johnny Reyes Lolita Rodriguez 1935 2016 Gloria Romero b 1933 Rosa Rosal b 1931 Carmen Rosales 1917 1991 Ben Rubio Ruben Rustia Carlos Salazar b 1933 Tony Santos Sr Charito Solis 1935 1998 Togo 1905 1952 Tolindoy Tugak Carol Varga Alicia Vergel 1927 1992 Evelyn Villar Billy Surot Vizcarra Zaldy Zshornack 1937 2002 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 Dona Sisang de Leon 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 films 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 starring John Wayne as Genghis Khan and produced by RKO Radio Pictures And also of Columbia Pictures film Genghis Khan in which Omar Sharif portrayed in the title role in 1965 In 1956 Anak Dalita won 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 Maria 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 Maria 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 1960s Edit This era is characterized by rampant commercialism with James Bond and Western knock offs and in the later 1960s the so called bomba soft porn pictures It was also the era of musical films produced mostly by Sampaguita Pictures and their discovered talents The studio systems 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 cowboys and secret agents as the movers of the plots depicted a society ravaged by criminality and corruption 11 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 Huwag Mo Akong Limutin Never Forget Me in 1960 Noli Me Tangere Touch Me Not in 1961 El Filibusterismo Subversion in 1962During 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 14 1970s to early 1980s Second Golden Age Edit Touted as the second golden age of Philippine cinema this was the period of the avant garde filmmakers At the turn of the 70s local producers and filmmakers ceased to produce pictures in black and white 11 14 In 1972 the Philippines was placed under 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 11 Maharlika was a 1971 film banned by then first lady Imelda Marcos because it starred actress Dovie Beams who was allegedly Ferdinand Marcos mistress 26 The producer of the film was Luis Nepomuceno son of Filipino filmmaker Jose Nepomuceno The company that produced the film went bankrupt as the banned screening prevented them from recouping production costs In pity Imelda Marcos offered loans to the company through government banks However the bank would then go on to foreclose the film company The film portrayed the story of Ferdinand Marcos life in the Philippine Military There have been allegations that the film was propaganda intended to portray Marcos as a war hero who fought against the Japanese in World War II 27 Although the film was banned it was allowed to make its cinematic debut in 1987 after the EDSA Revolution 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 Diaz and filmed in the famed Sicogon Island in Carles Iloilo 11 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 Ishmael Bernal 1938 1996 Pagdating sa Dulo 1971 Nunal sa Tubig 1975 Salawahan 1979 Manila by Night City After Dark 1980 Relasyon 1982 Himala 1982 Hinugot sa Langit 1985 Lino Brocka 1939 1991 Tinimbang Ka Ngunit Kulang 1974 Maynila sa mga Kuko ng Liwanag 1975 Insiang 1976 Ang Tatay Kong Nanay 1978 Bona 1980 Bayan Ko Kapit sa Patalim 1984 Orapronobis 1989 Celso Ad Castillo 1943 2012 Burlesk Queen 1977 Pagputi ng Uwak Pag itim ng Tagak 1978 Mike de Leon b 1947 Itim 1976 Kakabakaba Ka Ba 1980 Kisapmata 1981 Batch 81 1982 Sister Stella L 1984 Peque Gallaga 1943 2020 Oro Plata Mata 1982 Scorpio Nights 1985 Mario O Hara 1946 2012 Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos 1976 Babae sa Breakwater 2003 In 1977 Eric de Guia 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 Deocampo 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 28 The same year Viva Films was established and began its rise as a production company Also in 1981 first lady Imelda Marcos organized the first Manilla International Film Festival MIFF The objective was to promote Filipino films for them to be distributed worldwide A lavish event took place January 18 29 1982 major entertainment figures were present including Priscilla Presley Franco Nero Brooke Shields Jeremy Irons etc Local filmmakers saw it as a real opportunity to showcase their talents The spy comedy spoof For Your Height Only 1981 turned Ernesto dela Cruz better known as Weng Weng in a short lived international star and gave him the notoriety to become a unique figure in cinema being a short person who performs death defying stunts 29 30 31 32 At the event For Your Height Only outsold every other films on foreign sales while dela Cruz was the mediatic center of attention and the breakthrough celebrity Marcos daughter Imee said dela Cruz s success shocked and shattered everyone s artistic aspirations Filipino film historians Teddy Co and Ed Lejano said that in the film industry the Weng Weng image was uncomfortable since at the time they had no other international figures The film became Philippines highest exported film and within their acting community dela Cruz s international reach hasn t been topped 33 The second MIFF took place from January 24 February 4 1983 280 local and foreign films were screened out of competition in the 12 day festival while 22 films from 21 countries competed for seven different categories 34 Despite the festival s financial success the festival received criticisms from the Catholic Church film censors and civic groups Manila Archbishop Jaime Cardinal Sin criticized the festival s organizers Johnny Litton and First Lady Imelda Marcos for allowing the screening of soft core pornographic movies in participating theaters 35 36 Board of Review for Motion Pictures and Television Chairman Maria Kalaw Katigbak also questioned the legality of showing films banned by the board in commercial cinemas Because of the controversies and public outcry the succeeding Manila International Film Festivals were permanently canceled 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 This Is My Country depicted images of torture incarceration struggles and oppression 11 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 37 The Philippines most political filmmaker was Lino Brocka 1939 1991 His works such as Manila in the Claws of Light 1975 and Fight for Us 1989 were considered the