Campaign calls for creation of Cebuano Film Council

CEBU, Philippines - Film enthusiasts in Cebu are calling out to the city council to establish a Cebuano Cinema Development Council in Cebu City. In their letter to Cebu City Mayor Michael Rama, the said council states that they are for the advancement and abundance of Cebuano cinema.

A signature campaign to gather support of other individuals was also launched last Jan. 31 at an artist café in Gorordo Avenue and during the screening of the Sinulog short films at SM City Cebu last Feb. 1.

According to filmmaker Marlon Hoffer, the council will not only be a form of support to independent filmmakers but will also function as a means for the city government to generate income especially when film festivals and special screenings of locally made films will be done.

“Let us bring back lost Visayan cinema. When we are able to do this, we are able to connect with Cebu’s tourism,” Hoffer said.

In their proposal, the council will archive Cebuano films which will become a basis for communication and cinema studies. It will also revive the art in Visayan Film making and develop a new breed of filmmakers. 

Hoffer said their proposed council will help independent filmmakers to have support commercially. Free workshops and filmmaking trainings will also be done by this proposed council.

“A Cebuano motion picture is not just a means to entertain a Cebuano audience, it is also an agent or access point of Cebuano society, culture and life,” he added.

Hoffer and the other supporters of this cause are looking into having Cebu City councilor James Cuenco sponsor a resolution for this cause as he is also the Chairman of the Committee on Tourism. If this is not possible, they are hoping that an executive order from the mayor or city ordinance from the city council will create this council.

“Our signatures will show the support of all the organizations, filmmakers and individuals here in Cebu,” Hoffer said.

There have been already several feature films that won in film festivals in the country and abroad such as Remton Zuasola’s “Ang Damgo ni Eleuteria” and Ivan Zaldarriaga’s “Di Ingon Nato.” At present, the International Academy of Film and Television and the University of San Carlos are the only schools which have a degree in Cinema Studies and Production. Other universities which offer Mass Communication degree programs teach Film Production as a subject.

The production of Cebuano films started in the 1920s. Some of these films hit the mainstream cinema industry in the 50s and 60s. However, production became slow in the following decades because of economic reasons. (FREEMAN)