Filmfest organizers seek Arroyo’s intervention

The Makati City government and organizers of the Makati Cinemanila International Film Festival are set to seek President Arroyo’s intervention, as problems continue to hound the event, two days before its scheduled opening.

"We are not getting the cooperation we had expected from the national government. This is lamentable because we badly need to bring in foreign visitors who will spread the word that it is safe to go to the Philippines," said Makati Representative Agapito "Butz" Aquino in a statement released by the city government.

Aquino heads the film fest’s organizing committee, while the Makati government is the main sponsor of the event.

Aquino noted that it was ironic that President Arroyo was the filmfest’s guest of honor last year and that she expressed support for the project.

The organizers of the Makati Cinemanila are up in arms after the Movie and Television Classification Board (MTRCB) have given four foreign films an X-rating while the Bureau of Customs is holding at least 15 other movies, pending payment of their commercial taxes.

Aquino said that the films should not have been subjected to the MTRCB’s review because they are for "festival purposes" and that they are not going to be shown commercially thus should be exempted from taxes.

The statement noted that most of the films shown at the festival are "award-winning movies that are not shown commercially." These include winners of prestigious international festivals such as the Cannes Film Festival, Berlin Film Festival, and the Sundance Festival.

Rated-X were "Y Tu Mama Bien" (Mexico), "Manito’ (USA), "Hollywood Hong Kong" (Hong Kong), and "Seafood" (China).

Among the movies "impounded" at the Customs is Brazil’s critically-acclaimed "Central Station".

The MTRCB is set to review 80 more movies and the organizers are apprehensive that they would be given the same rating as the four films. – Nikko Dizon