opening and the end of the golden age of film in the country Brocka s works were committed to an anti Marcos anti authoritarian type of politics and highly valued the freedom of artistic expression He contributed in the building of a post Marcos Philippines and was able to help topple the Marcos dictatorship through his active participation in cultural and social activities His films told the story of the underclass struggle the dark side of a sprawling metropolis and featured poverty stricken locations which were able to make a statement with regards to the Marcos autocratic rule and human rights violations He was also notably part of the group of filmmakers artists and cultural workers that formed the Free Artist Movement which eventually became the Concerned Artists of the Philippines This group challenged the censorship practice that the Marcoses imposed on all artistic media Late 1980s to 1990s Edit Come to think of it it s been 90 years they say since the first film was shown on these shores but it seems that the most popular medium of the century has failed to explore the various facets of our lives JC Nigado writing for the Manila Standard in July 1987 38 By the time the People Power Revolution deposed Ferdinand Marcos from the presidency most Filipino films were mass produced with quality sacrificed for commercial success Storylines were unimaginative and predictable comedy was slapstick and the acting was either mediocre or overly dramatic Producers resorted to formulas that worked well in the past that cater to the standards and tastes of the masses 10 37 and story ideas were often copied from Hollywood and Hong Kong films that were successful in local cinemas 39 Romantic dramas broad comedy films and soft pornographic pictures composed the majority of the genre produced while the action genre became especially prevalent during this period in 1992 critic Justino Dormiendo observed that the action flick itself remains as the most abused genre in our time 40 In reviewing the acclaimed 41 American drama film Stand by Me JC Nigado of the Manila Standard stated that he was disturbed while viewing the film because I was hard put trying to figure out what local movie could have approximated it And it bothered me that I couldn t think of any 38 Copying is Philippine cinema s biggest crime even back then In truth it already became an art form here When the Chinese kung fu became trendy here we became more kung fu and more Chinese than them When the cowboy of Americans and Italians became trendy here we became more Jesse James and Django than them When Sylvester Stallone s Rocky was released our Rocky Tulog and Totoy Bato sprung up For Rambo our carbon copy is Rambo Tango Lav Diaz writing for the Manila Standard in May 1988 39 With the imposition of a high amusement tax 42 the number of films annually produced by the industry declined throughout the 1980s 43 although the number was still more than 200 films a year Majority of them were pito pito films shot in seven to ten days and aimed at quickly recouping their minimal costs Attendance in theaters rose and several productions became huge successes New laws were also introduced that gave more rights to women causing several female directors to launch careers 44 Aside from competition with Hollywood films 13 the Asian Financial Crisis escalating cost of film production exorbitant taxes arbitrary and too much film censorship high tech film piracy 45 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 46 In 1993 a television station ventured into film 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 47 2000s Decline of commercial movies and emergence of independent films Edit See also Philippine New Wave Cinema 2010s Box office resurgence Edit Vice Ganda starred in some of the highest grossing Filipino films with the highest one being at 598 million 2011 is the most fruitful year in Philippine Cinema history as 3 films produced within the year all from Star Cinema landed in the top 3 of the highest grossing Filipino films of all time 48 Wenn Deramas The Unkabogable Praybeyt Benjamin grossed 331 6 million in box office and became the highest grossing local film in the Philippines 49 No Other Woman grossed 278 39 million while 2011 Metro Manila Film Festival MMFF entry Enteng Ng Ina Mo has a gross income of 237 89 million as of January 7 2012 update and considered the highest grossing MMFF entry of all time 50 However Sisterakas a Kris Aquino Ai Ai delas Alas Vice Ganda movie replaced the title of Enteng ng Ina Mo and the Unkabogable Praybeyt Benjamin as it became the highest grossing Filipino film and highest grossing MMFF entry of all time In 2013 It Takes a Man and a Woman the third film of the A Very Special Love series of Sarah Geronimo and John Lloyd Cruz made many box office records one of which is being the current Highest Grossing Filipino Film of All Time replacing Sisterakas It made 375 024 507 during its theatrical run in the Philippines and 211 573 332 overseas for a total of 586 597 839 worldwide until Vice Ganda s Girl Boy Bakla Tomboy and Kris Aquino s My Little Bossings both are MMFF entries surpassed their local box office record and battle for the first spot 51 52 53 In 2014 The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin another Vice Ganda film breaks his own record again with an estimated gross of PHP450 000 000 00 54 Meanwhile the sequel of Kris Aquino s Feng Shui series is the highest grossing Filipino horror film 55 In 2015 a new box office breaking record has been set as A Second Chance the sequel of John Lloyd Cruz and Bea Alonzo s One More Chance earns PHP 556 000 000 worldwide surpassing Phenomenal Box Office Star Vice Ganda s The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin 56 It is surpassed again by a Star Cinema Viva Films produced film Beauty and the Bestie 57 still starred by the Phenomenal Box Office Star Vice Ganda The mid 2010s also saw broader commercial success of films produced by independent studios with Antoinette Jadaone s Cinema One Originals Film Festival entry That Thing Called Tadhana achieving commercial success upon its commercial release in 2015 becoming the highest grossing independently produced Filipino film of all time in under 3 weeks despite facing piracy issues online during its run 58 59 September 2015 saw the release of Jerrold Tarog s Heneral Luna a 2015 historical biopic film depicting General Antonio Luna s leadership of the Philippine Revolutionary Army during the Philippine American War produced by an independent outfit called Artikulo Uno Productions Because it was independently produced Heneral Luna initially fell prey to the commercial theater practice of dropping films after only a few screening days on the first week But praise from critics and audiences alike praising the film s writing plot acting and cinematography resulted in a word of mouth campaign to bring the movie back to theaters 60 As a result Heneral Luna become the highest grossing Filipino historical film of all time on its third week in cinemas 61 62 63 Similar word of mouth campaigns would allow critically acclaimed films like Antoinette Jadaone s That Thing Called Tadhana commercially released in 2015 58 59 and JP Habac s I m Drunk I Love You 2017 64 65 to achieve broad commercial success even if they did not benefit from the large promotional budget and television cross promotion enjoyed by commercial studio films 58 59 64 65 2020s Centennial Year of Philippine Cinema and onward Edit On September 12 2019 the film industry celebrated its One Hundred Years of Philippine Cinema in pursuant to Presidential Proclamation 622 S 2018 which declares the same day up until September 11 2020 as Philippine Cinema s Centennial Year 66 Censorship EditUnder the Americans and the Early Philippine Republic Edit Censorship in the Philippines truly began under the reign of the Spaniards who prohibited works that were deemed revolutionary While they prohibited literary musical and visual forms of art film censorship was included in the picture upon the American colonization When the Americans took over after the Spanish American War in 1898 a brief stint of Philippine cultural freedom after independence from Spain was halted General Arthur MacArthur s military censorship focused on repressing nationalism along with the Flag Act of 1907 Because film in itself was only beginning to form at the time motion pictures brought to the Philippines were tame and film was not yet seen as an avenue for social and cultural subversion In 1929 the Philippine Legislature creates Act No 3582 titled An Act to Create a Board of Censorship for Moving Pictures and Define Its Functions The board consisted of 15 members that sought to examine all films spoken or silent imported or produced in the Philippine Islands and prohibit the introduction and exhibition in this country of films which in their judgement are immoral or contrary to law and good customs or injurious to the prestige of the Government of people of the Philippine Islands In 1930 The first meeting of the board was conducted in the office of then Secretary of the Interior Honoro Ventura and the first president of the board was Teodoro M Kalaw Out of the 1 249 films approved 6 had parts cut out Two films were banned In 1937 the film Batang Tulisan directed by Rod Avlas and produced by Philippine Films was set to be released and controversies arose regarding its sudden ban The cost of production totaled 16 000 Pesos and the film 2 and a half months to complete Four reasons were stated as to why it was pulled out Three are aspects of the movie the priest portrayed in a villainous light the use of a hypodermic needle as a murder weapon the amorous scenes between a 10 year old couple and the fact that the film might give the youth certain subversive ideas The production crew argued that this was an example of foreign films being given more lenience despite being as bad or sometimes worse than local cinema The novel adaptation of Batang Tulisan which was published in Liwayway Magazine in contrast was not met with the same negative criticism In 1938 the Board of Censorship was renamed the Board of Review for Moving Pictures enabled by the amendment of the law by Commonwealth Act No 305 The Eiga Heikusa Under Japanese rule Edit In 1942 the Japanese occupation of the Philippines led to what was arguably the strictest period of censorship the country has faced The Eiga Heikusa was established to act as a Board of Censors and introduced Japanese films with American subtitles In light of Japan s desire to convert the Philippines into a willing member of the Greater East Asia Co Prosperity Sphere printed matter radio shows theater plays and visual art were heavily monitored leading to the hiatus of production for Philippine cinema until 1945 As a result the country saw an increase in theatrical productions Screen actors such as Carmen Rosales Rogelio de la Rosa Norma Blancaflor Ely Ramos Elsa Oria Leopoldo Salcedo and Ester Magalona took to the entablado and were received well Theaters showed bodabil a malapropism of Vaudeville shows where actors would perform a special number upon knowing that they were to be raided by the Kempei Tai signaling the viewers to flee Post war censorship Edit Independence and the regime of then President Manuel Roxas saw the creation of a new Board of Reviews for Moving Pictures led by Marciano Roque who would also become Executive Secretary under President Quirino In months the board reviewed 76 films with only 5 being locally made Due to the non confirmation by the Congress of all 10 members of the board it was reconstituted on October 29 1946 with its 7 official members The newly appointed chairman was Dr Gabriel Manalac and the secretary was Teodoro Valencia The board had grown to 12 members by 1947 having reviewed a total of 463 films for the year 435 were foreign and 28 were locally produced By the time the Philippines had 463 officially recorded theaters with 71 of them being in Manila Ako Raw ay Huk Dir Ramon Estrella is one of the films that was banned at the time due to allegations of it promoting communism In 1950 a Code of Motion Picture Censorship was instilled further identifying what aspects were considered censorable Scenes that depict drunkenness as attractive scenes that depict drug trafficking and scenes that deal with sex and surgical subjects when shown to selected groups are some examples of scenes that were put under review Foreign films banned at the time include The Moon Is Blue Dir Otto Preminger in 1954 and Martin Luther Dir Irving Pichel in 1953 Perlas ng Silangan Dir Pablo Santiago was screened without edits which spiked a protest from the Provincial Board of Sulu claiming that it misrepresented Muslim culture The Citizens Council for Better Motion Pictures was established by in 1960 as a response to a grave concern over the general disappearance of the cherished virtues and traditions of the Christian way of life the alarming increase in juvenile delinquency and the deterioration of public and private morals In 1961 they lobbied for what is presently known as the Censorship Law Republic Act No 3060 which was approved on June 17 1961 The law created an Appeals Committee composed of the undersecretaries of justice national defense and education This committee could revoke the decisions of the Board of Censors Independent from the CCBMP the still standing Board of Censors had grown to 24 members and could now establish a system of classification which consisted of two categories for general patronage and for adults only Jose L Guevara was appointed by President Diosdado Macapagal as the new chairperson in 1962 and the board members appointed by President Carlos P Garcia were removed on account of their positions being midnight extensions In 1962 the board lifted the ban on mouth to mouth kissing so long as it was deemed non lascivious In 1963 and after a long pleaded appeal from the public the board bans films that heavily play up violence and crime Ang Manananggol Ni Ruben Dir Eddie Garcia was a 1963 film heavily based on the story of Ruben Ablaza who was convicted for the rape of Annabelle Huggins The film was initially approved and quickly banned in September but was screened again in December after being renamed to Ang Manananggol In 1965 Iginuhit ng Tadhana Dir Jose de Villa is released and is arguably one of the most controversial films to come out of Philippine cinema in that it was able to set the tone of Ferdinand Marcos entire presidential campaign The movie which chronicled the life of Marcos had reached the realm of politics ultimately leading the appointment of Marcos to presidency In August 1965 the film was approved without change but its premiere in September was halted on the time of the premiere itself An en banc of the film was requested by then acting chairman Rosalina Castro raising much suspicion from the press and the Nacionalistas Days after then chairman Jose L Guevara resigned from his spot Bomba films Edit 1967 onwards saw a relaxing of rules by the Board of Censorship who started allowing more nudity and explicit sex This led to the rise of commercial pornographic bomba taken from the term bombshell which normally included a scandal in Political public office films which persisted despite heavy criticism from Catholic groups These films usually depicted outright nudity and sexual scenes cut portions from previously banned films or the entire prohibited films themselves The rise of bomba films was attributed to the fact that movies tackled more adult realistic themes The ideal of a true Filipino was introduced These films also brought in a new audience for Philippine film the usual filmgoers the teenagers who saw the films as hip and the youth who used these films as a means for their own sexual awakenings the educated collegiate and the working class crowd On another side the larger audience of these films were the male devotees who came to see the sex scenes and left as soon as the last one finished airing Some films from this era include Ang Saging ni Pacing Dayukdok Dir Luis San Juan the movie was only approved by the board upon being renamed to Ang Magsasaing ni Pacing Ang Batuta ni Drakula Dir Luis San Juan Gutom Dir Danny Zialcita Sabik Dir Angelito de Guzman Laman sa Laman Dirs Lauro Pacheco Jose Sibal and Hayok Dir Ruben Abalos among many other titles While the non ban of these kinds of films led to the liquidation of censorship committees for most countries this was not the case for the Philippines likely due to the demand in box office On February 22 1970 the theaters Pablace and Mayfair are picketed by protesters who went against bomba movies In 1972 the Board begins its anti sex policy which was backed by the general public who deemed the films as attributing to the upsurge of crimes by minors and loose morality of youth The martial law era Edit Main article List of films about martial law under Ferdinand Marcos Film censorship under the martial law dictatorship was undertaken as part of the stifling of free expression and civil rights during which artists journalists activists and members of the opposition were under threats of sanctions or arrest 67 Prior to the administration of Ferdinand Marcos and the declaration of Martial Law in 1972 policing films had been a matter which only went as far as censorship and the non distribution of movies in the country The Board of Censorship then had no right to take legal action against any film director actor producing company or theater that had violated any of its mandates Cases like these were to be brought up to the local government who had jurisdiction over legal matters On September 27 1972 Marcos issued Letter of Instructions No 13 which he claimed would uphold morality in the youth However the ban was instead used to stifle dissent and to maintain the propaganda of the government at the time Among the films banned were Hubad na Bayani 1977 Manila By Night 1980 Bayan Ko Kapit sa Patalim 1984 among many others 68 The letter stated 7 kinds of films that were not to be exhibited in any local theater Films which tend to incite subversion insurrection or rebellion against the State Films which tend to undermine the faith and confidence of the people in their government and or duly constituted authorities Films which glorify criminals or condone crimes Films which serve no other purpose but to satisfy the market for violence or pornography Films which offend any race or religion Films which tend to abet the traffic in and use of prohibited drugs Films contrary to law public order morals good customs established policies lawful orders decrees or edicts and any or all films which in the judgment of the Board are similarly objectionable and contrary to the letter and spirit of Proclamation No 1081 What made this proclamation different from those appointed by the board was that the government now had jurisdiction over bodies that were at fault It was proclaimed in coordination with the Department of National Defense In fear of legal action and prosecution the board tightened their rules banning 148 imported movies and 50 local movies which displayed negative acts Films were expected to uphold objectives of the New Society through upholding moral values and ensuring that the ideologies shown did not subvert the peace of the nation and the mind Aside from the Letter of Instructions the board had assumed three more rights apart from the right to cut scenes from movies the right to 1 encourage 2 warn and 3 be consulted Taking from the British Board of Film Censors the board started requiring submission of the full script of a movie before it was slated to begin production This allows the board to warn the producers of possible issues within the script Due to this there have been fewer portions cut out of local movies with 163 of 173 films being approved for general audiences from September 21 1972 to September 21 1973 This also resulted in longer more sophisticated films that wasted less shooting time and production cost The divide between the government and filmmakers and in result the viewing public became smaller as national responsibility was imbibed in the art of filmmaking in itself Filmmakers and other artists protested censorship and the suppression of civil rights 69 For example Lino Brocka and other artists organized protests against arbitrary senseless censorship in 1983 They organized the Free the Artist movement which led to the founding of the Concerned Artists of the Philippines 69 Movie and Television Review and Classification Board Edit On October 5 1985 Executive Order No 876 A was created to reformat the Board of Review for Motion Pictures leading to the creation of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board The board was created only for the purpose of classifying cinematic films and television shows The board holds 30 members at any given time with the first chairman after the Executive Order being Manuel Manoling Morato who took office in 1986 The board classifies movies into 6 categories listed below DescriptionG Viewers of all ages are admitted PG Viewers below 13 years old must be accompanied by a parent or supervising adult R 13 Only viewers who are 13 years old and above can be admitted R 16 Only viewers who are 16 years old and above can be admitted R 18 Only viewers who are 18 years old and above can be admitted X X rated films are not suitable for public exhibition Notable directors EditAlthough foreign films were shown in the Philippines since the Spanish period interest in the creation of local films was not given much attention by the Filipinos However the advent of Hollywood films during the American period sparked the interest of Filipinos and eventually led to the boom of filmmakers in the country Jose Nepomuceno is known as the Father of Philippine Movies and is considered one of the pioneers of Filipino cinema His first movie entitled Dalagang Bukid 1919 a stage play turned movie is the first movie produced by a Filipino filmmaker Along with his brother Jesus they founded the film company Malayan Movies which later produced over a hundred movies Some of the titles include La Venganza de Don Silvestre 1920 La Mariposa Negra 1920 and El Capullo Marchito 1921 among others Lino Brocka was a prominent Filipino director who received fame in the 1970s Growing up he gained interest in American film which led him to pursue a career in the film industry Most of Brocka s films revolve around the issues faced by the common Filipino such as poverty discrimination and politics He is also known to be anti Marcos and created films to protest against Martial Law Some of his films include Ora Pro Nobis 1989 and Gumapang Ka Sa Lusak 1990 among others He is a recipient of five Filipino Academy of Movie Arts and Sciences FAMAS best director in 1970 1974 1975 1979 and 1990 Marilou Diaz Abaya was a multi awarded film and TV producer and director who gained fame for her film Jose Rizal 1998 This film also earned her a Best Director Award from the Metro Manila Film Festival Diaz Abaya claimed that she used her films and shows as a way to promote social issues in the Philippines such as the state of the country s democracy Some of these films include Brutal Karnal and Ipaglaban Mo Independent Filipino Cinema EditIndependent Filipino cinema has existed for almost as long as commercialized cinema but this type of cinema has not been recognized as much and thus has few historical accounts Many of the independent films show actual happenings in the society using authentic voices of the people but oftentimes these films have been suppressed due to its revelations about social and political realities or marginalized due to its cinematography These films also sometimes offer valuable historical content In its early beginnings alternative cinemas were documentaries about the Philippines Jose Nepomuceno was first commissioned to make documentaries about the richest industries in the Philippines and his most famous one was about the hemp industry Other alternative films made during 1920 1955 include Old Manila Tres Sangganos Intramuros Jose Rizal March of the Time Series The Philippines and Woodcarving in the Philippines 70 Documentary Film Independent Film Year Produced by DescriptionDalagang Bukid 1919 Nepumuceno Brothers Representations and images of the Americans in the Nepumuceno brothers perspective after they have anchored themselves in the country Tres Sangganos 1920s Manuel Silos A short film in 16 millimeters First feature film of Manuel Silos which had three parts Boxing match between Pancho Villa and Clever Sencio 1925 Orient Pictures Corporation partly owned by Joaquin Pardo de Vera It was the first ever boxing match held in the Philippines Jose Rizal 1939 Ramon Estella BiopicAll of the films above were destroyed during World War II However in the film archives in Washington DC only the old film titled March of Time Series The Philippines by Louis de Rochemont survived 71 Film making halted during the Japanese occupation however some documentaries and newsreels were made such as Laurel Review His Troops 1943 First Session of the National Assembly 1943 New Cabinet Organized 1943 and What Do You Think 1943 The 1950s to 1970s saw the rise of the First Independent Film Movement when the production of short films had a substantial increase and these short films were garnering awards locally and internationally Furthermore several film organizations were formed during this time such as the Film Institute of the Philippines Film Society of the Philippines Some of the alternative films produced during this time include El Legado Soul of a Fortress Mangandingay A Place of Happiness The Wall Mababangong Bangungot Masinloc and The Survivor The 1970s to 1980s saw the rise of the Second Independent Film Movement where the films produced contained more of the personal creativity of the filmmakers and films became more ideological Independent films became highly politicized in the 1980s with the Marcos dictatorship and the People Power Revolution The filmmakers of that time sought to innovate ways of expression for their political films as they deal with social reality Some of the famous independent films of that time include Ang Magpakailanman Children of the Regime Revolutions Happen like Refrains in a Song A Legacy of Violence And Rain Fell in July Sugat sa Ugat The Arrogance of Power Signos Kalawang Sa Maynila Ynang Bayan To be a Woman is to Live at a Time of War Why is Yellow the Middle of the Rainbow Perfumed Nightmare Isang Munting Lupa and Bayani Currently there are a few Filipino film festivals that support independent Filipino films such as Cinemalaya and CineFilipino 72 These are annual film festivals that screens invests promotes and awards independent Filipino films 73 Internationally acclaimed films EditOver the years Filipino films have been recognized not only in their own country but also globally in different countries Competing with international films Filipino films have earned many different rewards such as the Golden Lion in the 2016 Venice Film Festival won by Ang Babaeng Humayo The Woman Who Left by Lav Diaz the Audience Choice Award in the Tokyo International Film Festival won by Die Beautiful by Jun Lana or the Silver Bear Alfred Bauer Prize at the 66th Berlin International Film Festival won by Hele sa Hiwagang Hapis A Lullaby to the Sorrowful Mystery also by Lav Diaz All these films were granted these awards in the year of 2016 among many other Philippine films 74 In the years before other films equally gaining recognition internationally include Pamilya Ordinaryo by Eduardo Roy Jr 74 Toto by John Paul Su 74 Taklub by Brillante Mendoza 75 Metro Manila by Sean Ellis 76 and Foster Child by Brillante Mendoza 77 Animation EditMain article Filipino cartoon and animation Filipino animation is a body of original cultural and artistic works and styles applied to conventional Filipino storytelling combined with talent and the appropriate application of classic animation principles methods and techniques which recognizes their relationship with Filipino culture comics and films It also delves into relying on traditional and common Filipino sense of going about things or manner of coping with Filipino life and environment 78 Historical epics EditAnother staple of the Philippine film industry historical dramas where part of the mainstream genres of the Philippine cinema the deep history of the Philippines where the filmmakers are constantly inspired by it Over the years there have been many films based on history or on historical figures that not only captivated audiences with their powerful and enriching stories but have also taken viewers back in time with the detailed costumes sets and atmosphere 79 Be it based on real people like the biographies of Jose Rizal 1939 1998 Andres Bonifacio 1995 2010 2012 2014 Lapulapu 1955 2002 Antonio Luna 2015 and Gregorio del Pilar 2018 or set during a certain time period Teniente Rosario 1937 Banaue Stairway to the Sky 1975 Dugo sa Kapirasong Lupa 1975 Oro Plata Mata 1982 Tatlong Taong Walang Diyos 1976 and Quezon s Game 2018 Film Associations and Organizations EditNotable local film associations and groups include Metro Manila Film FestivalThe Metro Manila Film Festival is an annual film festival held in Metro Manila Philippines The festival takes place from Christmas Day December 25 and concludes at the first weekend in January of the following year 80 The MMFF has taken place every year since its inception in 1975 The 2016 event was the 42nd festival in its history Throughout the festival only Filipino Films which are approved by the jurors of the MMFF are shown in cinemas No foreign films are shown in Metro Manila cinemas during the festival except IMAX 4DX and select 3D cinemas This has been a tradition ever since the establishment of the festival s precursor Manila Film Festival in 1966 by former Manila Mayor Antonio Villegas 81 The festival is accompanied with an awards ceremony Over the years films such as Yamashita The Tiger s Treasure 82 One More Try 83 Walang Forever 84 and Sunday Beauty Queen 85 have received the Best Picture Award Pista ng Pelikulang PilipinoThe Pista ng Pelikulang Filipino or PPP is a film festival held in theaters nationwide Its inaugural season was held on August 16 22 2017 coinciding with the Buwan ng Wika Similar to the Metro Manila Film Festival foreign movies will not be shown in theaters except IMAX 4DX VIP starting from 2nd edition and large format 3D theaters and films approved by the jury will be shown It is organized by the Film Development Council of the Philippines in association with theaters nationwide 86 The inaugural awardees in the competition include Mikhail Red s Birdshot Critic s Choice Victor Villanueva s Patay na si Hesus Jury s Choice and Jason Paul Laxamana s 100 Tula Para Kay Stella Audience Choice 87 Film Academy of the PhilippinesThe Film Academy of the Philippines was established in 1981 and is considered the Philippine counterpart of the United States Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences It serves as the general organization of the various film related guilds in the country that help in the organizing and supervising of film activities Filipino Society of CinematographersEstablished on February 27 1970 it serves as an educational cultural and professional organization of cinematographers Film Development Council of the PhilippinesFormed on June 7 2002 the Film Development Council of the Philippines can be found under the Office of the President It ensures that the economic cultural and educational aspects of film are represented locally and internationally National Film Archives of the PhilippinesThe National Film Archives of the Philippines houses the history of Philippine Cinema and protects the country s cultural legacy in film through the preservation retrieval and restoration of film negatives prints and other film related material and promotes these to provide a wider appreciation of the cinema history by making them available to the public Movie Workers Welfare Foundation Inc The Movie Workers Welfare Foundation Inc or MOWELFUND was organized and established in 1974 by former President Joseph E Estrada who was then president of the Philippine Motion Picture Producers Association PMPPA Its primary purpose is to provide aid to movie workers such as medical livelihood and housing benefits Yearly revenue EditYear No of Films Revenue in US PhP vs US Revenue PhP2007 165 86 60M 46 01 Php 3 984B 88 2008 170 100 97M 44 32 Php 4 475B 89 2009 161 103 39M 47 64 Php 4 925B 90 2010 149 123 86M 45 11 Php 5 587B 91 2011 152 138 03M 43 31 Php 5 978B 92 2012 156 158 80M 42 23 Php 6 706B 93 2013 177 166 41M 42 45 Php 7 064B 94 See also EditABS CBN Film Archives Asian cinema Cinema of the world East Asian cinema Film awards bodies in the Philippines History of cinema List of Filipino actors List of Filipina actresses List of films about Martial Law in the Philippines List of films banned in the Philippines List of highest grossing films in the Philippines List of highest grossing Filipino films List of Philippine co produced films and television series List of Philippine film studios List of Philippine films Metro Manila Film Festival Southeast Asian cinema World cinemaReferences Edit a b Cinema Infrastructure Capacity Screendaily Retrieved August 24 2018 Share of Top 3 distributors Excel UNESCO Institute for Statistics Archived from the original on May 4 2017 Retrieved May 8 2017 Feature Film Production Method of Financing UNESCO Institute for Statistics Retrieved May 8 2017 a b Exhibition Admissions amp Gross Box Office GBO UNESCO Institute for Statistics Retrieved May 8 2017 History of Philippine Cinema sdfilipinocinema org Retrieved August 9 2020 The Role of Jose Nepomuceno in the Philippine Society What language did his silent film speaks Stockholm University Publications Retrieved on January 6 2011 Armes Roy 1987 Third World Film Making and the West University of California Press p 152 ISBN 978 0 520 90801 7 2014 Philippines Yearly Box Office Results Retrieved March 17 2015 Finally a national film archive inquirer net October 27 2011 Retrieved November 2 2011 a b Is the Curtain Finally Falling on the Philippine Movie Industry PhilNews com Retrieved January 25 2009 a b c d e f g h i j k l m Anonymous History of Philippine Cinema Philippine Journeys Retrieved January 22 2009 a b Cannes entry puts spotlight on Philippine indie films Grafilo John Top News Light Reading May 6 2008 a b c A bleak storyline for the Filipino film industry Conde Carlos H International Herald Tribune February 11 2007 a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Bautista Arsenio Boots History of Philippine Cinema National Commission for Culture and the Arts Retrieved January 23 2009 Lecture by Mark Rice American Visions of the Philippines Dean Worcester Charles Martin and the Creation of an Imperial Archive Haverford College October 29 2012 Archived from the original on October 6 2014 Retrieved October 3 2014 The Visayan Film Industry A Retrospective Part I Fee required January 5 2005 Retrieved April 7 2019 Nereo Cajilig Lujan HISTORY 101 Teatro Malhabour Old Iloilo Facebook Group Facebook Archived from the original on 2022 02 26 Glory Moralidad A Brief History of Sine Iloilo Cinema amp Movie Houses from the Late 19th Century and Beyond Bata Ako PH Project Iloilo Archived from the original on March 23 2018 Retrieved March 23 2018 Richard TS Bautista Regent Theatre J M Basa Street Iloilo City Theater Guides Online Cinema Treasure Your Guide To Movie Theaters Mark Segador Iloilo s Calle Real Awakening the Queen City of the South Iloilo Guide Online Iloilo I Love Opening Doors To Exciting Western Visayas Pioneering women film directors cited Fee required Philippine Daily Inquirer November 2 2002 Retrieved September 28 2008 Baskett Michael 2008 The Attractive Empire Transnational Film Culture in Imperial Japan Honolulu University of Hawai i Press ISBN 978 0 8248 3223 0 pp 108 110 Baskett The Attractive Empire pp 100 102 Pugo and Togo Filmdoms Original Comic Tandem Video 48 Retrieved on January 11 2011 Baskett The Attractive Empire pp 119 120 Deane Daniela February 19 1987 Movie stars purported Marcos mistress United Press International Archived from the original on July 9 2017 Retrieved July 11 2017 Walker Frank July 4 2004 Philandering dictator added Hollywood star to conquests Sydney Morning Herald Archived from the original on March 4 2016 Retrieved July 11 2017 Film Academy of the Philippines Official Website Archived January 31 2009 at the Wayback Machine Retrieved January 26 2009 Kehr Dave 30 December 2005 Hailing the DVD Distributors The Best Vault Raiders of 2005 The New York Times Retrieved August 25 2018 Search For Weng Weng The Retrieved February 22 2020 Today at Fantasia Cult MTL July 29 2014 Retrieved February 22 2020 Wilson Jake August 7 2014 In search of Weng Weng the pint sized James Bond of Filipino film The Sydney Morning Herald Retrieved March 1 2020 Leavold Andrew The Search for Weng Weng DVD USA Wild Eye Releasing 760137943594 Dolor Danny MIFF 83 Festival for a Cause Philstar com Retrieved 2022 03 25 Branigin William 1983 02 03 Philippine Battle Over Bold Films Washington Post ISSN 0190 8286 Retrieved 2022 03 25 Filipinos pack theaters showing erotic films UPI Retrieved 2022 03 25 a b Filipino film industry reborn Archived March 21 2012 at the Wayback Machine Straight website January 25 2009 a b Nigado JC July 17 1987 Stand by for life Manila Standard Standard Publications Inc p 14 Retrieved June 1 2021 a b Diaz Lav Isa pang sirkus Another circus Manila Standard in Filipino Standard Publications Inc p 14 Dormiendo Justino September 11 1992 Cold blooded killers ice cold lovers Manila Standard Kamahalan Publishing Corp p 20 Retrieved June 1 2021 The action flick itself remains as the most abused genre in our time With movies like Magdaleno Orbos relief is still far from sight Stand by Me 1986 Rotten Tomatoes Fandango Retrieved June 1 2021 Daza Jullie Y December 27 1990 Mayors coup d etat Manila Standard Kagitingan Publications Inc p 11 Retrieved November 15 2022 Lam Lulubelle September 27 1989 Manoling wants quality Manila Standard Kagitingan Publications Inc p 25 Retrieved January 7 2023 There is a quantitative downtrend in the local movie industry in the past years Thompson Kristin and Bordwell David 2010 Film History An Introduction New York McGraw Hill p 646 It s total war on pirates as movie industry reels Archived January 24 2009 at the Wayback Machine Mocon Claudeth Business Mirror June 18 2008 Film and Video in the Philippines Archived July 25 2008 at the Wayback Machine Philippine Information Agency Retrieved January 25 2009 Philippine movies Archived January 4 2009 at the Wayback Machine Wow Paradise Philippines Retrieved January 26 2009 List of the highest grossing Philippine movies The Unkabogable Praybeyt Benjamin Enteng Ng Ina Mo Girl Boy Bakla Tomboy Now the Highest Grossing Film in PH ABS CBNnews com Retrieved January 16 2014 My Little Bossings breaks first day earning record ABS CBNnews com Retrieved December 26 2013 It Takes A Man And A Woman 2013 Retrieved March 17 2015 The Amazing Praybeyt Benjamin sets new box office record ABS CBNnews com Retrieved January 16 2015 Feng Shui 2 earns more than PHP 200M as of January 2015 PEP ph Retrieved January 5 2015 A Second Chance is the Highest Grossing Filipino Film of All Time Rappler com Retrieved December 20 2015 Beauty and the Bestie breaks A Second Chance PH record Archived January 13 2016 at the Wayback Machine ABS CBNnews com Retrieved January 13 2016 a b c Tadhana is top grossing local indie film of all time March 15 2015 a b c Angelica calls out fans on Tadhana piracy Heneral Luna draws bigger crowds adds more theaters on second week Entertainment News InterAksyon com Archived from the original on September 23 2015 Retrieved July 5 2017 Heneral Luna breaks P160M mark on third week producer confident of sequel Heneral Luna continues charge hits P160M Heneral Luna now highest grossing Filipino historical film of all time inquirer net October 2015 a b Quinto Keneth February 16 2017 Paulo Avelino Expresses Disappointment Over the Limited Release of I m Drunk I Love You LionhearTV Retrieved February 22 2017 a b Anarcon James Patrick February 22 2017 Paulo Avelino Maja disappointed by early pullout of I m Drunk I Love You FDCP responds Philippine Entertainment Portal Retrieved February 22 2017 Film industry celebrates 100 years of PHL Cinema BusinessWorld September 20 2019 Retrieved September 20 2019 Ghosts of Martial Law National Historical Commission of the Philippines 2012 09 04 Retrieved 2022 05 06 Banned and Controversial Filipino Films You Need to See Esquire 2020 05 11 Retrieved 2022 05 06 a b Film theater and literature Voices that cannot be silenced Rappler 2013 08 31 Retrieved 2022 05 06 N Deocampo Alternative Cinema Archived 2017 07 12 at the Wayback Machine accessed June 26 2017 Deocampo N Alternative Cinema PDF Archived from the original PDF on July 12 2017 Rex Baylon 2015 A look at Philippine indie film history Meniscus Magazine September 17 2015 accessed July 7 2017 Adrian Goh and Jasmine Ting Only Indie Philippines The GUIDON May 22 2016 accessed July 7 2017 a b c List Filipino films that made it internationally this 2016 Philippine Primer December 29 2016 Retrieved July 8 2017 Dacanay Aimee September 24 2015 10 Must See Critically Acclaimed Pinoy Movies of 2015 SPOT PH Retrieved July 8 2017 Award Winning Pinoy Indie Films You Have to Watch Pinoy Top Tens May 25 2017 Retrieved July 8 2017 Dimaculangan Jocelyn March 16 2008 Foster Child wins Signis Award in Spain PEP ph Retrieved July 8 2017 Pinoy animation defined Archived December 23 2008 at the Wayback Machine Animation Council of the Philippines Animationcouncil org 10 Must Watch Historical Filipino Films About the Festival Metro Manila Film Festival Archived from the original on June 28 2017 Retrieved July 11 2017 Dolor Danny February 21 2016 Mayor Villegas Father of local film festivals Philippine Star Archived from the original on July 11 2017 Retrieved July 11 2017 Metro Manila Film Festival IMDb Archived from the original on February 1 2016 Retrieved July 11 2017 Metro Manila Film Festival 2012 IMDb Archived from the original on September 24 2015 Retrieved July 11 2017 Smith Chuck December 28 2016 Winners 2015 Metro Manila Film Festival awards night Philippine Star Archived from the original on June 24 2017 Retrieved July 11 2017 Winners at MMFF s Gabi Ng Parangal GMA News December 29 2016 Archived from the original on July 11 2017 Retrieved July 11 2017 Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino pistangpelikulangpilipino ph Three films win special prizes in Pista ng Pelikulang Pilipino 2007 Philippines Yearly Box Office Results Retrieved March 17 2015 2008 Philippines Yearly Box Office Results Retrieved March 17 2015 2009 Philippines Yearly Box Office Results Retrieved March 17 2015 2010 Philippines Yearly Box Office Results Retrieved March 17 2015 2011 Philippines Yearly Box Office Results Retrieved March 17 2015 2012 Philippines Yearly Box Office Results Retrieved March 17 2015 2013 Philippines Yearly Box Office Results Retrieved March 17 2015 External links EditAcquiring Eyes Philippine Visuality Nationalist Struggle and The World Media System PDF Jonathan Beller Manila Ateneo de Manila University Press 2006 Philippines Brillante Mendoza scoops Best Director at Cannes Filipino language titles at the Internet Movie Database Tagalog language titles at the Internet Movie Database Philippine Independent Films Criticine Philippines Archived January 3 2010 at the Wayback Machine 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 50 Greatest Filipino Films Filipino Movies at GMOAT Philippine Cinemas at Flixseats Talaan ng mga Artista sa Pilipinas Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Cinema of the Philippines amp oldid 1132086190, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.